A FINE PEACHBLOOM-GLAZED WASHER, TANGLUOXI MARK AND PERIOD OF KANGXI |

well potted with low rounded sides incurved at the mouth and supported on a low tapering foot, the exterior covered with a 'peachbloom' glaze of brilliant crimson tone with an attractive mottling of lighter pink and green shades around the foot, the interior and recessed base left white, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue, wood stand

Christie’s Hong Kong, 2nd November 1999, lot 616.

The washer is in excellent condition, with only an insignificant minute 0.1cm glaze flake to the shoulder and characteristic glaze firing imperfections.
"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."

 ‘Peach bloom’ was most likely coined by the Western scholar Stephen W. Bushell in the 19th century.  The glaze was used exclusively on forms for the scholar’s table; water pots, small vases, and brushwashers. Ralph M Chait, in "The Eight Prescribed Peachbloom Shapes Bearing Kang-hsi Marks," Oriental Art 3 (Winter 1957), 130-13 seems to have ascribed the glaze to only eight forms. John Ayers in "The Peachbloom Wares of the Kangxi Period (1662-1722)", Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 64, 1999-2000 adds a ninth form to the group, however variations of the forms would imply that these scholar’s wares may never have been conceived as a set.  A washer in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 19; another is published in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1998, pl. 208. A group of eight peach bloom wares, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is illustrated in Suzanne G. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989, p. 237; and another seven were included in the exhibition Chinese Porcelain from the 15th to the 18th Century, Eskenazi, London, 2006, cat. nos. 4-10, where on p. 40, related washers are mentioned in the collection of the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, in the Baur collection, Geneva,  and in the Meiyintang collection.  It is interesting to note that extant examples of this ware show little sign of use indicating that they were appreciated as works of art by the imperial household or given as imperial gifts.