A GUAN-TYPE HU-SHAPED VASE YONGZHENG SEAL MARK AND PERIOD

of archaic bronze form, the pear-shaped body rising from a slightly spreading foot to a waisted neck encircled with a raised fillet and flanked with a pair of animal handles suspending fixed rings, covered overall with a pale blue glaze suffused with an irregular crackle, the base with a six-character Yongzheng seal mark

Bluett & Sons, London, 1934.

The vase is in excellent condition with the exception of a large burst glaze bubble measuring 0.2 x 0.2cm near the bottom of the vase below one of the handles and a 1cm hairline below another handle, a circa 0.2cm crack to the body, and other minor glaze firing imperfections such as further minute burst glaze bubbles and iron spots. The surface of the vase shows an overall network of subtle crackle.
"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."

'Guan', the 'official' ware of the Southern Song court, is perhaps the most admired and desirable of all types of Chinese ceramics. The Yongzheng emperor was a great admirer of 'Guan' wares and is known to have sent original pieces from his collection to the Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen as models to copy. The present exquisite vase is a fine example of such reproduction where the complexity of its seemingly simple form, the rare beauty of its glaze colour and the fascinating pattern of its crackle have been masterly achieved by the Jingdezhen potter.  A very similar vase, possibly the pair to this piece, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Kangxi. Yongzheng. Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, pl. 78.  Another Yongzheng vase of the same form and animal-head handles but the body decorated in relief and covered with a celadon glaze is also included ibid., pl. 105. Compare also a closely related tea-dust glazed hu, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain, Tokyo, 1980, pl. 152; and another from the British Rail Pension Fund sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 16^th May 1989, lot 54.

The form of this vessel is derived from bronze prototype. See a zun excavated from the Western Han tomb dated before 179 B.C. at Qianping, Yichang, Hubei province, published in Kaogu xuebao, 1976, no. 2, p. 124, fig. 12.

Vases of this type continued to be made during Qianlong's reign in a variety of glazes; for example see a vase of similar size covered in a Ru-type glaze sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 29^th April 1997, lot 578; a 'robin's egg' glaze example of slightly larger proportions, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27^th May 2009, lot 1895; and a larger tea-dust glazed version sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 10^th April 2006, lot 1523.