Lot 496. A rare flambé-glazed vase, meiping, Qianlong incised seal mark and of the period (1736-1795); 13¾ in. (34.9 cm.) high. Estimate: $30,000 - $ 50,000. Price Realized: $242 500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2008.

The broad-shouldered, tapering body covered overall with a deep red and flambé glaze streaked in bright milky blue on the waisted neck and shading to a pale milky blue on the lipped rim and interior of the neck. 

Provenance: Presented to Mr. Gardner in 1909, and thence by descent in the family to the present owner.

Note: A Qianlong-marked flambé-glazed meiping with slightly broader shoulders and a more splayed foot, formerly in the Zande Lou collection and now in the Shanghai Museum, is illustrated in Qing Imperial Monochromes: The Zande Lou Collection, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005, no. 49. Both the illustrated example and the current lot have an uneven brown glaze on the foot covering the incised six-character reign mark, and it is interesting to note that the two vases are of closely related height (34.2 cm. and 34.9 cm. high) with both having a mouth diameter of 7 cm.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. 17 September 2008. New York, Rockefeller Plaza.