A TURQUOISE GLASS CENSER, PALACE WORKSHOPS, BEIJING WHEEL-CUT MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

of bombé form, the plain opaque turquoise glass with rounded sides set on three short rounded legs, the slightly everted rim flanked by a pair of upright loop handles, the underside wheel-cut with a four-character reign mark within a double square

Christie's Hong Kong, 1st November 2004, lot 981.

Apart from two very minute 1mm nicks to the edge below one of the handles, the overall condition is very good. The actual colour is slightly more intense and more saturated than in the catalogue illustration. The actual size is about 10% smaller than the catalogue illustration.
"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."

A closely related glass censer is illustrated in Claudia Brown and Donald Rabiner, Clear as Crystal, Red as Flame, New York, 1990, pl. 34. Compare also a pink glass censer decorated with gilded floral design and part of a three-piece set published in Luster of Autumn Water, Beijing, 2004, pl. 118, together with another three-piece set that contains a blue glass censer, pl. 117; and an imperial  yellow-glass censer included in the exhibition Elegance and Radiance, The Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 54; together with one in the same colour as the present example, pl. 55. See also a realgar glass censer included in this collection, lot 2219; another turquoise glass censer of this form and with a similar mark sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30^th April 2000, lot 508; and two related versions in yellow included in the Min Chiu Society Thirty-fifth Anniversary exhibition In Pursuit of Antiquity, Taipei, 1995, cat. no. 207.