superbly cast with a hollow body and an upturned bottom-end shaped in the form of a mythical beast's head defined with outlines of a prominent snout, further rendered with a pair of curved horns, the exterior of the vessel brightly decorated with multi-coloured enamels with floral blooms borne on scrolling foliage, all against a bright turquoise ground below a red-ground band enclosing 'horse-hoof' and circular motifs encircling the rim, the base with a gilt-bronze cartouche incised with a four-character reign mark within a square

A noble English family collection.

Notable for its exuberant decoration and archaistic form, this exquisitely conceived cloisonne enamel vessel reveals the opulent taste of the Qianlong Emperor and his passion for unusual playthings.