Jingtai incised six-character marks, first half 15th century Of circular form, the box exquisitely enamelled in vivid red, sapphire, yellow, white and green on a turquoise ground, the cover decorated with a large Indian lotus bloom with stylised ruyi-shaped petals around a smaller-lotus scroll, the sides of the cover and body with a scroll formed by ten smaller lotus blossoms borne on an undulating vine forming a scroll, the gilt cover interior and base both incised with a six-character mark reading daming jingtai nianzhi. 11.8cm (4 1/2in) diam. (2). 注脚 十五世紀上半葉 掐絲琺瑯番蓮紋蓋盒 陰刻「大明景泰年製」款 Introduced into China in the 14th century during the Yuan dynasty, cloisonné enamel wares are widely considered to have reached artistic maturity during the first half of the 15th century, where the production was strictly regulated by the Yuyongjian, a division of the Imperial Household. The present lot is an exceptionally rare example of this early period, bearing two incised Imperial Jingtai reign marks, demonstrating the bold palette and decorative elements which were inherited from earlier examples dating to the Xuande period. Compare with a very similar box but of smaller size (8.4cm diam.), first half 15th century, formerly in the collection of Sir Harry Garner and now in the Pierre Uldry Collection, illustrated by H.Brinker and A.Lutz, Chinesisches Cloisonné: Die Sammlung Pierre Uldry, Zurich, 1984. pls.12 and 12a. The Uldry box is inscribed on the base with two characters reading zhengzhai (House of Zheng) which may be a house name. Compare also a box and cover decorated with a similar lotus blossom but with a slightly different palette, Xuande period, in the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, illustrated by B.Quette, ed., Cloisonné: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, New York, 2011, p.37, fig.3.12. See also a closely related cloisonné enamel circular box and cover, Xuande period, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, lot 2130. It has been suggested that cloisonné enamel Jingtai reign-marked wares of the quality of the present box and cover, which stylistically relate to Xuande-period wares, are in fact of the Xuande period but with later incised marks - a phenomenon which can be seen in early Ming lacquerwares. However, the delicately incised Jingtai six-character marks on the present lot are similar to the mark on a circular cloisonné enamel box and cover, dated as Jingtai mark and of the period, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasty, Taipei, 1999, no.1. The present box and cover, as well as the Uldry one, are both unusually decorated with a ruyi within the centre of the main lotus blossom on the cover. This rare and unusual feature indicates both were made in the same workshop. 盒銅胎，盒蓋掐絲圍作番蓮一朵居於正中，番蓮花瓣作如意雲頭形，內填赤、綠、青、黃、白色料，番蓮周圍以連枝番蓮紋，枝葉填綠料，花朵作雜色。以松石色料為地，盒壁及盒身皆然。外壁上下飾連枝番蓮紋，番蓮花瓣有五色，以銅絲作枝蔓連接，婉轉起伏。盒內裡及外底鎏金，盒蓋內裡及盒外底鏨刻「大明景泰年製」六字楷書款。 掐絲琺瑯器自宋元時期傳入中國，至明代十五世紀中期前後發展興盛。明代初期的掐絲琺瑯器在宮中御用監的嚴格控制下已經成為皇室御用的工藝品。而景泰御前作之掐絲琺瑯器，更被視為可與宣德之銅器、成化之窯器、永樂果園廠之漆器相媲美。 此件景泰年款蓋盒，其器型、紋飾風格均可與宣德時期同類掐絲琺瑯器做比較，可比較一件 Harry Garner爵士舊藏，現藏Pierre Uldry之十五世紀上半葉掐絲琺瑯番蓮紋蓋盒，尺寸稍小（直徑8.4 cm），但紋飾風格與此拍品基本一致，亦是以如意頭形花瓣飾番蓮花，盒底鏨刻「政宅」款，或為舊家名號，見 H.Brinker及 A.Lutz著《Chinesisches Cloisonné: Die Sammlung Pierre Uldry》，蘇黎世，1984年，圖版12及12a。另可參考George Walter Vincent Smith藝術博物館藏一件明宣德番蓮紋蓋盒，形制裝飾與本件頗似，見B. Quette著《Cloisonné: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties》，紐約，2011年，頁37，圖3.12。 參看舒思深伉儷舊藏一件明宣德掐絲琺瑯番蓮紋蓋盒，尺寸稍大，其紋飾與本拍品非常相似，後於香港佳士得售出，2012年11月28日，拍品編號2130。 近年有研究認為諸多「景泰年製」款的掐絲琺瑯器，都是利用宣德時期遺存的舊器重新改制而成。此蓋盒盒底及蓋底均陰刻「大明景泰年製」楷書款，其刻款風格可與台北故宮博物院一件明景泰掐絲琺瑯番蓮紋盒相比較，著錄於《明清琺瑯器展覽圖錄》，台北，1999年，編號1。