Page 44 - March 17, 2020 Impotant Chinese Art, Sotheby's, New York

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PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE COLLECTION In the Qianlong period, tianqiuping could be decorated
A LARGE DARK-BLUE-GLAZED VASE, in underglaze blue patterns with or without the addition
TIANQIUPING of polychrome overglaze enamels, fully painted in the
famille-rose palette, or monochrome-glazed with Guan-
QIANLONG SEAL MARK AND PERIOD type, Ge-type, ‘clair-de-lune’, or cobalt-blue glaze. The
present vase is evenly covered with thick dark cobalt-blue
the robustly potted globular body rising to a tall broad glaze. Compare a taller example in the collection of the
cylindrical neck, covered overall with a dark-blue glaze
thinning slightly at the rim and stopping neatly above the Nanjing Museum, included in the exhibition Qing Imperial
Porcelain of Kangxi Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns,
foot, the interior and base glazed white, the base with a six- Nanjing Museum and Art Gallery of the Chinese University
character seal mark in underglaze blue of Hong Kong, 1995, cat. no. 66. Another related example
Height 20 in., 50.8 cm
in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (accession no. 中-
瓷-001180-N000000000), is published in their online
PROVENANCE
Christie’s New York, 18th September 1997, lot 377. collection database.
Christie’s New York, 18th September 2003, lot 352. See also an example sold in these rooms, 19th November
1982, lot 261; and three further examples of slightly taller
The present vase is impressive for its magnificent size size, one sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 22nd May 1985, lot
and eye-catching dark-blue glaze. The term tianqiuping, 232; one sold at Christie’s London, 21st April 1984, lot 318;
sometimes translated as ‘celestial sphere vase’, derives and one sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th May 2006, lot
from the vase’s form, which is characterized by a generously 1368.
proportioned globular body surmounted by a tall cylindrical
neck. Tianqiuping gained prominence during the Qianlong $ 150,000-250,000
period (1735-1796) of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). They
were produced in different sizes, with heights ranging from
approximately 50 cm to 60 cm. The taller versions often 清乾隆 藍釉天球瓶
exhibit a slightly elongated neck and sloping shoulder, which 《大清乾隆年製》款
lifts the focal point of the body and gives an impression
of relative lightness. The present vase, by contrast, is 來源
a handsome example of the shorter, bolder body type,
featuring a broad neck and lower center of gravity which 紐約佳士得1997年9月18日，編號377
enhance the vase’s sense of volume and commanding 紐約佳士得2003年9月18日，編號352
presence.

84 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N10644 85