A FINE AND LARGE FLAMBE-GLAZED BOTTLE VASEQIANLONG SEAL MARK AND PERIOD |

finely potted, the elongated pear-shaped body rising to a slender cylindrical neck, richly covered overall in a lustrous lavender-blue glaze with deep red striations, dramatically transmuting to milky blues streaks around the shoulder, and draining to a cream-color at the rim, suffused overall with a network of fine glaze crackles, the base with a mottled pale celadon and brown glaze over the incised six-character seal mark

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 23rd May 1978, lot 190.

The vase is in good condition with only very light wear to the foot ring.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Vessels covered in this striking flambé glaze reflect the Qianlong Emperor’s fondness of the celebrated Song dynasty Jun wares. The Yongzheng Emperor (1722-1735) first commissioned the development of new glazes in imitation of Jun vessels and nine different types of Jun-revival glazes, primarily made in purple, crimson and blue, which are recorded in the 1732 edition of the Jiangxi Tongzhi [General Description of the Jiangxi Province], and discussed in S.W. Bushell, Oriental Ceramic Art, London, 1981, pp. 194-196. This glaze was perfected under the Qianlong Emperor's reign and a large number of vases covered in this highly attractive glaze were made after antique shapes, such as the present lot. For the possible Song prototype of this vase see a Jun bottle vase of slightly smaller size, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Chün Ware of the Sung Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1961, pl. 3a.

Qianlong marked vases of this form and glaze are preserved in museum and private collections, including one in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, pl. 345; another, in the Huaihaitang Collection, included in the exhibition Ethereal Elegance, Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2007, cat. no. 68. For examples sold at auction, see a similar vase from the collection of Thomas Barlow Walker and later the British Rail Pension Fund, sold twice in these rooms, 26th September 1972, lot 833, and again, 16th May 1989, lot 63; and another example sold twice in our Hong Kong rooms, 27th April 1993, lot 84, and 8th April 2011, lot 3027.