Page 36 - Baofang Collection Imperial Ceramics, Christie's Hong Kong May 29, 2019
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fig. 1 Collections of J.M. Hu and Robert Chang. fig. 2 J. M. Hu Collection. Sold at Christie's Hong Kong,
Sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 2 November 1999, lot 518 29 November 2017, lot 2856
எӬ ⫽ዃᛌǮᆌ፩㙬⻦ 㲞ᳰצᇑ卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚ卿ᐽ ⽚ எՀ ⫽ዃᛌ⯠⻦ 㲞ᳰצᇑ卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚ卿ᐽ ⽚
2807 Continued
The present vase has a very rare form, not many pear-shaped vases are ‐㟕㞏ἃ㫇᫈ងᙲࠛ⎏Ӭ♎׆ᵐ֎㟕㞏ǯ᳖Ƕࢶ⚨✖㉃Ƿ גल 㖊厍Ǹ‐
as deeply compressed with the centre of gravity so far down the lower ம 㟕 Ӭ♎卿ԛ‐ԋᏒ῟卿㯭ⰰ᱁Ტԋᝳ⡚㿽⩢ἃצ卿㬪㿽᪖Ԡǯǹ
body as in the present example. Firing a vase of this form successfully
‐㟕㞏Ԗ㇝ս᱁Ტ⎏⻤㞏ᆨᎰ⯇⎏ௗ᱁ᢣ⡠卿ݯԋ㧿ׁⶬ⡚ⰰᎵ㬪ⰰ
would have been extremely difficult with a high probability of the
ᙚ㿽ǯ㫇᫈ង‐㟕㞏⎏⡚㿽ᯬ⡻卿ൈᎰᾳ⎏㵶⠗♩ⰰ卿ᘢز♑Ǹ㵶ᢌ
body sagging or leaning to one side, which may explain why extremely
few other vases of this form appear to be published. The closest ⡚ǹ卿᫉⁞ᇨᙻԳ㪏ߝឆᇌӶݻ߅→ǯ᫉⎏㞏ⰰ⻤⡻Ւう卿⛾भ㊃ᛞ
comparable example of this elegant form but decorated with a celadon ջ⁞ᇨǯ
glaze from the collections of J. M. Hu Family and Robert Chang, was
sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 November 1999, lot 518 (fig. 1). ᫉≡⒝⭬卿㞒ᇵᥑ׆卿㫬㇝㵶㑖⎏Ꮫᐹேᐃႛ ⚨῟ᛞỉ٣㫬ᓟ߰ᴽ
┱卿ս㩓≡㕇౫㪄卿ᘢᎰ࠻ℯᥑ׆ǯᆨ߰⏟ⲋዂᙼ㬪㞏⎏ຽӬ։卿ݎ
The Robin’s-egg glaze was a monochrome glaze first invented in
the Yongzheng reign. One of the most notable features of this type ᇌἃ⫽ዃᛌǮᆌ፩ᘘ⻦卿ᇌ ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰצᇑᐽ㐈卿ᐽ
of glaze is the variation of the mottling that can be achieved. The ⽚ ॲː ǯ
present vase is half way between the typical peacock-feather glazes
as exemplified by the Qianlong moonflask from the Robert Chang ᫉≡㞏ⰰ㧿ᙻ‐㟕㞏ࣿເ㪺⻤㞏Ԡ㧿ǯເ㪺⻤㞏ຽजࣻ⩠ᆌ፩ݎ
Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 November 2006, lot 1305; ⊂⯠⻦Ӭ։Գ㪏ᐦᝲ≡卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰצᇑᐽ㐈卿ᐽ
and the streaked glazes such as the cong-form vase in the Qing Court ⽚ǯ㖅ݱӻ㙝ս⻤ⰰἃԖ⎏‐㟕㞏ⰰ卿जࣻ⩠࢈ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴
Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the ⻦Ӭ։Գ㪏↼ᅴ≡卿ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦Ⅷݥ㫀Ƕⰰ㞏Ƿ卿㲞ᳰ卿
Palace Museum - Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 209,
no. 188. Compare with two Yongzheng garlic-head vases covered with ჺ卿எ‸ ⽚ǯ⯝᫉≡㞏ⰰ⏟㘆⎏㫇᫈ຽ㚍जࣻ⩠ݦ։ⷤ㯔≡卿Ӭ
similar glazes, one is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, accession ։⻦ᙻझ࢈ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴卿ݱ⻦⤔⽚厍ԋ≢ 卿औӬ։ἃ⫽ዃᛌ⯠
number: zhongci-000749, the other from the J.M. Hu Collection, sold at ⻦卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰצᇑᐽ㐈卿ᐽ ⽚ ॲ̤ ǯ
Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 November 2017, lot 2856 (fig. 2).
औ࢈ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦Հ։߰㘆ַ⎏㫇᫈⚨㍩㞏≡卿மἃ⏎ऑ卿㯝㛑
Two related Yongzheng examples of this compressed form are in the
㱈അ㙣ᆃ⡠卿㖊ᙻǶᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦᳖ջᇙ⚩≢厁࣍Ӭ厁ӴݺǷ卿࢈卿
Palace Museum, Beijing, all with a lipped mouth and several bow-
strings decorating the long cylindrical neck in flambé, see Qingdai ჺ卿எ‸ Ǯ ⽚ǯ
Yuyao Ciqi, juan 1, Beijing, 2005, p. 289, no. 130, and p. 297, no. 134.
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