Lot 79. A rare Guan-type pear-shaped vase, Yongzheng seal mark and of the period (1723-1735), 22 cm high. Sold for €178,200. © Bonhams 2001-2024

The compressed body resting on a slightly flared foot, tapering to a tall cylindrical neck, covered overall with a bluish-grey glaze suffused with a golden crackle, the foot rim covered with a brownish-black wash, the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue.

Provenance: An Italian private collection
The property of a lady.

Note; The simple yet elegant form of this small vase is highlighted by the unctuous, light celadon glaze suffused with a network of light brown cracks which was made in imitation of Guan ware of the Southern Song dynasty during the reign of the Yongzheng emperor of the Qing dynasty.

The Palace Museum in Beijing and the National Palace Museum in Taipei today hold a substantial collection of porcelains covered with a range of celadon or bluish-green covered glazes, including Ru (汝), Guan (官), Ge (哥), Jun (鈞), Ding (定) wares, considered to be the five classic wares by later collectors of Chinese ceramics of the Song dynasty. These glazes were distinguished by their translucent, crackled appearance in a variety of pale bluish or celadon colours that strongly resembled the qualities of jade. They were produced in official kilns built by court officials in about 1145 near the Southern Song capital of Lin'an, present-day Hangzhou and were known as Southern Song Guan ware.

The revival of archaic shapes and designs under the Yongzheng emperor contributed to a renewed interest in the glazes that characterise the five classic wares of the Song dynasty which were accurately recreated in imitation of these.

The shape of this small bottle vase is a reinterpretation of a Song shape and its small size suggests that it may have been made for use in a scholar's studio. The opaque glaze, which on a Song dynasty prototype would have been thick and heavy, is lustrous and comparatively thin, the base applied with a brown slip simulating the original 'iron foot' found on an original Song piece.

Bonhams. CHINESE ART, 12 June 2024, Paris