©AuctionArt/Drouot
The highlight of an Asian art auction held at Drouot by Auction Art on September 25 is this 21½in (55cm) high Qianlong lantern-shaped vase famille rose vase and stand.
The scene to the vase is a popular one in Chinese art: the Eight Daoist Immortals crossing the sea of the East to attend the birthday of the Queen Mother of the West. It has a six character iron red Qianlong mark to the base and a label bearing the inscription Chongli jin shiwu hao (Tribute of Chongli, number 15). This appears to reference Chongli (c.1840-1907), a key figure in late Qing politics who held various ministerial positions in a career of more than 40 years. A supporter of the Empress Dowager Cixi during the 1898 coup, the label suggests this vase may have been a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager.