A SUPERB FLAMBE-GLAZED HANDLED VASE QIANLONG SEAL MARK AND PERIOD |

the well potted body rising from a splayed foot to a bowstring band below the angled shoulder, the tall tapered neck flanked by a pair of scroll handles, all surmounted by a lipped rim, the exterior covered with a glossy plum-colored glaze highlighted by lavender-blue streaks draining away from the handles and rim leaving a creamy-mushroom color, the interior with pale blue streaks against a creamy-white ground, the foot ring left unglazed exposing the porcelain body and traces of dark brown dressing, the base with an unctuous persimmon glaze covering an incised six-character seal mark

Collection of Henry G. Marquand (1819-1902), New York, and thence by descent.

In overall good condition with only minor expected wear to the foot including a small chip to the interior of 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.

Compare a flambé-glazed vase of this type, in the Capital Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Xiong Liao, Beauty of Ceramics. Gems of the Official Kilns, Taipei, 1993, pl. 147; and another included in the exhibition Collection of Chinese and Other Far Eastern Art Assembled by Yamanaka & Company, Inc., Yamanaka & Company, Inc., New York, 1943, no. 915. See a further example from the Marie Theresa L. Virata Collection, sold at Christie's New York, 16th March 2017, lot 614; another from the Hosokawa clan, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2014, lot 3111; and a third, from the Hall Family Collection, sold three times by Sotheby's, first in our London rooms, 17th December 1980, lot 659, then in our Hong Kong rooms, 2nd May 2000, lot 560, and again in our London rooms, 12th July 2006, lot 150.

Flambé glazes derive from the Jun wares of the Song dynasty (960-1279), a glaze that was first revived during the Yongzheng period and remained popular throughout the Qing dynasty. For a Yongzheng prototype of this vase see one sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 21st September 2004, lot 316. Henry G. Marquand was a banker and railroad financier, as well as an art collector and philanthropist. He was the second President of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The portrait of his wife, Elizabeth Allen Marquand, by John Singer Sargent was the painter's first commission in the United States. Marquand's collection included Old Master paintings, Roman bronzes, rare books, over 255 Chinese ceramics, and other antiquities, some of which were donated to museums and others were sold in a multi-day sale at the American Art Association in 1903.