Constructed in bombé form with canted corners with a thin band of blue key-fret below the flattened rim which is decorated in archaic dragons, the front and back inset with long quatrefoil cloisonné panels depicting two egrets wading through lotus ponds on a blue ground, the side panels with smaller quatrefoil panels depicting a dragonfly and butterflies above lotus ponds, all on a yellow lotus scroll ground, terminating to each side with ruyi-shaped lappets, each corner finely painted with retreats in a rocky landscape, pheasants amongst garden rocks and flowering peony and magnolia, Manchurian red-capped cranes beneath pine trees and a figure on a bridge in a rocky river landscape respectively, on four stepped feet each painted with a bat in pink enamel, the interior and base in white enamel, the latter with two pierced roundels outlined in blue and coloured enamel floral scrolls.

Very large painted enamel jardinières of this type, inset with cloisonné panels are exceedingly rare and it is highly likely that it would have been one of a pair. Its very large size, the combination of detailed enamel techniques and its fitted hongmu stand all point to it being made for an imperial palace setting. However, no similar examples have been found in the Palace Museum in Beijing or the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Related, smaller examples measuring around 35cm wide, are more commonly seen and these are usually of rectangular octagonal form of stepped, rather than of bombé shape.

The panels would have been made by a separate craftsman and then set within the quatrefoil recesses that were left for them. These panels are also sometimes inset with reverse paintings on glass. The combination of painted and cloisonné enamel can be seen on imperial examples, but interestingly this is, in most cases, reversed where the main body of the piece is decorated in cloisonné and the panels in painted enamel. The larger cloisonné panels in this jardiniere depict egrets wading through lotus ponds. This motif in Chinese art symbolises continuous success, purity, and upward mobility, often representing the pun yilu lianke (one path of continuous success in examinations). The white egret (lu) symbolises a pure, incorruptible official, while the lotus (lian) signifies purity and harmony, together representing a harmonious and prosperous life.

The four painted motifs to the corners are closely related to those that can be seen on painted porcelain of the Qianlong period. The depiction of pheasants on branches of peony is a common theme on famille rose dishes enamelled in Canton for Western Export during this period. Retreats in mountainous river landscape were commonly seen on numerous examples of blue and white at the time. However, these narrow, high mountains depicted on this jardinière are more reminiscent of those from Guilin in Southern China, which were represented in a rare landscape panel by Tang Ying (1682-1756), the superintendent of the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province from 1735 to 1756.

In terms of the function of these jardinières, with the addition of a copper liner, it was highly likely that they were used to display real plants or miniature trees. However, jardinières of this type were often used to create displays of gardens in miniature in jade and other hard stones. In conclusion, this monumental piece, decorated in painted and cloisonné enamel represents the technical virtuosity of the Qianlong period, where forms were decorated in an elaborately ornate style, often combining different materials and techniques in a highly inventive manner.

At TEFAF Maastricht 2026 we are extremely grateful to Mr. Wiel Winzen of the Bonsai Association Zuid Limburg for the loan of his rare Penzing Forest Composition enabling us to display the jardiniere properly:

Juniperus chinensis – Forest Composition

This forest composition of Juniperus chinensis was formed approximately 40 years ago; the individual trees are now around 50 years old. The work is owned and cultivated by Wiel Winzen, Bonsai Association Zuid Limburg.
Forest compositions are among the most refined expressions of the Penjing tradition, the ancient Chinese art that gave rise to bonsai. Inspired by the aesthetic principles cultivated in Chinese imperial and literati gardens, Penjing compositions sought to capture the essence of natural landscapes and the philosophical ideals of harmony, balance, and the passage of time. Rather than depicting a single tree, forest bonsai evoke entire landscapes, and the decades of patient cultivation required make such mature compositions rare and significant living works of art.

We are also
very grateful to Professor Raymond Montizaan of the Bonsai Association Zuid
Limburg for making all the necessary arrangements.