A SUPERB AND FINE CELADON-GLAZED 'LOTUS AND CHRYSANTHEMUM' INCISED VASE, HU SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

superbly potted, of hexagonal section elegantly rising from a splayed foot to an angled shoulder, sweeping up to a waisted neck and flared rim, flanked by a pair of tubular lug handles, deftly incised on each side with two varieties of lotus wreathed in dense radiating foliage, between feathery scrolls centred with large chrysanthemum heads on the neck and further chrysanthemum sprays around the foot, the lugs picked out with florets, applied overall with a pale sea-green glaze thinning to white along the edges and pooling to a darker tone within the incisions, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character seal mark

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 25th November 1981, lot 323.

The vase is in overall very good condition. There is some occasional colourless crackling in the surface glaze, predominantly on the lug handles.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Vases of this form are based on the archaic bronze vessel, hu, and were first produced in the Yongzheng period, enjoying heightened popularity during the Qianlong reign. They were decorated in a range of glazes inspired by the celebrated wares of the Song dynasty; however it is extremely uncommon to find examples with incised decoration. The lotus design on the present vase is reminiscent of the more complexly rendered lotus scroll bands that adorned vases of this same form in cobalt, for example see one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Special Exhibition of K’ang-hsi, Yung-cheng and Ch’ien-lung Porcelain Ware of the Ch’ing Dynasty, Taipei, 1986, cat. no. 68, which features a lotus scroll encircling the body and lower half of the neck, and a crashing wave band around the middle of the neck.

The combination of the outlined design on a translucent celadon ground may have been inspired by rare ‘wintergreen’ glazed bowls incised with similar decoration, attributed to the 15^th century; see a bowl included in the Min Chiu Society Exhibition of Monochrome Ceramics of the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1977, cat. no. 56, and sold three times in our rooms, most recently in these rooms, 30^th April 1996, lot 355.

For Qianlong vases of this form, see a vase covered in a Ge-type glaze, sold in these rooms, 8^th April 2009, lot 2009; a sky-blue example illustrated in Sekai tōji zenshū/Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 12, Tokyo, 1956, pl. 46; one covered in a tea-dust glaze, published in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 965; and a moulded celadon-glazed vase, in the Huaihaitang collection, included in the exhibition Ethereal Elegance. Porcelain Vases of the Imperial Qing, Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2007, cat. no. 50. For the Yongzheng prototype, see a guan-type example from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, published in the Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 204.