AN EXTREMELY RARE CHINESE IMPERIAL CLOISONNE ENAMEL AND GILT-BRONZE DOUBLE-GOURD VASE, HULUPING

AN EXTREMELY RARE CHINESE IMPERIAL CLOISONNE ENAMEL AND GILT-BRONZE DOUBLE-GOURD VASE, HULUPING
QIANLONG 1736-95

Decorated all over with a dense design of large and smaller lotus flowerheads growing from undulating leafy stems with tendrils and further flower buds, and with strings of berries in turquoise, red, pink and yellow, on a dark blue ground. The neck with pale green pendant leaves and the base with a band of lappets, mounted on a short champlevé base adapted as a light fitting for electricity, the flared rim and cloisons gilded, 3.4kg, 42.5cm.

Provenance: the collection of Alfred Morrison (1821-97), Fonthill House, Wiltshire, Fonthill Heirlooms no.251 (label now lacking), and then John Granville Morrison (1906-96), 1st Baron Margadale of Islay and thence by direct descent to the present owner.

Cf. for a closely related 'lotus' vase of this size and colour, but with coiling chi-dragon appliqués, see The Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum, vol.3, p.196, no.161.

The double gourd, hulu, is an important auspicious symbol in Chinese culture with many meanings. Due to its abundance of seeds, the bottle gourd is a symbol of fertility believed to bring hundreds of sons, hulu baizi. In ancient times many cultures developed the practice of manipulating the shape of growing gourds by tying them with string. These double gourds, once dried, were used to hold food, liquids or medicines and thus the shape became closely associated with wishes for abundance, good luck and good health. The double gourd is also associated with Immortals. It is the attribute of Li Tie Guai, one of the Eight Daoist Immortals.

清乾隆 御製銅胎掐絲琺瑯纏枝寶相花紋葫蘆瓶
來源：由Alfred Morrison（1821-97）收藏，英國威爾特郡放山居莊園，放山居家傳收藏編號251（標籤已失），隨後由John Granville Morrison（1906-96），第一代馬加代爾男爵繼承，之後由其後人繼承。