Dragon Peach "En Grisaille"

A MAGNIFICENT IMPERIAL DRAGON PEACH BOX 珐琅彩 Falangcai .
QING PERIOD 1644 to 1911

The lemon yellow ground box of an elegant circular form with shallow rounded sides, standing on a low foot, a matching slightly domed flattened cover.

Brilliantly enamelled with a central medallion enclosing an Imperial Five Clawed Dragon.

The surrounding outer exquisitely painted with branching plump peaches hanging from leafy branches, morning glory with luxuriant trailing twisting vines, plum blossoms on a branching bough, wisteria, narcissus, and lingzhi, all of which are repeated on the sides of the box.

The entirety, enamelled En Grisaille, the flowers, blossoms with miniature highlight touches of cobalt blue, all set against a lemon yellow ground, the rims with key fret borders, the artwork amazing.

The interiors enamelled aqua.

The base with a cobalt blue Qianlong 4 character period mark set within a double circular border against a white ground.

A MAGNIFICENT WORK OF ART

Formerly the property of a Japanese collector who reputedly had the largest and finest collection of Chinese 珐琅彩 Falangcai artworks in Japan.

Condition: Excellent

Refer Large Images for details, quality and condition, they also form the description.

Depending on your computer monitor / phone / etc colour may vary to actual.

Dimensions are maximum measurements

Length 10.3 cm.
Height: 4.2 cm
Weight: 227 grams

A$6250


Note:
The colour En Grisaille (Encre de Chine - Chinese ink ) became popular in the Qianlong Period from the 1730s.
En Grisaille on a yellow ground was especially popular during the Tongzhi Guangxu Period (1862 to1908) and was especially favoured by the Empress Dowager Cixi.

The design of this box appears to have originated from a design on porcelain produced during the Qianlong reign and later reproduced until 1908 in variety of similar themes and styles, different to this example.

There are numerous Porcelain examples of small boxes, bowls and more, usually bearing the 3 characters Dayazhai with Seal mark on the outsides of the artwork that have been sold at major auctions.

All the examples I have seen are on porcelain ..... Not.... 珐琅彩 Falangcai Enamel Copper.

This superb box is comparable in quality to the finest enamel produced in the Imperial Workshops of the Imperial Palace, 造 辦 處 Zaobanchu

The art of enamelling was introduced to the Chinese Court in the Kangxi era 1654 to 1722, by the Jesuit Guiseppe Castiglione (Lan Shining).