Imperial Rouge Enamel Dragon Vase with Cloud Pattern - 1Top 6

The Imperial Rouge Enamel Dragon Vase with Cloud Pattern has unique historical background and artistic value. 1. Historical Context: * Created during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, when Emperor Yongzheng boldly supported innovation in court craftsmanship. This period marked a peak in porcelain craftsmanship, particularly in enamel porcelain production. 2. Production Process: * The creation process was quite complex. According to the Imperial Workshop Archives, on July 24th of Yongzheng's tenth year, the Yuanmingyuan presented a large white-ground red dragon vase with a damaged mouth and a white porcelain vase. The Emperor, while appreciating the red dragon on the large vase, ordered modifications to improve the dragon's tail and pattern clarity. 3. Artistic Features and Status: * Artistic Features: The vase is painted in rouge enamel with rich, beautiful, and vibrant colors. It features twin dragons with bright eyes, five-clawed feet, detailed scales, flowing whiskers and hair, chasing flaming pearls amidst swirling clouds. * Unique Status: Among all imperial enamel porcelains, this vase is relatively large in size and difficult to surpass even among palace museum collections on both sides of the strait. 4. Current Existence: * Only three similar vases exist today: one in the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art in Kobe, Japan; another previously exhibited at Eskenazi's 50th anniversary exhibition in London; and one that appeared in the auction market. On April 8, 2023, it was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong for 60.34 million HKD, demonstrating its precious value and high popularity in the art market.