AN IMPERIAL TURQUOISE-GROUND RECTANGULAR JARDINIERE Qianlong seal mark in gilt and of the period

AN IMPERIAL TURQUOISE-GROUND RECTANGULAR JARDINIERE
Qianlong seal mark in gilt and of the period
Of rectangular form with canted corners, the deep straight sides raised on a short, tapered foot, brightly enameled around the exterior with stylized lotus blossoms issuing exuberant scrolling stems laden with flowers and peaches, the polychrome designs bordered with gilt outlines, all reserved on a turquoise ground, the rim with a band of gilt keyfret against an iron-red ground, the interior and base enameled turquoise, the base with a gilt six-character seal mark in a single line within a white rectangular cartouche.
10in (25.5cm) across
Footnotes:
乾隆御製 《大清乾隆年製》金彩款 粉彩孔雀藍地花卉紋長方花器

Provenance:
Marquette University Museum, Wisconsin

來源：
威斯康辛州Marquette大學

This vessel belongs to a small group of porcelains commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor (1736-1795) in direct imitation of cloisonné enamel. The turquoise ground used on both the interior and exterior of our jardiniere, clearly imitates the popular turquoise-blue ground used extensively as a ground color on the enamel metal wares, albeit of a paler color here. The thick, painted gilt lines that border the floral decoration on the sides, similarly emulate the gilt metal wire cloison's used to separate the different enamel cells on the cloisonne enamel pre-cursors. The emperor was particularly fond of cloisonné work and he invigorated the workshops that produced such wares, a fact attested to, by the plethora of Qianlong-marked examples in the palace collections today.

For another single example see Sotheby's New York, 23 September 2020, lot 538. See also a pair of nearly identical jardinières from the Edward.T. Chow Collection, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 19 May 1981, lot 596.