Page 181 - Christie's Important Chinese Art Nov 3 2020 London

PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN
155
A LANGYAO VASE, GUANYINZUN
18TH CENTURY
The elegantly shaped vase is covered to the body and the foot
with a crackled strawberry-red glaze that pales to a greyish-white
tone to the neck and the mouth rim. The interior of the neck and
the base is covered in a pale greenish-white glaze.
16 1/2 in. (42 cm.) high
£30,000-50,000 US$39,000-64,000
€33,000-55,000
The term langyao, ‘lang wares’, derives its name from Lang
Tingji, director of the official kilns at Jingdezhen between
1705-1712, who is credited with the revival of monochrome
glazes and particularly copper-red glazes. The copper-red color
is often considered the most challenging to regulate during
the firing process as exactly the right conditions are required
within the kiln to achieve the rich tones demonstrated by the
present lot. Although copper-red was used successfully in the
Ming dynasty, particularly in the Xuande period, the copper-red
monochrome glazes seen in the Qing dynasty became even
more refined and were of an exceptionally even and vibrant tone.
The fine glaze and elegant form of the present vase exemplifies
the skill of the Chinese potters under Lang Tingji.
The shape of the current vase, which is sometimes referred to
as a ‘Guanyin vase’, is characteristic of lang wares. Compare
two langyao vases of similar shape, one in the collection of the
Palace Museum, Beijing (illustrated in The Complete Collection
of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 37- Monochrome Porcelain,
Hong Kong, 1999, p. 18, no. 15), and another in the collection of
the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Catalogue of
A Special Exhibition of Ch’ing Dynasty Monochrome Porcelains
in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1981, p. 35, no. 1.

私人珍藏
清十八世紀 郎窑紅釉觀音尊

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