Lot 933. An imperial yellow glass bottle vase, Qianlong wheel-cut four-character mark within a double square and of the period (1736-1795); 22.5 cm high, hardwood stand. Price realised USD 20,160 (Estimate: USD 7,000 – USD 10,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2023.

The bulbous body is raised on a short foot with a slightly recessed base and rises to a tall, cylindrical neck. The opaque glass is of lemon-yellow color.

Provenance: J. J. Lally & Co., New York, no. 4429.

Note: Glass vases of this distinctive shape were produced in the Qing imperial workshops in various colors in both transparent and opaque glass. Yellow versions appear to be more rare than other colors. Several examples in different colors, all inscribed with imperial reign marks, in the collection of Andrew K. F. Lee, are illustrated in Elegance and Radiance: Grandeur in Qing Glass, The Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2000, pp. 98-110, nos. 8-14.

Two transparent red glass vases of the same form, Qianlong mark and period, are illustrated in Clear as Crystal, Red as Flame, New York, 1990, p. 60, no. 24.

Lot 934. An imperial turquoise glass bottle vase, Qianlong wheel-cut four-character mark within a double square and of the period (1736-1795); 21.9 cm high, hardwood stand, cloth box. Price realised USD 60,480(Estimate: USD 10,000 – USD 15,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2023.

The bulbous body is raised on a splayed foot with a slightly recessed base and rises to a tall, cylindrical neck. The opaque glass is of even turquoise color.

Provenance: J. J. Lally & Co., New York, no. 4430.

Literature: J. J. Lally & Co., Elegantly Made: Art for the Chinese Literati, New York, 2020, no. 20.

Exhibited: New York, J. J. Lally & Co., Elegantly Made: Art for the Chinese Literati, 13-27 March 2020.

Note:As noted in the catalogue note for the the previous lot, glass vases of this distinctive shape were produced in the Qing imperial workshops in various colors in both transparent and opaque glass.

A very similar opaque turquoise-blue glass vase of this shape from the collection of Robert H. Clague is illustrated by C. Brown and D. Rabiner, Chinese Glass of the Qing Dynasty, 1644-1911, Phoenix, 1987, pp. 36-37, no. 35. Another opaque turquoise glass vase of slightly different shape, Qianlong mark and period, is illustrated in Clear as Crystal, Red as Flame, New York, 1990, p. 69, lot 33.

Christie's. J. J. Lally & Co., New York, 23 march 2023