A FINE 'CLAIR-DE-LUNE' GLAZED BRUSH WASHER KANGXI MARK AND PERIOD

of compressed circular form, supported on a shallow tapered foot, the rounded sides rising to an incurved rim, covered overall with a pale lavender-blue glaze draining to white at the mouth, the white-glazed base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue

Acquired in New York, circa 1985. 

In overall good condition with only minor expected wear to the footring.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Brush washers were an essential part of the scholar's studio, permitting the erudite occupant to refresh his brush and elegantly express his ideas through ink. During the Qing dynasty, small porcelain objects for the scholar's table, including brush washers, waterpots, and amphora vases, were produced in two new glazes, 'peachbloom' and 'clair de lune'. Whilst brush washers are more commonly found than other forms, far fewer examples appear to survive in pale blue than in 'peachbloom'.

Washers of this elegant form and subtle coloration are an innovation of the Kangxi reign and display the great technical advances made at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen at the beginning of the Qing dynasty, which saw the creation of numerous monochrome glazes. The tian lan (sky blue) glaze is among the most striking products of the imperial kilns and was achieved by diminishing the amount of cobalt oxide in the glaze mix. Vessels covered in this delicate glaze are often very finely potted, an indication that they were probably made in the latter years of the Kangxi reign, as suggested by Suzanne G. Valenstein in A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989, p. 241.

Three 'clair-de-lune' brush washers of this type from the Wiedener collection, now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., are illustrated in Decorative Arts, pt. II, Washington, 1998, pp 98 and 99; two in the Baur collection are published in John Ayers, The Baur Collection, Geneva, vol. 3, 1973, pls A318 and A320; and a further example was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 1st November 1999, lot 341 and again in our London rooms, 12th July 2006, lot 153. See also a slightly smaller washer of this type in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Ceramics, vol. 23, Shunzhi (1644-1661) and Kangxi (1662-1722) Periods of Qing Dynasty, pl. 62; and another in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, published in Kangxi Porcelain Ware from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1998, pl. 218.