The globular body rising from a splayed foot to a long slender neck surmounted by a garlic-shaped bulbous mouth, covered with a rich copper-red glaze of an attractive tone stopping neatly at the mouth and foot rim. 28cm (11in) high.

Provenance: Almira Goodsell Rockefeller (1844-1920), wife of William A. Rockefeller Jr. (1841-1922), and thence by descent, by repute
An American private collection.

Notes: The present vase is remarkable for its attractive tones of vibrant reddish purple and milky blue as well as its well-proportioned pomegranate form, which represents one of the best examples of its type. The high quality and the shape of the vase are a direct continuation from the preceding Qianlong reign, indicating it may have been produced in the early Jiaqing period.

For related examples, Qianlong seal marks and of the period, see one illustrated in the Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, vol.2, Tokyo, 1981, pl.75; another illustrated by R.Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol.4 (II), London, 2010, no.1811; and a further example is illustrated by J.Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, vol.2, Geneva, 1999, no.A.291, pl.260. Compare also a flambé-glazed 'pomegranate' vase, Qianlong incised seal mark and of the period, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong on 29 May 2013, lot 2287.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 2016-11-29, 14:00 HKT - HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY