A VERY RARE FLAMBE-GLAZED ARCHAISTIC BALUSTER VASE SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG

of early bronze lei inspiration, the baluster body supported by a high splayed foot rising to high shoulders and a waisted neck, the shoulders flanked by a pair of elephant-trunk handles and separated by a pair of ridged vertical flanges, applied with four vertical flanges at the neck and foot, covered overall with a lustrous purplish-red glaze, highlighted with cascades of sky-blue, the raised areas and rim reserved in a mushroom-brown glaze, the interior draining away to reveal a pale blue glaze with white striations, the base glazed coffee-brown with grey-blue mottling and incised with the four-character seal mark

Christie's Hong Kong, 29th April 2002, lot 654. 

Apart from the foot being slightly ground and one of the short flanges on the shoulder with a 1cm area of restoration, the overall condition is quite good. The glaze is very glossy and possibly slightly polished.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

It is very rare to find flambé vases of this form.  See a similar vase with the same size and form in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in Imperial Kiln Porcelain of Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 1998, no. 16.  A similarly shaped Yongzheng vase with sky-blue glaze is illustrated in Selected Porcelain of the Flourishing Qing Dynasty at the Palace Museum, no. 62.  See a related vase of the Qianlong period with a sky-blue glaze included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Tokyo National Museum.  Chinese Ceramics, vol. II, Tokyo, 1990, pl. 722; a blue and white Qianlong vase of the same form sold in these rooms, 26th October 2003, lot 143; and another Qianlong flambé-glazed vase of the same form sold in our New York rooms, 4th June 1986, lot 137.