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Expert’s note:
Imperial lacquerware produced in the Beijing workshops during the Qianlong period is rare for several practical reasons. The standards of the imperial workshops were exceptionally high across all media. Lacquer, however, differed fundamentally from porcelain, glass, textiles, and many other products made for the court.
Production could not easily be increased or standardized. Each object required extensive manual work by highly skilled lacquer craftsmen. In the present pair, the decoration involved not only cinnabar-red lacquer, but also several tones of gold and black lacquer. These were applied and worked in successive stages. Each stage required adequate drying time before the next could begin. Further time was needed for polishing and finishing. The entire production process was therefore both slow and labor-intensive.
Lacquer was also considerably more vulnerable in use than porcelain or glass. Its surfaces could be abraded relatively easily. Even limited use could therefore result in visible wear. This affected objects retained at court as well as those presented as imperial gifts to officials, dignitaries, or guests.
An even greater problem was structural stability. Lacquer is an organic material and reacts to changes in temperature and humidity. This can cause tension within the structure and eventually lead to cracking. The present dishes are particularly thin-walled, making their survival without significant structural damage all the more remarkable.
These factors help explain why imperial lacquerware of this type survives in much smaller numbers than many other products of the Qianlong workshops. Near-identical examples are documented in the literature and in imperial collections, see below, but the surviving corpus is limited. A matching pair of this quality and state of preservation is therefore particularly rare.
China, 1736-1795. Each with shallow sides flaring from a short straight foot, exquisitely decorated in predominantly gold paint with reddish-brown details and black outlines, the center with a phoenix in flight amidst scrolling peony blossoms, the interior and exterior with four ruyi-head-shaped cartouches containing a lotus spray flanked by bats, the foot with a decorative band, all against a rich cinnabar ground. (2)
The bases finished in dark brown lacquer, each bearing a gilt six-character mark da Qing Qianlong nianzhi within a double rectangle and of the period.
Provenance: Collection of Bill and Mary Palmer, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Christie’s New York, 23 March 2012, lot 1711 (sold for USD 206,500 or approx. EUR 263,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). A private collection in Asia, acquired from the above. William Palmer was born in Imlay City, Michigan, and studied economics at the University of Michigan, where he joined the faculty as a professor in 1930. Mary Warton Shuford, a native of North Carolina, enrolled in the University of Michigan School of Music in 1935, graduating two years later before marrying Palmer. Sharing a deep commitment to art and architecture, the couple commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design their now celebrated residence in Ann Arbor, completed in 1952. Within this exceptional architectural setting, they spent the following decades assembling a distinguished collection of Asian art of superlative quality, among whose most celebrated works was the present lot.
Condition: Very good condition with expected wear, the rim and foot with occasional small flakes, one dish's flakes lightly retouched, little rubbing, few faint age cracks.
Weight: 119.2 and 125.3 g (excl. stand), 316.4 and 313.8 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Diameter 19.2 cm (excl. stand), Height 25.3 cm (incl. stand)
With a pair of associated wood stands finely carved in openwork with confronted dragons centered by a flaming pearl, and a storage box. (5)
The skill of Qianlong era craftsmen working in the lacquer medium is evident in the resplendent, elegantly painted motif which has been set against a bright cinnabar ground, all enhanced through the use of gilt detailing. Polychrome lacquer became popular in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties and wares were produced either gold engraved in the qiangjin and tianqi technique or more rarely brush painted like the present lot, which allowed greater freedom in the execution of motifs.
The phoenix is one of the four divine animals and appears only in time of peace and prosperity. It is believed that the emergence of a phoenix signifies the rise of a wise and able ruler or great man: a phoenix appeared when Confucius was born. The phoenix motif is the motif of the empress of China and is used widely to decorate her crown and clothing. In this case, the auspicious combination of phoenix and peonies suggests wealth, rank and good fortune (fugui jixiang). When the king of birds is paired with the king of flowers, they incur the greatest of blessings and prosperity.
Literature comparison:
Compare a nearly identical gold-painted red lacquer dish with a similar ‘phoenix-and-peony’ design, dated Qianlong period, 19 cm diameter, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, vol. 46, 2006, p. 158, no. 115.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 5 October 2016, lot 3686
Mid-Estimate: HKD 1,500,000 or approx. EUR 200,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare pair of gilt-decorated and painted lacquer tiered boxes, covers and stands, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related technique and motifs with similar bats, ruyi, and cinnabar ground. Note the different form and that these boxes do not have reign marks.
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