A FLAMBE-GLAZED ARCHAISTIC VASE, HU INCISED SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG

the ovoid body supported on a flared foot rising to a waisted neck, moulded with two horizontal ribs around the high shoulder and the neck, set on opposite side with loop handles suspending a fixed buckle-shaped ring, the exterior covered with a rich glaze of streaked crushed-raspberry and lavender draining away from the mouthrim and the handles to reveal a creamy-mushroom tone, the interior displaying streaks of mushroom-brown against a pale blue ground, the foot unglazed exposing the biscuit, the base glazed golden-brown with patches of green and incised with a four-character seal mark

An old Japanese collection.

The vase is overall in good condition with the exception of a few surface scratches to the glaze outside. There is an original Y-shaped firing crack beneath the glaze across the base. There is another firing crack around the inner foot of the base. The actual colour is actually slightly deeper than the catalogue illustration.
"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."

While at first glance this vase appears to be of a familiar type with mask-head handles instead of loop handles, upon closer inspection it is unusual for the broader proportions and ringed loop handles. Two closely related Yongzheng examples are known; one covered in a dark iron-rust glaze illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 255; and the other with a Ge-type glaze published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, vol. 1, Taipei, 1980, pl. 132.

For the more commonly known vases with mask head handles and covered in a tea-dust glaze, see a slightly larger example, with a Yongzheng reign mark and of the period, included ibid., pl. 152; and a much larger Qianlong vase sold in these rooms, 23^rd October 2005, lot 306. A large blue and white vase of this form, decorated with the bajixiang amongst lotus scrolls, with a Yongzheng reign mark and of the period, in the Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, is illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p. 167; and a Qianlong mark and period example published in Qingdai ciqi shangjian, Shanghai, 1994, pl. 163.