Lot 3589. A Fine Pair of Blue-Glazed Dishes, Seal Marks and Period of Qianlong (1736-1795). D 16.2cm. Sold for HKD 312,000 (Estimate HKD 220,000 - 280,000). © Poly Auction Hong Kong Limited 2022

The dish is of neatly formed, with an open mouth, curved belly and short footrim. The interior is covered with a white glaze and the exterior is decorated with a bright sapphire blue glaze. The foot inscribed in seal script, Qianlong nian zhi ('Made during the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty').

Provenance: Meiyintang Collection, Switzerland.

Publication: Kang Ruijun, The Meiyintang Collection of Chinese Ceramics, Volume 2, London, 1994-2010, p. 190, no. 838

Note: This variety, probably set in the Temple of Prayer in the Qing dynasty, was used in conjunction with a candlestick and incense burner. It is often found with heavily worn centres, but less often with unused, i.e. untouched, centres. The importance of ceremonial vessels to the national ritual system can be seen in the fact that the use of the colour blue as the basic glaze for the five offerings on porcelain was widespread, and that it was made at the beginning of the Shunzhi reign. The present example, too, represents the highest standard of ceremonial wares in the Qing palace during the Qianlong period and is of an unusual grade. An example from the Zhuyuetang Collection, Hong Kong, is illustrated in Five Colours of Qionghia: The Zhuyuetang Collection of Yuan, Ming, and Qing Porcelain with One Glaze, p. 132, fig. 65.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version).

Poly Auction Hong Kong Limited. A Romance Among Blooming Roses: The Meiyintang Collection of Three Dynasties Imperial Ceramics, Hong Kong, 2 Dec 2021