Page 86 - Bonhams May 12 16 London

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A RARE AND LARGE ARCHAISTIC ‘SWEET WHITE’ JAR
Qianlong
The ovoid body rising from a slightly flaring foot to a waisted neck,
carved in low relief with a band of archaistic foliate chilong with bodies
arranged in angular scrollwork, all below upright leaf tips on the broad
neck and a key-fret band encircling the rim, covered overall with a
translucent white glaze of a pale bluish tone.
49.5cm (19 1/2in) high

£30,000 - 40,000 CNY280,000 - 370,000
HK$330,000 - 440,000

清乾隆 甜白釉仿古夔龍紋大罐

Monochrome wares coated with an exceptionally lush and mellow,
semi-translucent white glaze, were first manufactured by the Imperial
kilns of Jingdezhen during the reign of Emperor Yongle (1402-1424)
of the Ming Dynasty. Much favoured at court, most probably for the
importance attributed to the colour white in Buddhist ritual ceremonies,
which the Emperor patronised, the visually appealing glaze enriched
the elegant and balanced shapes with a superbly crisp, glossy and rich
presence.

The elaborate archaistic design on the present jar is clearly inspired
by the decoration on Shang and Zhou dynasty bronzes, which was
promoted by the Qianlong emperor as a means to revive the values of
the past and shape contemporary aesthetic and morals.

A famille rose and green-glazed vase, attributed to the Qianlong period
and decorated with a related band of kui dragons, is illustrated in The
Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Porcelains
with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong
Kong, 1999, pl.161.

A large robin’s-egg-ground gilt-decorated archaistic vase decorated
with a related band of dragons, formerly in the collection of J.T.Tai, was
sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 7 October 2010, lot 2128.