A FINE FLAMBÉ-GLAZED MEIPING INCISED SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

superbly potted with a high-shouldered tapered body surmounted by a waisted neck and flared rim, the shoulder with three small evenly spaced loop handles, above a moulded raised double-fillet band, the body further bordered with two raised triple-fillet bands, covered overall with a rich purplish-blue glaze with lavender streaks thinning to mushroom around the rim and loop handles, the base covered in a mushroom-brown wash over an incised six-character seal mark, wood stand
 

A private Chicago collection, by repute.
Jeffrey Moy, Chicago, late 1990s.

The vase is in overall good condition, except for a small stabilised glaze flake of approx. 1.4 by 1.6 cm to the shoulder. The unglazed footrim has several firing lines with a few associated minor flakes.
"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 dramatic form of the meiping, with its swelling shoulders and tapering body, provides the perfect canvas for showcasing the brilliant hues of the streaky flambé glaze. This vase is a successful amalgamation of contemporaneous developments together with elements stemming from antiquity: the newly developed flambé glaze and the loop handles and moulded horizontal ribs which were inspired by archaic bronze vessels. Vessels covered in the striking flambé glaze reflect the Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors' predilection for Song dynasty 'Jun' wares. It was the Yongzheng Emperor who first commissioned the development of new glazes in imitation of 'Jun' vessels and a total of nine different types of revival 'Jun' glazes were created, which can be found recorded in the 1732 edition of the Jiangxi tongzhi [General Description of the Jiangxi Province].

The form of this vase was first created under the Yongzheng Emperor, who directed craftsmen to use antiques in the Palace collection as standards for quality, models for archaistic designs and as inspiration for innovation. Simplicity of form and absence of decoration were stylistic trends introduced by Tang Ying (1682-1756), superintendent of the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen. This form was adopted and adapted slightly by the Qianlong Emperor, who exaggerated the swelling form by decreasing the size of the neck and increasing the fullness of the shoulders. Qianlong vases of this type are more commonly known in other monochrome glazes; see for example two Qianlong mark and period examples covered in a tea-dust glaze, one in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 963, and the second, in the Hakutsuru Art Museum, Kobe, published in Sekai toji zenshu/Ceramic Art of the World, Tokyo, 1956, vol. 12, pl. 99; a slightly larger vase covered in a guan-type glaze, included in the exhibition The Wonders of the Potter’s Palette, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1984, cat. no. 80; and another, from the collection of T.Y. Chao, sold twice in these rooms, 28th November 1978, lot 203, and 19th May 1987, lot 288. For the Yongzheng prototype of this vase form see a Guan-type glazed version, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Qingdai yuyao ciqi [Qing porcelains from the imperial kilns preserved in the Palace Museum], vol. 1, pt. 2, Beijing, 2005, pl. 154; and a celadon-glazed version sold in these rooms, 8th October 2009, lot 1635.

Although the flambé glaze was frequently used for vases of meiping form, it is unusual to find examples with small loop handles as seen on the present. See a Qianlong mark and period version applied on the shoulder with three ram heads, from the Huaihaitang collection, included in the exhibition Ethereal Elegance. Porcelain Vases of the Imperial Qing, Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2007, cat. no. 74.

The archaistic seal mark on the base of this vase is also notable. A similar mark is discussed by Peter Y. K. Lam in ‘Four Studies on Yongzheng and Qianlong Imperial Ware’, in, Ethereal Elegance, op. cit., pp. 55 and 56, where the author notes the similarity of this mark with a group of monochrome and ritual wares. According to Palace records these would have been produced before or on the 13th year of the Qianlong reign, corresponding to 1748.