A FINE AND RARE CELADON-GLAZED VASE MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG

the compressed globular body supported on a tall splayed foot, elegantly rising to a cylindrical neck surmounted by a cupped mouth, the neck flanked by two small lug-handles, covered overall in an unctuous evenly coloured pale green glaze, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double circle

Private Japanese Collection.
Sotheby's Hong Kong 23rd October 2005, lot 367.

The vase is in very good condition
"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."

No other vase of this highly unusual and elegant shape appears to be published and Geng Baochang's arguably exhaustive study of Yongzheng porcelain shapes in Ming Qing ciqi jianding, Beijing, 1993, does not include a such vase.

The archaistic form, with its small lug-handles flanking the neck, indirectly harks back to Warring States or Han bronzes and therefore conceptually, the vase is somewhat related to other Yongzheng monochrome vases, such as a meiping set on the shoulders with three lug-handles and accented around the body with concentric raised borders, sold in these rooms, 7th May 2002, lot 510, of which examples in robin's-egg and Guan-type glazes are known. These however all bear seal marks.