A rare Imperial gilt-bronze and cloisonné-enamel jardinièreQianlong
The straight sides exquisitely decorated around the exterior with two rows of rectangular panels separated by raised bands of twisted-rope design, each panel with five flower heads variously enamelled in blue, yellow and white borne on scrolling tendrils reserved on a rich red ground, the rim chased with scrolling tendrils and diaper patterns, the base with further flowers borne on foliate scrolls reserved on a turquoise-blue ground, all raised on three gilt-bronze kneeling foreigners each dressed in floral robes and crowned with headbands. 24.8cm (9 3/4in) high.注脚清乾隆 掐絲琺瑯朵花紋人足筒式花盆

Compare with a very similar gilt-bronze and cloisonné-enamel jardinière, Qianlong, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Enamels 4. Cloisonné in the Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, no.6. See also a very similar gilt-bronze and red cloisonné-enamel jardinière supported by three boys, mid-Qing dynasty, illustrated in the Prime Cultural Relics Collected by Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum: The Enamel Volume, Shenyang, 2007, pp.204-205. This example shows that the jardinière was used to hold hardstone imitations of auspicious flowers. Compare also with a related gilt-bronze and jade brushwasher, Qianlong, held up by three figures of children, illustrated in Jade: From Emperors to Art Deco, Paris, 2016, pp.244-245.

盆圓口桶式，口沿、胸腹及底部飾鎏金繩紋桶箍，桶身少斂，縱飾鎏金立柱分隔桶身，每格之內紅地掐絲組成花瓣圖案，內填多彩琺瑯釉，下承三鎏金胡人，胡人頭戴抹額，圓臉鼓目，雙手抬舉，雙膝跪地，身著短袍，上鏨錦地，通身鎏金。

參考北京故宮藏一件清中期掐絲琺瑯人足花盆，形制設計十分相似，見《故宮博物館藏品大系琺瑯器篇4》，北京，2011年，圖版6；另可參考一件瀋陽故宮藏清中期掐絲琺瑯童足式萬年青盆景，由此可知此類當是用於擺設珠翠盆景，見《瀋陽故宮博物院藏文物精粹》，瀋陽，2007年，頁204及205。另有一件相關乾隆銅鎏金嵌玉筆洗，亦是由三童子托起，見法國巴黎吉美博物館編，《玉：從帝王尊榮到裝飾風的藝術》，巴黎，2016年，頁244及245。