Page 22 - Sotheby's Imperial Chiense Porcelain Nov 4 2020 London

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A RARE GE-TYPE HANDLED JAR 清乾隆 仿哥釉雙耳罐
QIANLONG SEAL MARK AND PERIOD
《大清乾隆年製》款
with a globular body rising from a splayed foot to a waisted
neck, the shoulder set with a pair of loop handles, each with
a gently upturned end, covered overall with a pale grey glaze
suffused with a network of black and beige crackles, the base
inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character seal mark
Width 22 cm, 8⅝ in.
‡ £ 80,000-120,000

This vase is notable in its combination of a form inspired
by archaic bronzes, with a highly tactile glaze suffused
with a fine network of crackles. The latter clearly
references the celebrated guan wares of the Song
dynasty (960-1279), which the Yongzheng (1723-1735)
and Qianlong emperors particularly admired.
While the ravishing crackled glazes of the Song period
enjoyed an unbroken history of appreciation through the
Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties, reproduction of
these glazes reached a peak in the 18th century. Both the
Yongzheng and Qianlong emperor’s passion for these
classic wares and technological advances at the imperial
kilns in Jingdezhen, allowed craftsmen to successfully
reproduce these glazes in relatively large quantities.
The fine pattern of crackles was purposefully made by
carefully calibrating the cooling temperature in the kiln,
which would produce two different layers of fissures
that were later stained. The technical proficiency of the
craftsmen that made this vessel is further evidenced by
their ability to recreate both the unctuous crackled glaze
and the dark brown foot, here stained dark brown.
Qianlong mark and period jars of this form and covered in
a crackled glaze are unusual, and no other closely related
example appears to have been published. A slightly larger
ge-type vase but modelled with a taller neck and with
animal-mask handles, from the Asukai family collection,
was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29th May 2007, lot
1528.
Vases of this form are more commonly known covered
overall in a flambé glaze; see for example a Yongzheng
mark and period vase with mask handles sold in these
rooms, 20th May 1980, lot 125, and another sold in our
London rooms, 17th December 1996, lot 126.
The form of this piece appears to have been inspired
by archaic bronze covered jars, known as fou, which
were made in the Eastern Zhou dynasty (770-256 BC).
See for example a fou unearthed from Liulige, Huixian,
Henan province, and illustrated in Jenny So, Eastern Zhou
Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections,
Washington D.C., 1995, fig. 34.2.

mark

40 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). 41
Refer to the Buying at Auction and VAT sections at the back of this catalogue for further information.