A SUBERB CELADON-GLAZED OVOID JAR AND COVER MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG

well potted with the gently curved sides rising to broad shoulders sweeping up to a short narrow neck, all supported on a broad low foot complementing with the overall profile, fitted with a small cylindrical cover with a flat top and rounded sides, covered overall in a classic flawless pale-celadon glaze, the recessed base inscribed with a six-character reign mark within a double circle in underglaze blue

Acquired in Shanghai in the 1930s and 1940s.

Zandelou Qingdai guanyao danseyou ciqi/Qing Imperial Monochromes. The Zandelou Collection, Shanghai Museum, Beijing Museum and Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005, cat. no. 15.

Helen D. Ling and E.T. Chow, Collection of Chinese Ceramics from the Pavilion of Ephemeral Attainment, vol. III, Hong Kong, 1950, pl. 124.

There is a minute 2 mm glaze abrasion on the side. The top of the cover has a few very light scratches. But overall, the condition is extremely good. The actual colour is quite close 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."

The finely glazed jar with its subtle curves and its simple cylindrical cover represents an archetypal Yongzheng design. In the Yongzheng period a new type of cover was developed for jars, probably used to hide a tight-fitting stopper or seal of a different material inside, its smooth rounded outlines harmonizing superbly with the overall profile of the vessel.

A rare jar of this shape, but lacking its cover, from the T.Y. Chao collection, included in the exhibition Ch’ing Porcelain from the Wah Kwong Collection, Art Gallery, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1973-4, cat. no. 13, was sold in these rooms, 19^th May 1987, lot 284 and again in our New York rooms, 24^th March 1998, lot 666.

Compare also more common covered jars of Yongzheng mark and period, with similar celadon glaze, but of slightly different baluster shape, with more strongly tapering sides and lacking the constriction at the foot, as for example, sold in these rooms, 28^th November 1978, lot 187; or sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 20^th March 1990, lot 610.