Page 19 - Sotheby's Imperial Chiense Porcelain Nov 4 2020 London

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A VERY RARE CELADON-GLAZED CONJOINED 清雍正 粉青釉六聯瓶
VASE
YONGZHENG MARK AND PERIOD 《大清雍正年製》款
superbly potted as six conjoined amphora-shaped vases, 來源
each with an ovoid body gently rising to a high rounded 香港蘇富比1994年11月1日，編號113
shoulder and a tall cylindrical neck encircled with a filet and
surmounted by a wide flaring rim, covered overall with a
viterous pale-celadon glaze save for the footrims, the base of
the central vase with a six-character seal mark in underglaze
blue
Height 24 cm, 9½ in.
PROVENANCE
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 1st November 1994, lot 113.

‡ £ 250,000-350,000

This rare vase is an exceptional example of the technical flowers, conjoined vases began to be made early in the
and artistic perfection achieved at the imperial kilns in Yongzheng reign as can be glimpsed from an entry in
Jingdezhen during the reign of the Yongzheng emperor. Archive of the Imperial Workshop dated to the fourth year
Its sophisticated form and cool celadon glaze are deeply of the reign (corresponding to 1726), which mentions five-
rooted in the ceramic tradition of the Song dynasty (960- spouted vase made at the falang (enamelling) workshop
1279) and encapsulate the emperor’s favour for these on the 7th month of that year, and a six-spouted vase a
early wares and his insistence on outstanding quality. month later.
The imperial kiln factory in Jingdezhen experienced Celadon vases of this form are very rare, although a very
one of its most flourishing periods under the watchful similar vase from the Ohlmer collection in the Roemer
eye of the Yongzheng Emperor. The emperor’s love Museum, Hildesheim, is illustrated in Ulrich Wiesner,
and astute knowledge of the antiques in the imperial Chinesisches Porzellan, Mainz, 1981, pl. 88. See also a
collection incited potters to create unique and exquisitely vase of this form, but decorated in white slip with a band
crafted wares that were both technically challenging and of ruyi on the shoulder and beads on the neck, from
steeped in historical symbolism, such as this vase. While the collection of Lord Hollenden, sold in our Hong Kong
conjoined vases were made in ceramic form from as early rooms, 15th May 1990, lot 81.
as the Neolithic period, this piece is more likely to have Conjoined vases peaked in popularity during the
been inspired by multi-spouted vases and jars popular Qianlong period (r. 1736-1795), when examples were
in the Song dynasty. Made at the Longquan kilns in covered in a variety of monochrome glazes or painted
southern Zhejiang province, these jars were used to store in blue and white. A Qianlong mark and period vase of
grain in tombs, and were believed to secure the eternal this form and glaze, is illustrated in Chinese Porcelain.
well-being of a family. One such jar was recovered from S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 149;
Suining, Sichuan province, and illustrated in Song yun, another from the collections of Sir Edmund Rathbone
Sichuan Jiaocang wenwu jicui [Selected relics from the Bacon and Robert May, was sold in our New York rooms,
Sichuan hoards], Beijing, 2006, pl. 36.
20th March 2012, lot 237; a tea-dust glazed example in
Conjoined vases were first made at Jingdezhen during the National Palace Museum, Taipei, was included in the
the reign of the Yonzheng Emperor and their form is a museum’s Special Exhibition of K’ang-hsi, Yung-cheng and
testament to the potters’ technical know-how, as they Ch’ien-lung Porcelain Ware from the Ch’ing Dynasty in the
were particularly difficult to fire successfully. During National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, p. 123, pl. 96; and
the firing, the proximity of the neck and mouth of the a blue and white vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is
vessels increased the risk of warping. Used for displaying illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong. Qing Porcelain
from the Palace Museum Collection, Beijing, 1989, pl. 32.

mark

34 Buyers are liable to pay both the hammer price (as estimated above) and the buyer’s premium together with any applicable taxes and Artist’s Resale Right (which will depend on the individual circumstances). 35
Refer to the Buying at Auction and VAT sections at the back of this catalogue for further information.