清乾隆 御製綠料八方長頸瓶 《乾隆年製》款

of octagonal pear-shaped form, the compressed spherical body supported on a straight foot, elegantly curving to the tall, slightly tapered neck, the glass of an even translucent emerald-green tone, the recessed base with a four-character wheel cut reign mark within a square

香港邦瀚斯2010年5月28日，編號205

The vase is in overall good condition. There are minor chips to the edges, including the rim and foot, the largest measuring approx. 0.5 cm to the footring. The mouth-rim has been slightly polished.
"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."

Striking for its brilliant emerald green colour, vases of this attractive faceted shape and with Qianlong marks within a square were probably made in the first twenty years of the Qianlong reign, when production of glass wares at the imperial court reached a peak in both quality and quantity. According to archival records, two glass workshops coexisted in the eighteenth century; the first, known as the bolichang (glass factory), located at Canchikou in Beijing, had been established in the 35th year of the Kangxi Emperor’s reign (equivalent to 1696), while the second was established during the Yongzheng reign and located within Yuanmingyuan. Both production centres enjoyed strong imperial patronage which greatly increased the status of this material, although the latter is believed to have created the finest vessels (see Peter Y.K. Lam, ‘The Glasshouse of the Qing Imperial Household Department’, Elegance and Radiance. Grandeur in Qing Glass. The Andrew K.F. Lee Collection, Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2000, p. 49).

Translucent green vases of this type are rare; one was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 3rd November 1998, lot 1073; a slightly taller example was included in the exhibition Early Chinese Glass, Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2001, cat. no. 223; a third was included in the exhibition Elegance and Radiance. Grandeur in Qing Glass. The Andrew K.F. Lee Collection, Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, cat. no. 21, together with four further vases of various colours, cat. nos 17-21; and a pair of unpublished vases is in the Musée Guimet, Paris.

Vases of this form and size but of difference colours include a turquoise example, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhang Rong, Luster of Autumn Water. Glass of the Qing Imperial Workshop, Beijing, 2004, pl. 22; a yellow version, from the collection of Rudolph Scaeffer, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, included in the exhibition Clear As Crystal, Red as Flame, China House Gallery, New York, 1990, cat. no. 39; and a realgar glass vase, from the collection of Walter and Phyllis Shorenstein, exhibited in A Chorus of Colours. Chinese Glass from Three American Collections, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, 1995, cat. no. 52, and sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st December 2010, lot 2952.

The elegant form of this vase first appeared in the Yongzheng reign; a blue vase of this form with Yongzheng mark and of the period is illustrated in Zhang Rong, op. cit., pl. 6; and another was included in Elegance and Radiance, op. cit., cat. no. 16, together with a yellow example, cat. no. 15.