A Langyao green-glazed bottle vase, Kangxi. Photo Bonhams.

Sturdily potted with a pear-shaped body rising from a short spreading foot, surmounted by a tall cylindrical neck, the exterior covered in a pale apple-green crackled glaze. 29.5cm high. Estimate HK$ 400,000 - 500,000 (€39,000 - 48,000). Unsold.

The bright apple-green glaze, also known as lülangyao (green langyao) or green-Ge, was one of the many glazes produced by the Jingdezhen kilns under the supervision of Lang Tingji, Governor of Jingdezhen, during the years, 1705-1712, of the Kangxi era. This glaze is generally considered to be a transmutation of Langyao red to green, due to the oxidisation of copper in the last stage of the firing which yields a light green rather than a red hue. A more in depth discussion of this glaze is discussed by Q. Wang, in A Dictionary of Chinese Ceramics, Shanghai, 1989, p. 223. A similar example, although with a slightly wider neck and darker green glaze, is illustrated in H. Li, Chinese Ceramics, London, 2006, no. 548.

Other than the more commonly seen sang-de-boeuf-coloured Langyao vases, there are limited examples of Langyao green-glazed examples in the Qing court collection. The only other published Palace Museum, Beijing, example is a small jar with a similar apple-green crackled glaze, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, p.20, pl.17.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART. Hong Kong, Admiralty, 26 May 2014