FREITAG, 3. OKTOBER 2025 
This Week in La Gazette Drouot : A pair of Qianlong imperial enamelled boxes
T his pair of boxes, with ribbed petals adorned with lotus motifs in enamel on copper, is inspired by models created under the Kangxi reign, nearly a century earlier.
By Sophie Reyssat
Read the full version of "A pair of Qianlong imperial enamelled boxes" in La Gazette Drouot
With these two floral boxes, produced during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736–1795) and bearing his reign mark, we are confronted with a direct homage to the artistic creations of his grandfather, Kangxi (1654–1722).
As expert Vincent L’Herrou notes, while the imitation and reappropriation of objects from earlier centuries was a recurring practice among the Manchu rulers of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912)—a principle that became a means of asserting their legitimacy—it is rare for such copies not to be accompanied by a few variations or slight adaptations to Qianlong’s personal taste.
He underlines the unusual closeness of this pair to their known antecedents from the Imperial Palace collection of Beijing’s Forbidden City. These exact reproductions—apart from the reign mark—of outstanding craftsmanship, which have preserved their original gilded copper, are very likely of imperial provenance.
Read the full version of "A pair of Qianlong imperial enamelled boxes" in La Gazette Drouot
With these two floral boxes, produced during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736–1795) and bearing his reign mark, we are confronted with a direct homage to the artistic creations of his grandfather, Kangxi (1654–1722).
As expert Vincent L’Herrou notes, while the imitation and reappropriation of objects from earlier centuries was a recurring practice among the Manchu rulers of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912)—a principle that became a means of asserting their legitimacy—it is rare for such copies not to be accompanied by a few variations or slight adaptations to Qianlong’s personal taste.
He underlines the unusual closeness of this pair to their known antecedents from the Imperial Palace collection of Beijing’s Forbidden City. These exact reproductions—apart from the reign mark—of outstanding craftsmanship, which have preserved their original gilded copper, are very likely of imperial provenance.
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