Gilded bronze vase ‘Dragon with pearl and lotuses’, with Qianlong seal

Gilded bronze vase with a flat body, elliptical base and circular belly, bianhu type. It has an elegant cylindrical neck topped by a bulbous mouth, flanked by a pair of handles sculpted in the shape of sinuous dragons. The decoration is richly executed in high relief and engravings over the entire surface, showing in the centre an imperial five-clawed dragon with a serpentine body, covered in scales and a fierce gaze, chasing a flaming pearl (zhunian) amid clouds and scrolls of flowering lotuses. The surrounding field is covered with a dense pattern of floral and lotus scrolls, or a ‘thousand flowers’ background, arranged on fine dotted reliefs. The cylindrical base has a fret border. At the bottom is an engraved seal with six characters: “大清乾隆年制”. Qing dynasty (1644-1912).

Height: 22.5 cm; Base size: 7.2 x 4.5 cm

Weight: 1,815 g

Provenance:

· French private collection