An unusual small celadon-glazed barrel-form incense stick-flower holder, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate $10,000 – $15,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

The sides are applied with a pair of mask and ring handles between two rows of bosses, and the flat top is pierced with seven circular openings, all under a glaze of soft, greyish blue-green color that also covers the base. The bottom of the foot is covered with a brown dressing. 4 5/8 in. (11.8 cm.) high

Notes: Vessels of this type, with a top pierced with circular apertures, could have been used to hold either incense sticks or flowers. A similar example, of larger size (16.9 cm.), bearing a Yongzheng seal mark, is illustrated in Shimmering Colours: Monochromes of the Yuan to Qing Periods, The Zhuyuetang Collection, Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005, p. 149, no. 78. The barrel shape and the celadon glaze of the present and Zhuyuetang vessels are more usually found on jars of a size similar to the Zhuyuetang holder, such as the Qianlong-marked jar from the Robert Chang Collection sold at Christie's New York, 16 October 2001, lot 390.

Christie's. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 17 - 18 September 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza