A FINE AND RARE GUAN-TYPE ARCHAISTIC HANDLED VASE SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG

of hu form supported on a tall foot, the pear-shaped  body rising to a raised rim above the broad columnar neck flanked by a pair of angular ear-shaped handles moulded with long ruyi-head lobes, covered overall in a thickly applied glaze suffused with a fine network of charcoal-grey crackling, the unglazed footrim applied with a dark brown slip, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 31^st October 2004, lot 217.

Apart from a few glaze gaps to the joints of the handles, the overall condition is excellent.
"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."

Yongzheng vases of this form are rare; see an example of more globular form and rounded stepped foot published in Kangxi. Yongzheng. Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 245, pl. 74. For closely related vases with a Qianlong reign mark and of the period, compare two sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 29^th April 2002, lot 664, and a larger example, 30^th May 2006; another covered in a Ru-type glaze sold in these rooms, 20^th November, 1985, lot 213; and a teadust-glazed vase in the Tokyo National Museum, published in oriental ceramics. The World's Great Collections, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 293.

The form and glaze of the current vase reflects archaistic interest, as the shape derive from the tall pear-shaped bronze hu of the Shang dynasty (16^th century-c.1050BC), while the glaze is in imitation of the celebrated 'Guan' official ware of the Song period (960-1279). In China copying was always considered a virtue as it challenged craftsmen to equal masters of the past.