A PEACHBLOOM BRUSH WASHER MARK AND PERIOD OF KANGXI

delicately potted of compressed circular form, supported on a shallow tapering foot, the incurved, rounded sides covered with a fine purplish-pink glaze with copper-red flecks, the interior and base left white and inscribed with a six-character reign mark written in three lines

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 4th/5th November 1997, lot 1519.

The overall condition is very good with only some surface scratches and burst air bubbles. The actual colour is slightly paler than the catalogue illustration.
"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."

The present washer, also known as tangle xi or gong-shaped washer, is discussed as one of the eight peachbloom wares for the scholar's desk by Ralph Chait in 'The Eight Prescribed Peachbloom Shapes Bearing Kang Hsi Marks', Oriental Art, Winter 1957, vol. III, no. 4, pp 130-37. A similar washer of this type can be found together with a complete set of peachbloom wares in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, illustrated in Suzanne G. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989, p. 237. Another example was sold as part of a set from the Jingguantang collection at Christie's Hong Kong, 3^rd November 1996, lot 557.

Compare also a washer from the collection of Edward T. Chow and sold most recently in these rooms, 8^th April 2009, lot 1657; another from the H.M. Knight collection, included in the exhibition 4000 Jaar Aziatische Kunst, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 1954, cat. no. 300, sold in these rooms, 19^th May 1982, lot 263; and another vessel published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 2, London, 1994, pl. 820.

This elegant shape also appears during the Kangxi period in a claire-de-lune glaze, as seen in the brushwasher from the collection of Paul and Helen Bernat, sold in these rooms, 2^nd May 2005, lot 672.