Lot 1. A small lemon-yellow glazed dish, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735); Diameter 13.5 cm, 5¼ in. Lot sold 45,360 GBP (Estimate : 10,000 - 20,000 GBP). © Sotheby's 2022

the white base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double-square.

Provenance: Gifted on 3rd March 1955, thence in the family by descent.

Note: Monochrome vessels of this type, deceptively simple in form and colour, represent one of the most technically challenging porcelains to be produced. They required absolute precision in potting, glazing and firing, as the smallest imperfection resulted in the destruction of the piece. Amongst all the different monochrome glazes, yellow is the only colour that has direct imperial association. Compare a closely related example, formerly in the H. M. Knight and K. W. Woollcoombe-Boyce collection, sold in our New York rooms, 23rd September 1997, lot 304; and a pair of smaller dishes, in sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 3rd October 2018, lot 3648.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, London, 11 May 2022