Lot 114. Property sold to benefit the Newark museum acquisition endowment. A rare 'robin's egg'-glazed vase (Meiping), Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795). Height 29.3 cm, Lot sold 82,550 USD (Estimate 80,000 - 120,000 USD). © Sotheby's 2024

Provenance: Collection of Howard W. Hayes (1858-1903).

Collection of Mary Vanderpool Pennington.

Gifted to The Newark Museum, Newark, in 1949 (accession no. 49.480).

Note: Innovated during the Yongzheng period (1723-35) and particularly favored by the Qianlong Emperor, the ‘robin’s egg’ glaze was created as a reinterpretation of Jun glazes of the Song (960-1279) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties. A development attributable to Tang Ying (1682-1756), the glaze was coined lujun, or ‘furnace Jun’ because it was fired at a lower temperature than that of firing the porcelain. This glaze is mentioned on a stele inscribed by Tang Ying in Jingdezhen as one of the major types of ceramics that he succeeded in firing and proposed as suitable for regular delivery to the imperial court. The mottled turquoise effect on the present vase, achieved with the use of copper and arsenic, is particularly finely applied and the shade is of an attractively vivid light turquoise blue.

Although the production of ‘robin’s egg’ glaze lasted till the end of the Qing dynasty, the finest pieces were created in the 18th century. According to the archival records of the imperial household, vases with this glaze were often displayed in the rooms on matching zitan wood stands. Simple yet elegant in design, this meiping not only reflects the Qianlong Emperor's fine taste but also possesses a timeless appeal.

Very few Qianlong meiping applied with 'robin's egg' glazes are known. See a slightly larger Qianlong meiping with a more tapered shoulder and foot, sold three times, first in our London rooms, 10th December 1991, lot 293, and then in our Hong Kong rooms, 1st May 2001, lot 520 before entering The Ten-Views Lingbi Rock Retreat Collection, and sold recently in the same rooms, 9th October 2022, lot 3640. Compare also a smaller example, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30th November 2016, lot 3322. For a Yongzheng prototype, see one of smaller size from the collection of John Milton Bonham, sold in our New York rooms, 11th September 2019, lot 621. 

Elegantly proportioned, the form of this meiping is very typical of the Qianlong period. See a Qianlong celadon-glazed ‘dragon’ meiping, sold twice in our Hong Kong rooms, 4th-5th November 1997, lot 1356 and 9th October 2023, lot 3612; a blue and white example, from the collections of Robert Chang and Dr. Alice Cheng, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 9th October 2012, lot 123; and another yellow-ground blue and white meiping, first sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 23rd-24th March 1998, lot 674, and later at Christie’s New York, 25th September 2020, lot 1615.