A FINE AND RARE CLOISONNE ENAMEL 'LOTUS' BOTTLE VASE INCISED...

Hammer

£18,000

A FINE AND RARE CLOISONNE ENAMEL 'LOTUS' BOTTLE VASE
INCISED JINGTAI SIX CHARACTER MARK, MID MING DYNASTY
明 '大明景泰年制' 掐丝珐琅缠枝莲纹镶螭龙胆瓶
the pear-shaped vase enamelled with lotus blooms and scrolling tendrils reserved against a turquoise-ground, the body and neck applied with a finely cast gilt-bronze chilong dragon; the applied gilt-bronze neck and foot with incised scrolling foliate decoration 
15cm high

PROVENANCE: From the Private Collection of the Late George Withers (1946-2023).

NOTE: According to the current exhibition at the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum Taipei The Mystery of the Jintai Cloisonné Unveiled.
Cloisonné enamel was introduced into China during the Yuan period in the 14th century from Byzantine via the Islamic world. 17th-century connoisseurs claimed that the cloisonné produced during the Jingtai reign (1450-1457) of the Ming dynasty to be superior, thus giving rise to the term Jingtailan to mean cloisonné enamel.  However, authentic Jingtai period cloisonné wares remain elusive, and the emergence of a large number of cloisonné enamels bearing apocryphal Jingtai marks to meet the demands of the antique market has created an extra barrier to more precise dating.
Jingtai was the reign title of Daizong (1449-1457), the seventh emperor, of the Ming dynasty whose rule proved short-lived, lasting only seven years. In 1456, the connoisseur Wang Zuo active in the first half of the 15th century, praised the sophistication and elegance of cloisonné wares commissioned by the Jingtai court, and 17th-century antique dealers rated Jingtai cloisonné enamels as precious treasures to rank among Xuande incense burner, Chenghua porcelain, and Yongle lacquerware. 

Related examples :
The form of the present vase is a continuation of vessels produced during the Song and Yuan period as exemplified by a pear-shaped cloisonné enamel vase with Jingtai mark, illustrated by Zheng Xinmiao, ed., Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Cloisonné in the Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) Dynasties, vol.1, Beijing, 2011.
For a second half 16th century example with Jingtai mark, see H.Brinker and A.Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, New York, 1989, pl.205.
See also Sir Harry Garner, Chinese and Japanese Cloisonné Enamels, London, 1962, p. 75, pl. 43, for a bottle vase with additional gilt handles dated to the second half 16th Century;
Helmut Brinker & Albert Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, New York, Asia Society Galleries, 1989, no. 108, for another pear-shaped vase with differing cloisonné decoration but similar gilt-bronze dragon form handles, and neck and foot mounts, and also bearing a Jingtai mark to the base which is dated to the second half of the 16th century.
A related cloisonné enamel vase of similar shape, dated to the second half 16th century is illustrated in Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties, Taipei, 1999, no. 8.
A larger vase of slightly later date but with lotus decoration on a turquoise ground, was sold at Bonhams, London, 13 May 2021, lot 13. Unlike our example it does not have the addition of gilt bronze Chilong dragon, and also the mouth and foot with gilt sections.
A similar but slightly a large cloisonné vase sold at Koller Auctions Ltd, in 29th October, 2013.

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More Information

Of good overall appearance. There appears to be two areas of repair around the rim and lower part of body with may be a few further minor spots in places. There is an impact with loss between the white and blue lotus around the side. Age related marks and wear.
414g