Vase en porcelaine emaillée bleu, cong, Chine, dynastie Qing, marque à six caractères en cachet bleu sous couverte et époque Qianlong (1736-1795). Estimate €30,000 – €40,000 ($33,717 - $44,956). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

The rectangular body of archaistic form with characteristic circular foot ring and mouth rim, applied with a pair of moulded elephant-head handles with suspended rings, with exception to the foot ring covered in a lustrous, dark violet-blue glaze, paling to a lighter blue on extremities. 11 ½ in. (29.2 cm.) high

Notes: The form of the present vase is derived from archaic jades of square form, known as cong. Ceramic examples of this form appear throughout the Qing dynasty. A similar vase was exhibited in A Special Exhibition of Qing Monochrome Glaze Porcelain, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1981, p. 91, no. 55. See another Qianlong marked cong-shaped vase sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 30 May 2006, lot 1379.

A BLUE-GLAZED SQUARE VASE, CONG, CHINA, QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

Christie's. ART D'ASIE, 9 June 2015, Paris