A SUPERB FLAMBÉ-GLAZED VASE SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

the superbly potted body of circular section, elegantly rising from a splayed foot to angular shoulders, sweeping up to a tall tapered neck and lipped rim, the neck flanked by a pair of ear-shaped handles moulded with ruyi-head tips, a horizontal rib encircling the body below the shoulders, the exterior covered with an unctuous plum-coloured glaze highlighted by cobalt-blue streaks draining away from the handles leaving a creamy-mushroom colour, the interior with streaks of mushroom-brown against a pale blue ground, the footring left unglazed exposing the biscuit, the base glazed golden-brown covering the faint incised reign mark

Mayuyama & Co Ltd.

Hosokawa Morisada Collection ten II – Shinno jiki, Persia no touki [Morisada Hosokawa Collection exhibition II – Qing porcelains and Persian ceramics], Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art, Kumamoto, 1993, cat. no. 53.

Morisada Hosokawa, Mokumei Goshiki: Shinchō jiki [Bewildering colours: Qing Dynasty porcelains], Tokyo, 1992, no. 10.

The overall condition is very good, with the exception of typical minor pitting to the surface. The actual colour is similar to 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."

A closely related flambé-glazed vase in the Capital Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Xiong Liao, Gems of the Official Kilns, Taipei, 1993, pl. 147; and another from the Hall Family Collection, was sold in our London rooms, 12th July 2006, lot 150.

Flambé glazes derive from the Jun wares of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), a glaze that was first revived during the Yongzheng period and remained popular throughout the Qing Dynasty. For a Yongzheng prototype of this vase see one sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 21st September 2004, lot 316.