Lot 25. A peachbloom-glazed brush washer, tangluoxi, Kangxi six-character mark and of the period (1662-1722); 11.5cm (4 1/2in) diam. (2). Sold for HKD 444,000 (Estimate HKD 150,000 - HKD 200,000). © Bonhams 2001-2022
Well potted with low rounded sides incurved at the mouth and supported on a low tapering foot, the exterior covered with a 'peachbloom' glaze of brilliant crimson tone with an attractive mottling of lighter pink and green shades, the interior and recessed base left white, the base inscribed with the six-character reign mark in underglaze blue, box.
Provenance: An old Hong Kong private collection
The Chenyuezhai Collection
Note: The famous 'peachbloom' glaze was an innovation of the Kangxi period and technically challenging to produce. Potters would coat the vessel with a layer of clear glaze, followed by a layer of copper-oxide-rich pigment, possibly blown onto the underlying glaze using a straw, and then apply a further layer of clear glaze on top. After being fired in a reducing atmosphere and perhaps finished in an oxidizing atmosphere, the pigment developed a soft mottled red tone with flushes of moss green. From the outset, 'peachbloom' wares have been esteemed by connoisseurs and collectors, due to their aesthetic qualities and the fact that this glaze was applied only to a limited range of 'eight prescribed' vessel types all apparently specifically designed for scholarly use.
A washer in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is illustrated by D.P. Leidy in How to Read Chinese Ceramics, 2015, p.121, pl.35.1; another related example was sold at Sotheby's New York, 20 March 2018, lot 318.
Bonhams. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, Hong Kong, 30 November 2022
