skilfully and finely potted, the body divided into twelve lobes and modelled with a bulbous central section sweeping up to a trumpet neck with a flaring mouth-rim with a lobed gilt outline of twelve bracket foliations, all supported on a short foot applied with a pale brownish-orange wash, the shoulder moulded with a beribonned pink sash tied at the centre and finely picked out in a darker pink with bats and ruyi cloud scrolls, reserved on the overall turquoise-enamelled ground decorated in multi-coloured enamels with stylised floral scrolls issuing curling leaves and tendrils, the turquoise base centred with a white cartouche enclosing an iron-red six-character seal mark

There is a tiny retouched section of approx 0.9 cm to the tip of the left sash of the ribbon. An approx 4 cm section of turquoise enamel at the outer mouth-rim has also been retouched (around 8 o'clock of the mark). There is also expected light surface wear and tiny enamel flakes. The vase is otherwise in overall good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Qianlong famille-rose vases decorated with the eye-catching motif of a knotted cloth were much favoured by the Qianlong Emperor who had a preference for porcelain vessels that contained elements simulating objects in other materials. The emperor challenged the potters active at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen to create pieces that were technically innovative and unconventional in their aesthetics, and the present vase is a good example of what the emperor may have envisaged. During the Qianlong reign potters became highly ambitious in their repertoire following the refinement of materials and craftsmanship. Vases such as this piece were made for show and are remarkable examples trompe l’oeil.

Qianlong porcelains with the knotted cloth design are very rare and these are all of unique design, differing in form and decoration to the current vases. See a slightly smaller turquoise-ground baluster vase with a pink sash, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Kangxi. Yongzheng. Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 359, pl. 40; one of gu shape, also with a ruyi-head shape band at the mouth, sold at Christie’s London, 15th June 1999, lot 100; and a pair of pink-ground baluster vases, from the൲ J.M. Hu family collection, sold in our New York rooms, 4th June 1985, lot 72, and twice in these rooms, 1st November 1999, lot 400, and 5th October 2016, lot 3611.

The silky knotted cloth motif on this vase is a concept borrowed from Japan, particularly from Japanese furoshiki packaging tradition. This motif is often found on Japanese lacquerware, such as a box included in the exhibition Toyo no urushi kogei [Oriental Lacquer Arts], Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1977, cat. no. 297. This design was also employed on wares of various media during the Qianlong reign, for example see a painted enamel yellow-ground vase, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition Splendours of China’s Forbidden City. The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, The Field Museum, Chicago, 2004, cat. no. 336; and a yellow-ground enamelled glass version modelled in the form of a yellow brocade bag with a pink sash, from the collections of Prince Gong Yixin, brother of the Xianfeng Emperor (r. 1851-61), A.W. Bahr and Paul and Helen Bernat, illustrated in Hugh Moss, By Imperial Commandꦉ, Hong Kong, 1976, pl. 41, sold in these rooms, 15th Novemberꦍ 1988, lot 77.