Page 112 - Chinese Works of Art Christies South Kensington Nov. 2015

PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION, ACQUIRED PRIOR TO 1990

685 During the eighteenth century, moulded decoration of the Eight Daoist
Trigrams, Bagua, is more commonly found on guan and ge-type cong-
A SMALL GE-TYPE OCTAGONAL MOON FLASK form vases, which were inspired by archaic jades. It is interesting to note
YONGZHENG PERIOD (1723-1735) that although the body of the moon fask is usually circular, this particular
example is octagonal, echoing the Eight Trigram decoration. The crackled
清雍正 仿哥釉八卦紋八方扁壺 glaze on the current vase is in imitation of the ‘iron-wire and golden thread’
glaze on Song dynasty Ge wares. Ge-type wares were produced as early as
The fask is moulded to each side of the fattened octagonal body with the the Yongle period (1403-1424), with the technique reaching perfection during
Eight Daoist Trigrams, Bagua, encircling a yinyang symbol. It is covered in a the Yongzheng (1723-1735) and Qianlong (1736-1795) reigns.
pale greyish-celadon glaze sufused with a wide network of beige crackles,
stopping at the foot to expose the darkened body. For an example of a cong-form vase with moulded Bagua decoration dating
to the Qianlong period (1736-1795), see Peter Y. K. Lam, Porcelain Vases of
6æ in. (17.2 cm.) high the Imperial Qing: The Huaihaitang Collection, Hong Kong, 2007, pp. 172-173,
no. 45. A Yongzheng example was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 3 December
£2,000-5,000 $3,100-7,600 2008, lot 2562.
€2,800-6,800

PROVENANCE:

Private European Collection, acquired prior to 1990.

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