A FINE RU-TYPE HEXAGONAL VASE SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

of hexagonal form, robustly potted with rounded sides rising from a splayed foot to angular shoulders, sweeping up to a waisted neck and an everted lipped rim, the neck flanked by a pair of tubular lug handles, applied overall with an unctuous rich bluish-green glaze suffused with a fine network of crackles, save for the footring left unglazed and dressed in a brown wash, the countersunk base inscribed in underglaze-blue with a six-character seal mark, wood stand

An old Japanese collection.

The overall condition is very good, with only a few occasional pinpricks and minor glaze unevenness to the mouth and foot. The actual vase is of a milky blue tone, more saturated than the catalogue illustration would suggest.
"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."

Deceptively simple in form and design, this vase forms a marked contrast to the richly ornamented decorative style that is generally associated with the Qianlong period, and is a fine example of the technical perfection achieved by craftsmen working at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen. Monochrome vessels required the highest level of skill and precision in every stage of their production, from the purity of the clay and precision of the potting to the evenness of the glaze and control of the firing. The slightest irregularity would result in the rejection and destruction of the piece, thus pushing the craftsmen to the limits of their abilities, particularly in the production of large vessels such as the current vase. The subtle glaze has been created in imitation of Ru ware, one of the ‘five great wares’ of the Song period (960-1279) along with Ding, ge, guan and Jun. It reflects the Qing emperors’ penchant for these early wares, which they not only collected but also commissioned the imperial kilns to recreate or imitate. Even the unglazed foot has been stained with a brown wash to simulate its predecessors.

Smaller vases of this type include one sold in our New York rooms, 23rd March 2011, lot 736; and another sold in these rooms, 26th October 2003, lot 50. For the Yongzheng prototype, see a guan-type vase from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 204. Compare also an example sold in these rooms, 9th October 2007, lot 1534.

Qianlong vases of this form are known in a number of different glazes; for example see one of similar size covered in a teadust glaze, published in Chinese Ceramics from the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 965; another from the Toguri Collection, Tokyo, sold in our London rooms, 9th June 2004, lot 3, and again in these rooms, 8th April 2010, lot 1822; a smaller vase with a sky-blue glaze, from the Hakutsuru Art Museum, Kobe, included in Sekai toji zenshu / Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 12, Tokyo, 1956, pl. 46; and a celadon-glazed example sold in these rooms, 25th November 1981, lot 323. The panelled shape of this vase was also suited to underglaze-blue designs; for example see one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Treasures of the Royalty. The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, pl. 238.