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The other distinguishing feature of our vessel is the treatment of the A smaller celadon-glazed example with the identical molded
handles. In all the published examples of the Imperial celadon-glazed decoration of coiling serpents found on our vase and bearing a
hu that carry the same coiling serpent dragon design, the handles Qianlong seal mark from the Stephen Winkworth Collection is
take a quite different dragon form, as can be seen in the Palace illustrated by Soame Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain, London, 1951,
Museum example cited above. However, the identical handles on pl. C, no. 2, and later sold at Christie’s, Hong Kong, The Imperial Sale,
ours, can be found on a number of Imperial vessels, including a blue 27 May 2008, lot 1590. Another also from the Winkworth Collection
and white hu of near identical size in the Palace Museum Collection, was sold at Christie’s, Hong Kong, ‘Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong -
illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), The Imperial Wares from the Robert Chang Collection, 2 November 1999,
Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, lot 504.
2010, p. 152, no. 138. (See fig. 2). They also appear on another
identically-sized Imperial ‘tea-dust’ or ‘Changguan’ monochrome For another Imperial porcelain vessel that follows an archaic bronze
hu, illustrated in Monochrome Porcelain, The Complete Collection gu form, and that also uses ‘robin’s-egg’ glaze in combination with gilt
of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 270, no. to imitate bronze patination, see Sotheby Parke Bernet, 21-22 May
247. Like ours, it has an impressed Qianlong six-character seal mark. 1984, Hong Kong, lot 175.
Interestingly on both these vessels the design is not the coiling serpent
dragon design found on ours, but rather a quartered strapwork design
that also imitates a Western Zhou bronze vessel. This same strapwork
design appears on third celadon-glazed hu, sold at Sotheby’s, Hong
Kong, 11/12 May 1983, lot 123, which has the same handles that
appear on our vessel.

Fig. 2

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