Beschreibung:

A fine and exceptionally rare doucai vase Seal mark and period Qianlong of elegant pear shape, the generous rounded body supported on a short splayed foot, rising to a waisted neck gently flaring at the rim, encircled overall by flying bats, skillfully outlined and shaded in 'rouge-de-fer', or iron-red, amid softly swirling clouds finely painted in underglaze-blue and enamelled in delicate shades of green, yellow and aubergine, above a row of upright lappets and a keyfret band encircling the foot, repeated at the base of the neck between gilded borders and above a ruyi-head collar enclosing florets, all below a band of larger ruyi-heads and detached flowerheads reserved on a pale-green ground at the rim, the interior and base washed with a soft turquoise enamel, save for the center of the base inscribed with a six-character seal mark in underglaze-blue 11 1/8 in., 28.2 cm