A PAIR OF CHINESE FAMILLE ROSE ENAMEL SCONCES

 QIANLONG PERIOD (1736 - 1795)

This rare pair of famille rose enamel wall sconces was made in Guangzhou (Canton) during the Qianlong period for the European luxury market. Each centres on a lobed cartouche depicting the Daoist immortal Magu (麻姑), associated with longevity, accompanied by an attendant and deer amid cresting waves. Peonies, chrysanthemums and butterflies surround the scene, while enamelled lotus medallions support two gilt-bronze candle arms terminating in lotus-form drip pans and candleholders.

Their design is a particularly clear expression of eighteenth-century cross-cultural production. Chinese Daoist imagery and famille rose enamel decoration are combined with the European form of a wall light and gilt-bronze fittings, indicating that the sconces were conceived specifically for Western interiors.

Painted enamel on copper had entered China through contact with European enamel technology and was rapidly developed by Chinese craftsmen. Under the Qianlong Emperor, the technique reached a high level of technical refinement at the same moment that European demand for Chinese porcelain, lacquer, silk and enamelled wares was expanding. Canton became an important centre for producing such objects for foreign merchants and aristocratic patrons.

Documentary evidence confirms European demand for enamelled wall lights of this type. The Dutch East India Company ordered painted enamel wares from Canton in 1766, including two-light sconces, while comparable pieces also entered Danish royal collections. A closely related pair, formerly associated with the Anichkov Palace in St Petersburg, is preserved in the State Hermitage Museum.

The survival of the present sconces as a complete pair, retaining their original gilt-bronze arms and lotus-form fittings, is especially significant. They are rare examples of mid-Qianlong Canton enamel in which Chinese craftsmanship, auspicious imagery and European function were successfully combined for an international elite.