Artmink AI Analysis of Antiques and Collectibles: Shared Report

Jade : Chinese Fine and Decorative Arts

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Chinese Qing Style Famille Rose Porcelain Dragon Moonflask Vase 中国清式粉彩瓷龙纹抱月瓶

Original Presentation Script

Here we have a striking Chinese Qing Style famille rose porcelain dragon vase — a form that borrows the drama of courtly display and turns it up to full theatrical volume. The flattened body, narrow neck, and flamboyant shoulder handles give it the silhouette of a ceremonial object, while the five-clawed dragon announces imperial ambition loud and clear. That, of course, is where connoisseurship must become a little suspicious. The base bears a Qianlong seal mark, translated as “Made in the Qianlong reign of the Great Qing,” but marks like this are copied endlessly. In Chinese porcelain, especially dragon-decorated palace-style wares, a prestigious reign mark is not proof of period — often it is simply a marketing device in porcelain form. The vase is porcelain with underglaze blue and vivid overglaze enamels. The painting is clean, bright, and highly controlled, perhaps a bit too controlled for an unquestioned 18th-century imperial object. The footrim does show some age and handling, and there is a respectable provenance trail, which certainly helps, but it does not fully silence the doubts raised by the mark and presentation. Condition appears generally very good, though one image suggests an apparent hairline near the base interior/underside area and there is expected wear to the unglazed footrim. So my view is conservative: likely a 20th-century Chinese Qing Style dragon vase, not a Qianlong period imperial piece. Authenticity score: 28%. Auction estimate as seen: $2,000 to $6,000. If truly Qianlong period, the number would live in a very different galaxy.

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Item Report

Chinese Qing Style Famille Rose Porcelain Dragon Moonflask Vase

中国清式粉彩瓷龙纹抱月瓶

By: Unknown maker, likely Jingdezhen workshop

Style: Chinese Qing Dynasty Qianlong

Origin: China

Materials: porcelain, underglaze blue, overglaze enamels, famille rose-type polychrome decoration

Age: 1736-95 (Qianlong Era)

Condition: Excellent (visible surface wear and one apparent base hairline; not professionally condition-reported here)

Value: $200,000-$600,000 auction estimate, as an 18th-century Qing Dynasty Qianlong period vase

Maker's Marks / Writing: Underglaze-blue six-character seal mark reading 'Da Qing Qianlong Nian Zhi' (大清乾隆年制, 'Made in the Qianlong reign of the Great Qing'). Also a round collection label: 'STUART COLLECTION No 135.'

Date: 2026-03-26 05:47:37.856497

Description:

Large Chinese porcelain moonflask-form vase with flattened globular body, narrow cylindrical neck, stylized handles at the shoulder, and iron-red five-clawed dragons amid polychrome cloud scrolls above cresting waves. The base bears six-character Qianlong zhuanshu seal mark in underglaze-blue. 一件大型中国瓷抱月瓶式花瓶，扁圆腹，细长圆筒颈，肩部饰抽象夔龙形耳，通体绘铁锈红色五爪龙穿行于五彩祥云之间，下承翻涌海水纹。底部书青花六字篆书乾隆款，但应属后加仿款。

Assessment:

This is a visually impressive Chinese dragon-decorated porcelain vase made in Qing taste, but the available images point more convincingly to a later Qing-style work rather than an 18th-century Qianlong period imperial piece. The enamels are very crisp and bright, the design is highly controlled and decorative, and the underbase six-character Qianlong seal mark appears apocryphal rather than period. The biscuit footrim shows some age and handling, and the provenance string is respectable, but a good provenance chain does not in itself prove an imperial-period date. Fakery check: the Qianlong mark, polished presentation, and almost too-perfect execution are classic caution points in Chinese porcelain. A word about copies.. Chinese dragon vases with Qianlong marks are among the most heavily reproduced categories in the market, especially from the late 19th century onward and again in the 20th century. I would catalog this conservatively as a Qing Style famille rose porcelain dragon vase, likely 20th century. 这是一件视觉效果极佳的中国龙纹瓷瓶，整体风格明显仿清代宫廷趣味，但从现有图片判断，更像是后期“清式”作品，而非十八世纪乾隆本朝御制器。釉上彩色泽鲜亮，纹饰过于规整华美，底部六字篆书“乾隆年制”款更像寄托款而非到代本款。圈足露胎与底部可见一定旧气和使用痕迹，传承记录也较为体面，但良好来源并不能单独证明其为乾隆时期真品。仿伪核查：乾隆款、过于完美的呈现以及高度装饰化的画工，都是中国瓷器鉴定中的典型警示点。A word about copies.. 带乾隆款的中国龙纹瓶是市场上复制最泛滥的门类之一，尤其见于晚清以后以及二十世纪各阶段。故我会较为保守地将其定为一件中国清式粉彩龙纹瓷瓶，年代大约为二十世纪。

Individual Images:

whole vase front
upper half dragon handles
detail of dragon head
lower half wave border
side view vase
underside vase and seal mark
detail of footrim and sticker
detail of Qianlong seal mark
provenance screenshot

Provenance:

Screenshot states: Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 8 November 1980, lot 218; Property from a Canadian Collection; Christie's New York, 22 March 1999, lot 317; Property from a California Private Collection; Christie's New York, 21 September 2004, lot 331; Littleton & Hennessy, 2004; Stuart Collection, no. 135. Literature note cites Bruce Museum, Flora and Fauna: Themes and Symbols in the Decorative Arts of China, Greenwich, Connecticut. Exhibited at Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut, 23 June-9 September 2007.

Condition:

Excellent (visible surface wear and one apparent base hairline; not professionally condition-reported here)

Identification Score: 95%

The form, decoration, underbase mark format, and iconography clearly identify the object as a Chinese dragon-decorated moonflask-type porcelain vase in Qing court taste, even if the exact date remains debatable. 器形、纹饰、底款格式与图像题材都清楚表明，这是一件带有清宫审美趣味的中国龙纹抱月瓶式瓷器，尽管其确切年代仍有讨论空间。

Authenticity Score: 28%

I am treating this as reproduction until proven otherwise. The six-character Qianlong seal mark is almost certainly a later apocryphal mark; the enamels and drawing appear unusually fresh and controlled; and famous-mark Chinese porcelains are a category rife with later copies. The provenance is helpful but not definitive. Because of these red flags, I would not attribute it to the Qianlong period from photos alone. 在获得更强证据前，我应先按“后仿品”处理。这件器物的六字篆书乾隆款几乎可以肯定是后加寄托款；彩料与绘工显得过于新净、规整；而带名帝年款的中国瓷器本就是仿品极多的高风险门类。传承记录虽有帮助，但不足以单独证明其为乾隆本朝真品。基于这些警示信号，仅凭照片我不会将其定为乾隆时期实物。

Image Memory Note

None None

Keywords

Chinese porcelain, Qing Style, famille rose, dragon vase, moonflask vase, Qianlong mark, underglaze blue seal mark, Jingdezhen, China 中国瓷器, 清式, 粉彩, 龙纹瓶, 抱月瓶, 乾隆款, 青花篆书款, 景德镇, 中国

The report was edited after initial Artmink draft. Original AI draft preserved in Artmink audit history.

Report ID: : nupexf

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