A FINE AND RARE GUAN-TYPE VASE, HU SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG |

of archaistic hu form, well potted with a bulbous pear-shaped body elegantly rising from a splayed foot to a waisted neck and gently flaring rim, set with two stylised turtledove-shaped loop handles (jiu) suspending mock rings interrupted by a subtle thin raised fillet bordering the neck, covered overall save for the unglazed footring with a pale caesius-coloured glaze suffused with a fine matrix of colourless and russet crackles, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character seal mark, wood stand

Overall very good condition. The unglazed footring has an original shallow kiln flake.
"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."

Guan, the ‘official’ ware of the Southern Song court, is perhaps the most admired and desirable of all types of Chinese ceramics. The Yongzheng Emperor was a great admirer of guan wares and is known to have sent original pieces from his collection to the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen as models to copy. The present exquisite vase is a fine example of such reproduction where the complexity of its seemingly simple form, the rare beauty of its glaze colour and the fascinating pattern of its crackle have been masterly achieved by the Jingdezhen potter. A very similar vase, possibly the pair to this piece, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Kangxi. Yongzheng. Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, pl. 78.  Another Yongzheng vase of the same form and animal-head handles but with the body decorated in relief and covered in a celadon glaze is also included ibid., pl. 105. Compare also a closely related teadust glazed hu, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain. K'ang-hsi Ware and Yung-cheng Ware, Tokyo, 1980, pl. 152; and another from the British Rail Pension Fund sold in these rooms, 16th May 1989, lot 54. The form of this vessel is derived from a bronze prototype. See a zun excavated from the Western Han tomb dated before 179 BC at Qianping, Yichang, Hubei province, published in Kaogu xuebao/Acta Archaeological Sinica, 1976, no. 2, p. 124, fig. 12.

Vases of this form continued to be made during the Qianlong reign in a variety of glazes; for example see a vase of similar size covered in a Ru-type glaze sold in these rooms, 29th April 1997, lot 578; a ‘robin’s egg’ glaze example of slightly larger proportions, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27th May 2009, lot 1895; and a larger teadust glazed version sold in these rooms, 10th April 2006, lot 1523.