A Fine Copper-Red Vase (meiping) Qianlong Seal Mark and Period

finely potted with pronounced shoulders tapering to a slightly flared foot, the neck curved outward at the rounded mouth rim, applied overall with a lustrous red glaze thinning at the mouth and pooling to a deeper tone at the foot, the interior and the recessed base glazed white

Collection of Professor Ross Edman.
Sotheby's New York, 23rd September 1995, lot 426.

In very good overall condition with two negligible nicks to the glaze at the mouth rim.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The use of copper-red glaze at Jingdezhen was revived by the Kangxi emperor after the decline in usage during the late 15th, 16th and early 17th centuries. With the effort to reproduce classic Ming sacrificial-red (jihong) porcelains, Qing copper-red pieces quickly outnumbered their Ming counterparts. Nigel Wood in Chinese Glazes, London, 1999, p. 180, notes how the French Jesuit missionary, Pere Francois D'Entrecolles (b. 1664-1741) wrote letters giving detailed accounts of the copper-red production at Jingdezhen, the sourcing of the copper for the glaze, the recipes and the kiln location of the firing of these wares. D'Entrecolles was aware of the difficulties involved in the making of copper-red wares and his account confirms the high level of technical knowledge of the potters at Jingdezhen. Although copper-red pieces can be readily found from the Kangxi and Yongzheng periods, by Qianlong's reign they become fewer in number.

Qianlong meiping in copper-red glaze are rare, although a small number are recorded, ranging between 9 and 12.5 inches in height. See a slightly smaller meiping in the Roemer Museum, Hildesheim, also with a Qianlong reign mark and of the period, illustrated in Ulrich Wiesner, Chinesisches Porzellan, Mainz am Rhein, 1981, pl. 99; and another sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 10th April 2006, lot 1521. Another smaller example, from the Jingguantang collection, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 5th November 1997, lot 864; and a larger vase of this form and glaze, from the collection of Professor Ross Edman, was sold in these rooms, 23rd September 1995, lot 426.

For earlier examples see a Kangxi copper-red glazed meiping illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 21, together with a larger Yongzheng example, pl. 24.