A small Ru-type handled vase (Fanghu), Seal mark and period of Qianlong

This charming vase, of archaistic fanghu-form, was produced in imitation of the highly prized Ru wares of the Song dynasty (960-1279). The Qianlong Emperor was renowned for his admiration of Song ceramics, even having many pieces preserved in the Qing court collection inscribed with poems of his own composition praising their qualities. Under his patronage, the imperial kilns successfully revived the celebrated monochrome wares of the Song dynasty — Jun, Ding, Guan, Ge and Ru — recreating their distinctive glazes and forms with remarkable technical sophistication. The present vase closely reflects this antiquarian taste, drawing inspiration from early prototypes while embodying the refinement of eighteenth-century imperial craftsmanship.

Compare a closely related Qianlong Ru-type vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 216; and another example also preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taipei and published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch’ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum. Ch’ien-lung Ware and Other Wares, Tokyo, 1981, pl. 82. See also a vase formerly in the Dr. Carl Kempe Collection, exhibited in Ju and Kuan Wares, Oriental Ceramic Society, London, 1952, cat. no. 108, later sold in our rooms, 12th June 2008, lot 3317, and again at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th November 2011, lot 3317; see another vase sold in our New York rooms, 20th March 2019, lot 519. A further example, previously in the collection of Edward T. Chow was sold in our New York rooms, 9th April 2024, lot 12.