Lot 3613. A fine and rare tea-dust glazed vase, Incised seal mark and period of Qianlong. Estimate 1,800,000 — 2,500,000 HKD (210,094 - 291,798 EUR). Unsold. Photo Sotheby's

superbly potted with a compressed globular body sloping elegantly to a tall slightly waisted neck, the neck flanked by a pair of scroll handles extending down the body, covered overall in a thick glaze of golden green speckled with yellow and brown and thinning to a reddish-brown tone at the mouthrim and handles, all resting on a flared footring with the footrim dressed in a dark brown wash, the base incised with a six-character seal mark; 19.8 cm., 7 5/8  in.

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 17th November 1999, lot 775

Notes: Tea-dust glazed vases of this elegant form and with handles in the form of ruyi sceptres are rare, and are more commonly known modelled with broader necks in the shape of archaic bronze hu, such as a Qianlong mark and period vase in the Baur collection, illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur Collection, Geneva. Chinese Ceramics, vol. 2, Geneva, 1999, pl. 296; and two sold in these rooms, the first 8th October 2010, lot 2633, and the second, 4th April 2012, lot 3102. Compare also a Qianlong vase of similar globular form, but decorated in gilt over a blue ground, from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 94.

This vase is especially attractive for its lustrous and deep tea-dust glaze. This type of glaze was an 18th century innovation, probably introduced in the last years of the Yongzheng emperor’s reign (1723-35), and was made with the precipitation of yellow crystal that stands out against a dark green background producing what is known as chayemo or ‘tea-leaf dust’ glaze effect. Perfectly fired vessels in this glaze such as this vase have many small stipples that make the glaze appear particularly rich and velvety to the touch. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 oct. 2015, 02:30 PM