A fine 'ru'-type 'garlic-mouth' vase. Seal mark and period of Qianlong. Photo: Courtesy Sotheby's

the pear-shaped body supported on a tall spreading foot rising to a waisted neck surmounted by a 'garlic-head' mouth, with two gently raised flanges around the neck, covered overall in a thick, soft cesious toned glaze suffused with a subtle widely dispered crackle, inscribed on the base with the six-character seal mark  - 23.1 cm., 9 in. - Lot Sold: 1,100,000 HKD

PROVENANCE: A Private Japanese Collection

NOTE: Finely potted and elegantly formed, this piece is notable for its delicate yet luminous glaze. A closely related example of slightly smaller size in the Qing Court collection, and still in Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 215; another was sold in these rooms, 10^th April 2006, lot 1610; and a larger example is illustrated in Sekai Toji Zenshu, vol. 12, Tokyo, 1956, pl. 93. Compare also a vase of this form with a teadust glaze, published ibid., p. 183, fig. 52; and a 'Ge'-type glaze version with Yongzheng sealmark and of the period, included in the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935, cat. no. 2589.

For the origin of this form compare the 'Longquan' vases recovered from a ship sunk off the coast of Korea in the first half of the 14^th century, included in the Special Exhibition of Cultural Relics Found off Sinan Coast, National Museum of Korea, Seoul, 1977, cat. nos 53 and 54; and another in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Lung Ch'uan Ware of the Sung Dynasty, Taipei, 1962, pl. 10.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. 08 Oct 08. Hong Kong - www.sothebys.com