A rare and finely-enamelled Chinese famille rose ‘hundred boys’ vase 
Qing dynasty, Jiaqing...

 A rare and finely-enamelled Chinese famille rose ‘hundred boys’ vase 

Qing dynasty, Jiaqing mark and period 

The baluster body enamelled with a continuous scene of boys playing during the Spring Lantern festival, the children depicted in animated groups holding lanterns, playing music from drums, cymbals and horns, lighting a firecracker and carrying auspicious emblems, the slender neck flanked with paired handles in the shape of stylised dragons, the base with underglaze blue six-character seal mark, 30cm high, fitted box. 

Import Duty Charged on the Hammer Price 

清嘉慶 粉彩百子嬰戲圖雙耳瓶連錦盒，青花篆書「大清嘉慶年製」款

落槌價徵收進口關稅

The present lot belongs to a group of wares produced at the Imperial kilns in Jingdezhen during the early years of the reign of Emperor Jiaqing, a time when production was still heavily influenced by that commissioned in the preceding reign, as well as very likely still carried out by the same artisans who made wares for Qianlong emperor and his household.

The shape of the current vase is heavily reminiscent of Qianlong-era vases decorated with the same motif, with similarly high sloping shoulders and tall cylindrical necks painted with lotus blooms and twin-fish, but usually with rims turned over and modelled with ruyi-head borders. Related Qianlong examples of this type were sold by Sothebys London,  10th June 1997, lot 95; another sold at Christie's New York, 1stDecember 1994, lot 440; and another, but of globular form, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Kangxi. Yongzheng. Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Beijing, 1989, p. 341, pl. 22.

The theme of boys at play continued to be popular throughout the Jiaqing reign, with a number of other vessels enamelled with the same motif, but various different shapes, including one with angled shoulders and archaistic handles flanking a flaring yellow-ground neck enamelled with flowers and emblems, sold at Christie's London, 16th November 1999, lot 248; and another portraying the boys participating in a dragon boat race between ruby-ground and famille-rose decorated neck and foot, in the Huahaitang collection, included in the exhibition Ethereal Elegance. Porcelain Vases of the Imperial Qing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2007, cat. no. 138.

The portrayal of numerous boys playing in a garden, symbolising the desire for many sons, was a prevalent motif in the decorative arts of the Ming and Qing dynasties. On this vase, each boy engages in activities rich with symbolic meaning: the initial character of 'lantern' (deng) serves as a homophone for 'bumper harvest' (fengdeng), signifying peace, while the boys holding fish-shaped lanterns (yu) represent abundance.

A vase of the exact same shape and design was offered by Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 April 2020, lot 1856.