A teadust-glazed hexagonal vase, Seal mark and period of Qianlong | 清乾隆 茶葉末釉六方貫耳壺 《大清乾隆年製》款

The present vase is notable for its lustrous and deep teadust glaze which perfectly complements the angular shape, and is a testament to the technical perfection achieved by craftsmen working at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen under the Qianlong Emperor as well as his keen interest in antiquity. Its form is a reinterpretation of the archaic bronze hu form which was first developed by craftsmen working at the Guan kilns during the Song dynasty. Further reference to bronzes is made in the rich teadust glaze, inspired by their patina and an innovation of the Yongzheng period. This glaze was achieved through the precipitation of yellow crystal that stands out against the dark green background, producing what is known in Chinese as chayemo or ‘tea-leaf’ dust glaze effect. Successfully fired vases have many stipples that make the glaze appear especially rich and velvety at the touch.

A closely related vase, from the collection of W.W. Winkworth, was sold in our London rooms, 12th December 1972, lot 130, and again in these rooms, 16th May 1977, lot 158; another was sold at Christie’s London, 11th July 2006, lot 141. See also a larger vase in the Idemitsu Museum of Art, Tokyo, illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 965; another vase sold in our London rooms, from the collection of the Toguri Museum of Art, Tokyo, 9th June 2004, lot 3, and again in these rooms, 8th April 2010, lot 1822; and a further example from the Manno Art Museum, Osaka, sold twice at Christie's Hong Kong, 28th October 2002, lot 560, and again, 28th November 2005, lot 1317.

Compare also a slightly smaller version, from the Hall family collection, sold in these rooms, 2nd May 2000, lot 556, and included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Iron in the Fire, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1988, front cover and cat. no. 89, and A Selection of Ming and Qing Porcelains, Eskenazi Ltd, London, 2004, cat. no. 14, and illustrated in Giuseppe Eskenazi in collaboration with Hajni Elias, A Dealer's Hand: The Chinese Art World Through the Eyes of Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, 2012; Chinese version, Shanghai, 2015, reprint, 2017, pl. 433.

Perfectly symmetrical and covered in an even glaze, this deceptively simple vase required the utmost attention and skill in every stage of its production, from the purity of the clay and precision of potting to the evenness of the glaze and control of firing. The slightest irregularity would result in the rejection and destruction of the piece, thus pushing the craftsmen to the limits of their abilities, particularly in the production of large vessels such as the present. Furthermore, the hexagonal-section form indicates that this vase would have been created in a mould, which demanded acute precision, as the traditional method of using a potter’s wheel could only result in vessels of circular section.  

Qianlong mark and period vases of this form are also known in various monochrome glazes, such as a sky-blue glazed example illustrated in Sekai toji zenshu / Ceramic Art of the World, Tokyo, 1956, vol. 12, pl. 46; and two Ru-type vases, sold in these rooms, the first, 26th October 2003, lot 50, and the second, 9th October 2007, lot 1526. For the prototype of this form see a Yongzheng mark and period guan-type hu of slightly larger size, sold in these rooms, 9th October 2007, lot 1534.

茶葉末釉六方貫耳壺，釉質濃潤，色澤光華襯得方正造形，端莊大器，展現乾隆朝景德鎮御窰廠極高之製瓷水平，且見帝王尚古之意。貫耳壺器形取自高古青銅壺，首見於宋代官窰瓷。雍正朝創燒茶葉末釉，傚擬古青銅器飽經風霜，表面溫潤之感，釉面見亮黃結晶遍佈濃綠地上，稱之茶葉末，燒成佳品可見緻密晶點，釉色古樸沉穩，光潤柔滑。

W.W. Winkworth 舊藏一件類近作例，1972年12月12日售於倫敦蘇富比，編號130，1977年5月16日，編號158。倫敦佳士得於2006年7月11日亦售出一件，編號141。東京出光美術館藏有一壺，尺寸較大刊於《出光美術館藏品圖錄：中國陶瓷》，東京，1987年，圖版965。還有一件貫耳六方壺，2010年4月8日於香港蘇富比售出，編號1822。大阪萬野美術館舊藏也有例可資參考，該瓶兩度售於香港佳士得，分別為2002年10月28日，編號560，以及2005年11月28日，編號1317。

參考霍氏家族珍藏一件尺寸稍小作例，2000年5月2日售於香港蘇富比，編號556，曾展於東方陶瓷協會展覽，《Iron in the Fire》，阿什莫林博物館，牛津，1988年，封面、編號89，以及《A Selection of Ming and Qing Porcelains》，埃斯卡納齊，2004年，編號14，又載於朱塞佩．埃斯卡納齊，薛好佩整理，《中國藝術品經眼錄：埃斯卡納齊的回憶》，倫敦，2012年；中譯版，上海，2015年，再版，2017年，圖版433。

器形對稱端正，釉面平滑柔順，乍見極簡，然其燒製過程每一階段，煉泥、塑形、施釉、窰燒火候，均需準確無誤的施作、控制與技巧，即使細微瑕疵，亦是功虧一簣，類同此件拍品之大尺寸者，更是重重挑戰，御窰瓷匠無不竭盡所能，以求佳品。異於傳統拉坯作法，六方壺器形，須用模造，更是講求絕對之精準。

乾隆年製貫耳六方壺，亦見不同釉色者，如一件天藍釉例，載於《世界陶磁全集》，東京，1956年，卷12，圖錄46。香港蘇富比曾售出二件仿汝釉六方壺，2003年10月26日，編號50，及2007年10月9日，編號1526。雍正年製仿官釉貫耳壺雛例，則可參考一件尺寸略碩之壺，2007年10月9日售於香港蘇富比，編號1534。