A FINE AND RARE RU-TYPE GARLIC-MOUTH VASE SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

the pear-shaped body rising from a slightly tapered foot to a garlic-head mouth, the waisted neck encircled by two gently raised ribs, covered overall in a thick bluish-grey glaze finely suffused with widely dispersed crackles, save for the raised mouth lip and foot dressed in a brown wash, the recessed base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character seal mark

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 10th April 2006, lot 1610.

The vase is in overall very good condition.
"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."

Elegantly formed with gentle curves that swell to the body and mouth, this vase has been inspired by celebrated Song vessels that were the object of Qianlong’s admiration and study. Even the foot has been left unglazed and stained in a dark brown colour to emulate that of its prototype. The beauty of the form is accentuated by the luminous glaze which also exudes a sense of refinement. A closely related example from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 215; a larger example is published in Sekai tōji zenshū/ Collection of World Ceramics, vol. 12, Tokyo, 1956, pl. 93, together with one covered in a teadust glaze, p. 183, fig. 52; and a third was sold in these rooms, 8th October 2008, lot 2512. Compare also a Ge-type glazed vase with a Yongzheng seal mark and of the period, included in the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935, cat. no. 2589.

For the Song prototype compare a Longquan celadon vase in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Lung Ch’uan Ware of the Sung Dynasty, Taipei, 1962, pl. 10; and examples recovered from a sunken ship off the coast of Korea in the first half of the 14th century, included in the Special Exhibition of Cultural Relics Found Off Sinan Coast, National Museum of Korea, Seoul, 1977, cat. nos. 53 and 54.