Lot 3650. A fine ru-type octagonal vase, seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795). Estimate 400,000 — 600,000 HKD. Unsold. Photo Sotheby's.

well proportioned and potted of facetted octagonal form, the tapered body gently sweeping up to a wide shoulder and surmounted by a waisted neck and flared rim, all supported on a short splayed foot of corresponding form, evenly covered overall save for the footring with a lustrous and luminous pale greyish-blue glaze densely suffused with fine crackles, the base with an underglaze-blue six-character seal mark, wood stand; 33.1 cm, 13 in.

Notes: Deceptively simple in form and design, this vase contrasts markedly with the richly ornamented decorative style that is generally associated with the Qianlong period, and is a fine example of the skill of the potters in Jingdezhen in creating a subtle and smooth glaze in imitation of Ru ware, one of the ‘five great wares’ of the Song period. This vase thus reflects the Qianlong Emperor’s penchant for these early wares, which he not only collected but also commissioned the imperial kilns to recreate or imitate.

A closely related vase was included in the exhibition Shichō Tōji [Porcelain of the Qing dynasty], Kunryudo, Tokyo, 1995, cat. no. 36; three were sold in these rooms, the first, 2nd May 2005, lot 693, and again, 5th October 2011, lot 1989, the second, 19th May 1982, lot 274, and the third, 23rd October 2005, lot 321, and sold again in our New York rooms, 16th September 2009, lot 215; another vase was sold in our London rooms, 8th November 2006, lot 75; and a further example was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 31st May 2010, lot 2013. See also a very similar Ru-type octagonal vase offered in this sale, lot 3658.

An octagonal ru-type octagonal vase, seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795). Sold 110,500 USD at Sotheby's New York, 16th September 2009, lot 215. Photo: Sotheby's

A rare facetted ru-type vase, Qianlong six-character sealmark and of the period (1736-1795). Price Realised  HKD 500,000 (USD 64,712) at Christie’s Hong Kong, 31st May 2010, lot 2013. Photo Christie's Images Ltd 2013.

Sotheby's, Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 05 oct. 2016