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A RARE PURPLE-GLAZED PEAR-SHAPED VASE 清雍正 紫釉玉壺春瓶
(YUHUCHUNPING), MARK AND PERIOD OF 《大清雍正年製》款
YONGZHENG
the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue 來源
Height 13½ in., 34.4 cm 達拉斯私人收藏，得於1920年之前（傳）

PROVENANCE
Dallas Private Collection, acquired prior to 1920 (by repute).
Shimmering in a delicate yet imposing purple-black tone, the
present vase is an exceptionally rare example of its type. The
Yongzheng Emperor (r. 1723-1735) was notorious for his love
of monochrome wares and his passion for innovative design.
According to Taocheng Jishi Beiji (Commemorative stele on
ceramic production) of famed superintendent Tang Ying, the
Yongzheng Emperor commissioned wares from the imperial
kilns in 57 different monochrome colors, most of which were
either inspired by ancient classics, developed from Kangxi
period experiments – as in the present case – or newly
invented for the Yongzheng court.
While related purple vases are attested in the Kangxi and
Qianlong periods, vases of this size, form and glazing
attributed to the Yongzheng period are extremely rare:
compare a closely related Yongzheng yuhuchunping of deep
purple-blue tone, in Ethereal Elegance. Porcelain Vases of the
Imperial Qing: The Huaihaitang Collection, Art Museum, The
Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007, cat. no. 15; another,
also of Yongzheng mark and period, coated in a slightly more
common sacrificial-blue glaze, sold at Bonhams London, 6th
November 2014, lot 202; an unmarked 18th century black-
glazed example sold in our London rooms, 13th November
1972, lot 152 from the collection of Peter Boode; and a
closely related purple-glazed bottle vase of incised Qianlong
mark, preserved in the Fondation Baur, in John Ayers, The
Baur Collection. Chinese Ceramics. vol. 3: Monochrome-
Glazed Porcelains of the Ch’ing Dynasty, Geneva, 1972, pl.
A475. Compare also a smaller Kangxi period yuhuchunping
of closely related purple glaze from the collection of T.
Y. Chao included in Ching Porcelain from the Wah Kwong
Collection, Art Museum, Chinese University of Hong Kong,
Hong Kong, 1973, cat. no. 30, the likes of which may well
have inspired the present grand example.
$ 60,000-80,000

82 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N11744 83