Page 35 - SOTHEBYS MARCH 18 AND 19 2025
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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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