Lot 1338. A rare miniature celadon-glazed tripod vase, Yongzheng six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1723-1735); 3½ in. (9 cm.) high. Estimate USD 30,000 - USD 50,000. Price realised USD 339,750. © Christie's Images Ltd 2013 

The wide, compressed body, raised on three truncated, conical supports, rises to a cylindrical neck surmounted by a rounded, truncated mouth, and is covered overall, except for the bottom of the feet, with a glaze of pale blue-green color that thins on the edges.

Provenance: Acquired in New York before 1960.

Note: A very similarly written Yongzheng mark, on the bottom of a pale celadon-glazed archaistic jar and cover, is illustrated in Qingdai yuyao Ciqi, vol. I, part 2, Beijing, 2005, pp. 428-29, no. 201. The rare size and shape of this vase is closest to a miniature pale celadon-glazed vase, also with compressed body raised on three similar feet, but with a taller neck and 'garlic-head' mouth, and with a Qianlong seal mark, illustrated by R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. II, London, 1994, p. 201, no. 853.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, New York, 19 - 20 September 2013