Lot 47. A fine and rare celadon-glazed oblong hexagonal vase, Yongzheng seal mark and of the period (1723-1735); 27.8cm (11in) high. (2). Sold for HKD 1,011,000 (Estimate HKD 800,000 - HKD 1,200,000). © Bonhams 2001-2022

Of hexagonal section, the faceted baluster body sitting on a splayed foot and rising to a waisted neck flanked by a pair of tubular handles, applied overall with an even unctuous celadon glaze, except for the footrim left unglazed and dressed in brown wash, the countersunk base inscribed with the six-character reign mark in underglaze-blue, box.

Provenance: An Asian private collection.

Note: A development attributed to Tang Ying (1682-1756), the talented superintendent of the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory at Jingdezhen in the Yongzheng and early Qianlong reigns, this particular glaze colour was mentioned on a stele inscribed by him as the lighter shade of the celadon glaze, dong qing, see Zhang Faying ed., Tang Ying du tao wendang [Archive on Tang Ying's Supervision of the Imperial Kilns], Beijing, 2012, p.6. The shape of the present vase is typical of the Yongzheng emperor's taste in revival of archaic prototypes and was fired in several other glazes, such as those of the Five Great Wares of the Song Dynasty: see a related and larger Yongzheng mark and period Guan-type hexagonal vase in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Monochrome Porcelain. The Complete Collection of the Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1999, p.226, no.204; compare also with a larger Yongzheng mark and period Ru-type hexagonal vase in the Nanjing Museum collection, included in Treasures in the Royalty: The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p.185.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, Hong Kong, 30 November 2022