A PAIR OF RUBY-GLAZED CUPS YONGZHENG MARKS AND PERIOD

each with rounded sides rising from a short tapering foot, the exterior covered with a rich ruby-pink enamel glaze displaying a soft dimpled texture, leaving the interior and base glazed white, the base with a six-character Yongzheng mark within a circle

Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1910.

The cups in very good condition. One cup has a burst glaze bubble on the base between the two rows of characters, and another several minute burst glaze bubbles around the exterior. Several scratches are visible in the interior with the longest measuring circa 1cm. The other cup has a burst glaze bubble at the rim and several others in the well. There are three iron spots to the interior which appears russet brown. The centre is scratched with the longest scratch measuring circa 1cm.
"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 pair of cups is published in The Tsui Museum of Art. Chinese Ceramics IV, Hong Kong 1995, pl. 25; another pair was sold in our New York rooms, 26^th March 1996, lot 189; and a third pair, from the estate of John B. Trevor, was sold at Christie's New York, 19^th September 2007, lot 340. For a slightly smaller cup of this type, see one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Kangxi. Yongzheng. Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 303, pl. 132; a single cup sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 12/13^th May 1976, lot 210; and a slightly smaller pair sold at Christie's New York, 3^rd December 1992, lot 313.

According to S.J. Vainker in Chinese Pottery and Porcelain, New York, 1991, p. 206, pink enamel of this type was developed in China in the final years of Kangxi's reign and was applied by 'blowing it through a bamboo tube covered with a fine silk gauze at one end'.