Lot 1058. A carved pale blue-glazed 'peony' vase, Kangxi period (1662-1722); 38.6 cm high. Price Realised USD 22,680 (Estimate USD 20,000 – USD 15,000.). © Christie's Images Ltd 2024

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 12-13 July 2006, lot 662

.Note: The boldly carved peony scroll on the present vase was a popular motif on refined Kangxi-period monochrome porcelain vases of different shapes. A Kangxi-period celadon-glazed baluster vase carved with the motif from The Collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth was sold at Christie’s New York, 19 March 2015 (Part III), lot 433. Another example of this Kangxi-period type is a celadon-glazed hu-form vase with lotus scroll, illustrated in W. Bondy, Kang-Hsi, Munich, 1923, p. 201.

Lot 1073. A peachbloom-glazed brush washer, tangluo xi, Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1662-1722), 12 cm diam. Price Realised USD 52,920 (Estimate USD 12,000 – USD 18,000.). © Christie's Images Ltd 2024

Provenance: Private collection, California, acquired in the 1980s-90s.

Lot 1059. A pair of lavender-glazed dishes, Yongzheng six-character mark within a double circle and of the period (1723-1735); Each 16 cm diam. Price Realised USD 94,500 (Estimate USD 30,000 – USD 50,000.). © Christie's Images Ltd 2024

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 29 February 1972, lot 269.
Belgian Private Collection.
Sotheby's London, 9 November 2005, lot 306.

Note: It is thought that this lavender-blue glaze, also sometimes referred to as clair-de-lune, was inspired by Ru wares of the Song dynasty. A slightly smaller (15.5 cm.) lavender-glazed dish, also bearing a Yongzheng mark within a double circle, is illustrated by P. Y, K. Lam in Shimmering Colours: Monochromes of the Yuan to Qing Periods, The Zhuyuetang Collection, Hong Kong, 2005, p. 141, no. 73. Another similar dish with the glaze described as clair-de-lune, slightly larger than the present pair (16.9 cm.), was sold at Christie’s New York, 12 September 2018, lot 128.

Lot 1074. A small copper-red-glazed wine cup, Yongzheng six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1723-1735); 7.3 cm diam. Price Realised USD 69,300 (Estimate USD 10,000 – USD 15,000.). © Christie's Images Ltd 2024

Provenance: Christie's Hong Kong, 13 January 1987, lot 494A (part).
The James (1913-1990) and Marilynn (1926-2019) Alsdorf Collection, Chicago.
Sacred and Imperial: The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection Part II; Christie's New York, 24 September 2020, lot 832 (part).

Lot 1075. A rare small Guan-type pear-shaped bottle vase, Yongzheng six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1723-1735); 14.6 cm high. Price Realised USD 176,400 (Estimate USD 60,000 – USD 80,000.). © Christie's Images Ltd 2024

Provenance: C. T. Loo Chinese Art (successor Frank Caro), New York, 24 October 1957.
The James (1913-1990) and Marilynn (1926-2019) Alsdorf Collection, Chicago.
Sacred and Imperial: The James And Marilynn Alsdorf Collection Part II; Christie's New York, 24 September 2020, lot 856.

Exhibited: New York, China Institute, 18th Century Marked Imperial Porcelain in Sung Tradition, 29 November 1956-10 January 1957.

Note: The glaze on the present vase is based on that of Song-dynasty Guan ware, one of the ‘five famous wares of the Song dynasty’. Song-dynasty wares were highly admired by the Yongzheng Emperor, a keen antiquarian who collected and studied material from earlier dynasties. The Yongzheng Emperor is recorded to have specifically ordered that porcelain wares imitating the various stoneware glazes of the Song dynasty be produced at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen. In fact, the famous kiln director Tang Yin became particularly well-known for the success of these imitation Song wares. Some of the finer imitation wares bear imperial reign marks, as seen on the base of the present vase.

A Southern Song-dynasty Guan bottle vase prototype, formerly in the Carl Kempe collection, was sold at J. J. Lally & Co.; Christie’s New York, 23 March 2023, lot 881. A Yongzheng vase of this form with a pale grey Ge-type glaze in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Selection of Ge Ware: The Palace Museum Collection and Archaeological Discoveries, 2017, pp. 268-69, no. 131.

Lot 1061. Two yellow-glazed bowls, Qianlong seal marks in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795); The larger 14.6 cm diam. Price Realised USD 56,700 (Estimate USD 40,000 – USD 60,000.). © Christie's Images Ltd 2024

Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 31 March-1 April 2005, lot 134.

Note: Yellow glazes, including the so-called 'imperial yellow' flourished during the Ming dynasty, and continued to be treasured by the Qing-dynasty emperors. As the color yellow in Chinese, huang, provides the homophone for 'imperial', wares created with this glaze color were reserved for imperial and court use.

A slightly larger (18.6 cm.) yellow-glazed bowl with Qianlong seal mark was sold at Sotheby’s New York, 11 September 2019, lot 638. Another example of this larger size is illustrated by J. Ayers in The Chinese Collection of Marie Vergottis, Lausanne, 2004, p. 118, no. 122.

Lot 1065. A 'robin's egg'-glazed Hu-form vase, Qianlong period (1736-1795); 31 cm.) high; The larger 14.6 cm diam. Price Realised USD 44,100 (Estimate USD 30,000 – USD 50,000.). © Christie's Images Ltd 2024

Provenance: S. Marchant & Son, London.
Sotheby's New York, 31 March-1 April 2005, lot 124.

Note: Advances in technology and experimentation at the Imperial kilns during the 18th century led to the introduction of various new intriguing monochrome glazes. The 'robin's-egg' glaze is generally thought to have been developed as a free interpretation of Song dynasty Jun glazes and reflects the contemporary interest in producing glazes that were both attractive in color but also innovative in their use of texture. The extraordinary effect of the robin's-egg glaze is achieved with the use of copper and arsenic as an opacifier to create an opaque stippled turquoise glaze.

For a smaller (12.6 cm.) robin's egg-glazed hu-form vase with elephant-head loop handles dated to the Qianlong period in the Gulbenkian Museum of Oriental Art and Archaeology, University of Durham, see I.L. Legaza, A Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue of the Malcolm Macdonald Collection of Chinese Ceramics, London, 1972, pl. XCIII, no. 257, listed p. 52. An example of similar proportions but of slightly larger size (32.5 cm.) was sold at Sotheby’s London, 15 May 2013, lot 246, and another of similar size (30.8 cm.) from a Japanese private collection was sold at Marchant II – Qing Imperial Porcelain, Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 29 April 2022, lot 3519.

Lot 1087. A Guan-type vase, Hu, Tongzhi six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1832-1874); 33.3 cm high. Price Realised USD 20,160 (Estimate USD 15,000 – USD 25,000.). © Christie's Images Ltd 2024

Provenance: Christie's Paris, 9 June 2015, lot 144.

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, New York, 19-20 September 2024