A FINE AND RARE GE-TYPE LOBED VASE SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG |

of quatrefoil section, well potted with a flattened body elegantly rising from a splayed foot to a waisted neck gently flaring at the rim, flanked by a pair of stylised dragon handles, covered overall save for the footring with a greyish glaze suffused with a dense network of ‘iron-wire’ and golden crackles stopping neatly above the foot revealing the brown-dressed unglazed footring, the base inscribed with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue, wood stand

Collection of T.Y. Chao (1912-1999).
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 18th November 1986, lot 88.
Christie's Hong Kong, 31st March 1992, lot 577.

Ch’ing Porcelain from the Wah Kwong Collection, Art Gallery, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1973, cat. no. 20.

The vase is in very good condition.
"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 current vase, with its outstanding crackled ge-type glaze and well-proportioned form, is an exceptional example of not only the Qianlong Emperor’s predilection for celebrated wares of the past – in particular the imperial wares of the Song dynasty (960-1279)  and the Yongle – Xuande reigns (1403-1435) of the Ming dynasty – but also the technical developments in ceramic production as well as the creativity and level of innovation of the craftsmen working under the supervision of Tang Ying (1682-1756), Superintendent of the Imperial kilns in Jingdezhen. Under the rigorous standards that the Emperor upheld, craftsmen were prompted to search for and realise ever new designs that enabled them to showcase their technical proficiency and ability to hark back to antiquity. Superbly decorated with an even glaze marked with an attractive matrix of ‘iron-wire’ and golden crackles, the present vase belongs to a group of vessels inspired by the celebrated ge wares of the Song and Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties. In addition to the crackles, which were often stained to enhance their prominence, these archaistic vessels were dressed on the unglazed bodies with a dark brown slip, as seen on the footring of the present vase, to simulate the so-called 'iron foot' characteristic of the stoneware prototypes.

The form of the vase also reflects elements borrowed from archaic bronze vessels and this is particularly evident in the skilful incorporation of the stylised dragon handles. With their heads sharply turned backwards, they evoke late Spring and Autumn period vessels, including two illustrated in Special Exhibition of Shang and Chou Dynasty Bronze Wine Vessels, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1989, pls 69 and 70.

The current vase is very rare and only two closely related examples appear to have been sold at auction, the first sold in these rooms, 28th November 1978, lot 201, and later included in A Selection of Ming and Qing Porcelains, Eskenazi Ltd, London, 2004, cat. no. 17; and the other sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th May 2006, lot 1365.

For a related, albeit smaller, guan-type vessel, demonstrating the Qianlong Emperor’s fascination with the past, see one similarly modelled with a quatrelobed body but bearing an underglaze-blue Qianlong imperial inscription eulogising the handled guan-type vase, published in Obtaining Refined Enjoyment: The Qianlong Emperor's Taste in Ceramics, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2011, cat. no. 76.

See also a Ming dynasty ge-type moonflask offered in this sale, lot 3615.