the globular body supported on three cabriole legs, vividly painted in a famille-rose palette and gilt with a classic millefleurs design, the peonies, chrysanthemums, lilies, lotus and other flowers in bright enamels, the shoulders set with opposing broad everted and pierced handles, the interior glazed turquoise, six-character seal mark in iron-red in a line on the exterior of the rim, wood cover and stand (3)

Viscountess Frankfort舊藏, Dewlish House, Dorset，英格蘭

One handle has been restuck and riveted.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

It is extremely rare to find a large altar vessel with this elaborate and detailed design. A gu- shaped vase of the same period and design is in the Liaoning Provincial Museum, illustrated in Liaoning Shen Bowuguan, Beijing, 1983, col. pl. 181 and again in Liu-Liang-yu, A Survey of Chinese Ceramics, Taipei, 1991, vol. 5, p. 190. The beaker vase is also marked on the exterior indicating it may well also have been part of a set. Compare also a famille-rose censer, Qianlong mark and period, in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan of the same shape but decorated with formal flower designs, included in the museum's Special Exhibition of Incense Burners and Perfumers Through the Dynasties, Taipei, 1994, cat. no. 120.  There is a vase of the same pattern from the Grandidier Collection, now in the Guimet Museum, illustrated by M. Beurdeley and G. Raindre, Qing Porcelain - Famille Verte, Famille Rose, London, 1987, pp. 118-9, no. 164. A smaller Qianlong mark and period millefleurs censer of slightly different floral pattern was sold in our London rooms, 20th June 2001, lot 25. A five piece garniture of the same pattern was recently sold in these rooms, 29th March 2011, lot 61.

The complex and colorful decoration would have been very difficult to achieve demanding the best talent for the imperial commission. Millefleurs patterns first appear on wares made during the reign of the Yongzheng emperor but seem to have reached a pinnacle of quality during the Qianlong period, as subsequent Jiaqing and Daoguang marked examples tend to be less finely executed.