Page 35 - SOTHEBYS MARCH 18 AND 19 2025

The present vase is an extraordinary treasure. Grandly
on a grand foot with two rectangular apertures and flanked
potted in a subtle curvaceous form and glowing with on each shoulder by short tubular handles, the present
a soft ineffable palette of sea-green celadon, the vase vase embodies the Yongzheng Emperor’s fascination with
represents the very zenith of monochrome porcelain antiquity and his passion for archaism. From the first year
production under the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor (r. of his reign, the Yongzheng Emperor commissioned items
1723-1735). Combining the cutting-edge innovations in from the Palace Workshops inspired by antiquity. These
glaze chemistry of the eighteenth century with an undying tube handles and foot apertures, for example, are derived
respect and reverence for the antique, this remarkable from the bronze hu vessels of China’s Bronze Age, while
piece epitomizes the grand yet thoughtful aesthetic the luminous celadon glaze pays homage to the famous
embraced by the Yongzheng Emperor. monochrome wares of the Song dynasty (960-1279) which,
in turn, also turned to the archaic for inspiration. This
The slender yet bulbous form of the present vase is known simplicity and archaism of form, and a considered approach
by connoisseurs as the ganlanping, or ‘olive-shaped vase,’ to decoration, were stylistic trends first implemented at
and was admired throughout the High Qing period. This the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen by famed superintendent
grand design, reminiscent of the natural beauty of a simple Tang Ying (1682-1756). Under his supervision, research
olive stone, was adopted and adapted by the imperial into celebrated Song wares, including Ru, Guan, Ge and
potters in each successive reign and is attested with and Longquan celadon, saw the re-emergence of monochrome
without handles, decorated with a range of glazes and with porcelains covered in luminous yet deceptively simple
nuanced variations in the overall shape. Compare two light glazes which, while simulating the archaic, still possess a
blue ganlanping of the Kangxi era, for example, with incised remarkably contemporary air.
designs and more slender cylindrical necks, preserved in
the Fondation Baur, Geneva, illustrated in John Ayers, The Vases of this innovative yet classical form are exceedingly
Baur Collection. Chinese Ceramics, vol. 3, Geneva, 1972, rare. Compare an almost identical Yongzheng vase of this
pls A326 and A328, the latter with a slightly everted mouth type, sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 3rd December 2015,
rim. Indeed, even within the Yongzheng reign, a number lot 22; another vase of this type but with gilded bands to
of differing ganlanping varieties were produced, including the mouth and foot, from the famed collection of J.M. Hu,
a more common type with no handles and a flared neck. offered at Christie’s New York, 23rd September 2022, lot
Compare a copper red Yongzheng example from the Qing 917; and a related vase of smaller size (31.8 cm) and ‘Guan’-
Court Collection, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, imitation glaze, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October
in Gugong Bowuyuan cang Qingdai yuyao ciqi [Porcelains 2013, lot 3128 (Fig. 1). Compare also a related Yongzheng
from the Qing dynasty imperial kilns in the Palace Museum mark and period coral-ground vase of this shape, decorated
collection], Beijing, 2005, vol. 1, pt. 2, pl. 9. with peonies in famille rose enamels, preserved in the Qing
Court Collection in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in
However, more than simply beautiful, the present vase The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum.
also possesses an air of gravitas and archaic power quite Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille
unlike its more common counterparts. Standing proudly
Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 2009, pl. 77.
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