delicately potted with deep rounded sides rising from a short straight foot to a gently everted rim, the exterior covered with a vibrant mottled ruby-pink enamel, the interior and base left white, the latter inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double circle.

Note: In its clean form and vibrant hue, the present cup exemplifies the Yongzheng Emperor’s incessant pursuit of refined beauty in simple forms.

The pink enamel was probably first introduced in China from Europe through Jesuit missionaries during the Kangxi period (see Nigel Wood, Chinese Glazes, Hong Kong, 1999, pp. 241-243). Numerous scientific experiments were conducted, resulting in an improved recipe of a matte ruby-pink enamel derived from colloidal gold combined with an admixture of opaque white lead arsenate. With the achievements of these technological advancement, an array of small refined vessels characterised by fine potting and perfectly fired enamels of bright hues were commissioned during the Yongzheng reign, and the present bowl is undoubtedly an example of such.

A Yongzheng cup of this form and enamel colour was included in the exhibition Zhongguo ming tao Riben xunhui zhan [Exhibition of famous Chinese ceramics touring Japan], National Museum of History, Taipei, 1993, p. 177. Compare another closely related example sold twice in these rooms, first, 31st October 1995, lot 415, and again 29th October 2001, lot 577.

Other related variants of ruby-pink cups include a slightly larger one, offered in this sale, lot 3109; and a group of slightly different shape, occasionally accompanied by anhua decoration, such as one from the Meiyintang Collection, sold in these rooms, 7th April 2011, lot 31.

Sotheby's. Qing Imperial Porcelain A Private Collection, Hong Kong, 08 Oct 2019, 10:00 AM

with a bulbous body rising from a short splayed foot to the waisted neck and flared mouth, the upper shoulder bordered with three loop handles, the lower body with two raised fillets, above a crisply moulded band of overlapping lotus petals, covered overall save for the unglazed footring with an even bluish-green glaze, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character seal mark.

Note: Of all the monochrome porcelains created under the highly exacting standards of supervision at the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen in the Yongzheng period, celadon-glazed wares are among the most exquisite. The present piece is particularly elegant and well-balanced in its shape and brilliant in its glaze. Porcelain wares made under the supervision of Nian Xiyao and Tang Ying, superintendents at Jingdezhen during the Yongzheng reign, were designed according to the Emperor's personal taste and requirements. This piece reflects the Yongzheng Emperor's interest in simplicity of shape and design and perfection of quality.

It is extremely rare to find a piece of this pleasing shape, although one companion piece is in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain. Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 131. Compare also a vase of identical form and decoration, slightly smaller than the current example and with a more bluish-green glaze, illustrated in James Spencer (comp.), Selected Chinese Ceramics from Han to Qing Dynasties, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1990, cat. no. 131, and Sotheby's Hong Kong – Twenty  Years, 1973-1993, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 319, originally sold in these rooms, 21st May 1979, lot 120, and more recently 2nd May 2005, lot 514.

Sotheby's. Qing Imperial Porcelain A Private Collection, Hong Kong, 08 Oct 2019, 10:00 AM

superbly potted with deep rounded sides rising from a short straight foot to a gently everted rim, the exterior evenly covered with a pale lime-green enamel, the interior and base left white, the latter inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double circle.

Provenance: Collection of Cheung Ling, Hong Kong.

Note: The current cup, with its vibrant lime-green enamel covering the exterior of its delicate porcelain body, is an exceptionally rare paradigm of the Yongzheng Emperor's pursuit of innovation and the influence of Jesuit technology. Despite having an abundant supply of lead-antimonate in China, it was not until the Jesuit missionaries had a direct influence on the manufacture of arts and crafts that Chinese potters started adding copper to lead-antimonate to produce the lime-green enamel seen on the current cup.

In addition to lime-green being among the rarest enamels used in the Yongzheng reign, the evenness of the enamel is also particularly noteworthy. The lime-green enamel would have required a second firing at a lower temperature and it is difficult to achieve a satisfactory result as seen on the current cup. See two lime-green examples in Taipei, one published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, Republic of China: K'ang-hsi Ware and Yung-cheng Ware, Tokyo, 1980, pl. 153; and the other included in the exhibition Qingdai danse you ciqi tezhan [Special exhibition of monochrome glazed porcelain of the Qing dynasty], Taipei, 1981, pl. 44. See also a similar pair included in the exhibition Shimmering Colours. Monochromes of the Yuan to Qing Period: The Zhuyuetang Collection, Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2005, cat. no. 113.

Related examples with reign marks inscribed within double squares include a pair sold in these rooms, 7th April 2011, lot 30, from the Meiyintang collection; and a single cup also sold in these rooms, 15th November 1988, lot 68, from the collection of Paul and Helen Bernat. Compare also a lime-green enamelled cup, with a more hemispherical form, offered in this sale, lot 3116.

Sotheby's. Qing Imperial Porcelain A Private Collection, Hong Kong, 08 Oct 2019, 10:00 AM

with deep rounded sides resting on a short foot, the exterior covered in a rich ruby-red enamel, the interior and base left white, the latter inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double circle.

Provenance: Collection of Cheung Ling, Hong Kong.

Note: The current cup, with its charming proportions and vibrant ruby-red enamel, is an archtypcal realisation of the Yongzheng Emperor’s aesthetic for understated refinement and the technical developments in ceramic production in the 18th century.

By virtue of the influence of Jesuit technology, pink enamel of this type was developed in China in the final years of the Kangxi period but very few Kangxi examples are known. It was not until the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods that the low-fired ruby-red enamel – which came in varying shades pink – became a more prominent feature in the repertoire of Chinese ceramics. In fact, Tang Ying (1682-1756), Superintendent of the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen, referred to such vessels as “Western red-glazed wares” in Taocheng jishi bei ji [Commemorative Stele on Ceramic Production].

Deceptively simple, the manufacture of such monochrome cups demanded the highest level of skill and meticulous precision, from not only the potting and firing but also the application of the enamel, which entailed blowing carefully through a silk gauze-covered bamboo tube on the biscuit to achieve the lightly speckled yet even effect seen on the current cup.

See a similar cup, illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, pl. 132; another related example, with the reign mark inscribed within a single circle, from the Avery Brundage Collection and now preserved in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, published on the Museum’s website, no. B60P2365; and a pair published in The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1991, pl. 126.

See also a smaller ruby-pink enamelled cup also offered in this sale, lot 3102.

Sotheby's. Qing Imperial Porcelain A Private Collection, Hong Kong, 08 Oct 2019, 10:00 AM

sturdily potted with a compressed globular body surmounted by a tall tubular neck, all supported on a splayed foot, covered overall evenly save for the unglazed footring with an attractive bluish-green glaze, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character seal mark.

Note: This large and exquisitely glazed vase is an archetypal example of Yongzheng (r. 1723-1735) monochrome porcelain in its gracefulness and refinement of form. Under the Emperor’s keen eye, which was steeped in a thorough knowledge of the antiquities in the imperial collection, a profusion of new shapes and colour emerged which was only possible through the great technical advances that were achieved by his reign.

The subtle glaze has been created in imitation of Longquan celadon of the Song period (960-1279) and reflects the Qing emperors’ penchant for these early wares, which they not only collected but also commissioned the imperial kilns to recreate or imitate. The delicate, almost watery tone of celadon was a Kangxi innovation which was produced by lessening the amount of iron typically found in Song dynasty Longquan celadons. The glaze was further modified during the Yongzheng period.

The form itself is inspired by a Song prototype, such as the Longquan bottle vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (II), Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 99.  

The form is more frequently found on monochrome vases produced during the Qianlong period, and it is rare to find a Yongzheng example. For a Qianlong example of this form, see the ‘guan’-type bottle vase from the collection of Stephen Junkunc III, sold in our New York rooms, 12th September 2018, lot 115.

Sotheby's. Qing Imperial Porcelain A Private Collection, Hong Kong, 08 Oct 2019, 10:00 AM

well potted with deep rounded sides rising from a short straight foot to a gently flared rim, the exterior crisply moulded with a central band formed of interlocking undulating scrollwork accentuated with ruyi ends, applied overall save for the base with a pale celadon gently thinning on the raised motifs, the white base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double circle.

Note: Remarkable for its fine potting, impeccable tactile glaze and elegant moulded decoration, the present bowl epitomises the delicacy and precision of monochrome porcelains achieved by the imperial kilns during the Yongzheng period.

Continuing from the innovations during the Kangxi reign, the Yongzheng Emperor further improved the recipe of revival celadon-type glazes inspired by earlier Longquan celadon wares. By lowering the iron content in these glazes, a range of more sophisticated and finely textured celadon glazes became available. These delicate mineral compositions were then applied to fine white porcelains made in Jingdezhen, resulting in a more translucent, almost watery representation of the glaze. Moreover, as evident on the present bowl, the intricacy of the glaze is further enhanced by its combination with moulded or carved decorations in relief, where there are subtle variations in tonal texture as the glaze pools in the recessed areas.

Although Yongzheng celadon-glazed bowls with moulded or carved decoration are known, examples of relatively smaller size as the present bowl are rare. Moreover, they appear to be less formulated than their larger counterparts, as a range of different decorative repertoire can be found. A near identical bowl with the same design was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 20th March 1990, lot 727. Compare also a bowl of similar size moulded with a floral scroll, from the Meiyintang Collection, sold in these rooms, 7th April 2011, lot 23; and another decorated with bats sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29th November 2017, lot 2802.

Sotheby's. Qing Imperial Porcelain A Private Collection, Hong Kong, 08 Oct 2019, 10:00 AM

with a pear-shaped body supported on a spreading foot and tapering to a tall slender neck with a garlic-head mouth and thin lip, covered evenly overall save for the footring with an even pale sky-blue glaze, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character seal mark.

Note: Sophisticated in its simplicity and understated elegance, this vase typifies Yongzheng (1723-35) imperial porcelain at its best. The luminous Ru-type glaze and the graceful, unassuming shape with its minimalist decoration are an ideal match, and yet this association appears to be extremely rare.

During the short reign of the Yongzheng Emperor, Qing imperial wares reached their apogee attaining an exquisite finesse, rarely found in those of later periods. The Emperor was fascinated with antiquity and is known to have sent numerous pieces of different ancient ceramic styles to the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen so that craftsmen could use them as examples in the creation of new pieces. Song dynasty (960-1279) wares were one of the Emperor’s favourites, particularly Ru, the most celebrated of all.

The present vase is a quintessential example of one of those new pieces created under the guidance of the brilliant kiln supervisor Tang Ying (1682-1756). In shape, it copies Song dynasty vases produced at the Longquan kilns in Zhejiang province, which in their turn had been modelled after archaic bronze wine vessels of the late Eastern Zhou period (770-256 BC) known as hu. A Longquan model for the current piece would have been a vase from the Qing court collection, equally designed with a high foot and elegantly sloping shoulders, illustrated in Longquan yao/ Porcelain of the National Palace Museum. Lung Ch’uan Ware of the Sung Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1962, pl. 10.  

Although the simple shape of ‘garlic-head’ vases, or suantouping, combines well with monochrome glazes, as the current lot so perfectly demonstrates, pieces of this type bearing a Yongzheng reign mark appear to be extremely rare. Only one other Ru-type glazed vessel appears to be published, of similar size, but with a moulded chrysanthemum petal design, included in the exhibition Ji xia qing shang/ Ethereal Elegance, Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2007, cat. no. 22, from the Huaihaitang collection.

Suantouping of this reign seem to be mostly decorated with contemporary invented polychrome glazes, compare, for example, a robin's egg piece from the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch’ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum. K’ang-hsi Ware and Yung-chêng Ware, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1980, no. 146; and a robin’s-egg blue vessel from the collection of J. M. Hu, included in the exhibition Zande Lou Qingdai guanyao danseyou ciqi/Qing Imperial Monochromes. The Zande Lou Collection, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2005, cat. no. 20.

Or, they were embellished with other glazes achieved involuntarily in an imitation process, such as two vases with a speckled glaze reminiscent of lazurite, from the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2006, cat. no. 179; and illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji/The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics vol. 14: Qing, part 1, Shanghai, 1999, no. 205.

Ru-type suantouping are better known from the succeeding Qianlong reign (1736-1795), compare, for example, a closely related vase illustrated in Sekai tōji zenshū/Catalogue of World’s Ceramics, vol.12 China: Ch’ing Dynasty and Annamese and Thai Ceramics, Tokyo, 1956, pl. 93; and another piece of somewhat less balanced proportions and of smaller size, from the Qing Court collection, illustrated in Gugong Bowuyuan cang wenwu zhenpin quanji. Danse you/The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 215. Other related examples have been sold in these rooms, 29th November 1979, lot 294; 10th April 2006, lot 1610; and 8th October 2008, lot 2512, from a Japanese private collection.

Sotheby's. Qing Imperial Porcelain A Private Collection, Hong Kong, 08 Oct 2019, 10:00 AM

with delicately potted rounded sides supported on a short foot, the exterior superbly covered in a lime-green enamel, the interior and base left white, the latter inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a circle.

Note: Lime-green is among the rarest enamel colours used in the Yongzheng period and monochrome vessels of this type, deceptively simple in form and colour, represent one of the most technically challenging porcelains to be produced as it required the utmost precision in every stage of their production.

Sotheby's. Qing Imperial Porcelain A Private Collection, Hong Kong, 08 Oct 2019, 10:00 AM

the delicate shallow rounded sides exquisitely moulded in the form of slender fluted petals with pointed tips radiating from a slightly recessed flat centre simulating a chrysanthemum bloom, all supported on a foot of corresponding form, covered overall save for the footring and base with an even opaque white glaze, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double circle.

Provenance: Collection of K.W. Woollcombe-Boyce.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 24th May 1978, lot 185

Note: The form of the chrysanthemum dish was most probably inspired by earlier chrysanthemum-shaped wares, which were produced in a variety of different materials from as early as the Song dynasty. See a lacquer example attributed to the Song dynasty, included in the exhibition The Monochrome Principle. Lacquerware and Ceramics of the Song and Qing Dynasties, Museum für Lackkunst, Münster, 2008, cat. no. 13, together with a moulded Ding chrysanthemum dish, cat. no. 14.

the skilfully potted body gently broadening to a full rounded shoulder and surmounted by a short neck, the exterior applied with a rich copper-red glaze, the white base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double circle.

Note: This charming small vase testifies the Yongzheng Emperor’s penchant for unassuming vessels that were technically challenging to produce. Its delightful form, with gently swollen shoulder and small mouth, is covered in a rich and vivid red glaze derived from copper. Notoriously difficult to control in the kiln, copper red was largely abandoned in the late 15th century and its use revived only in the early Qing dynasty. The French Jesuit missionary, Pére D’Entrecolles (1664-1741), who resided in China during the Kangxi reign (r. 1662-1722), described in detail in a letter from 1712 the manufacturing process of copper-red wares, confirming the high level of technical expertise of the potters at Jingdezhen (Nigel Wood, Chinese Glazes, London, 1999, p. 180). 

Yongzheng mark and period meiping covered in this striking glaze and of such small proportions are rare. A slightly larger meiping was sold twice in these rooms, 8th April 2007, lot 710, and 5th October 2011, lot 1995. Compare also a meiping of similar small size but lacking the reign mark, sold in these rooms, 16th November 1988, lot 299.

the ovoid body potted with curved sides rising to broad shoulders sweeping up to a short constricted neck, the small cylindrical cover with a flat top and rounded sides, covered overall evenly save for the unglazed footring of the vessel and the rim of the cover in an attractive pale celadon glaze, the countersunk base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double circle.

Provenance: Probably Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 28th November 1978, lot 187.

Note: Covered in an attractive celadon glaze, the graceful form of this piece represents an archetypal design of the Yongzheng period. Small jars of this shape were used to store tea leaves and are known either with a cylindrical lid that gracefully concealed their short neck and mouth, or with a domed cover.

A closely related jar, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in the catalogue to the museum’s exhibition The Far-Reaching Fragrance of Tea. The Art and Culture of Tea in Asia, Taipei, 2015, p. 143, fig. 2; a pair was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 20th March 1990, lot 610; two jars lacking the cover were sold in these rooms, the first from the Goldschmidt collection, 13th November 1990, lot 59, and the second, 23rd October 2005, lot 369; and another was sold in our London rooms, 1st/2nd April 1974, lot 267.

Jars of this form are also known painted in underglaze blue, such as two in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included ibid., p. 143, pls 1 and 3.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite, Hong Kong, 07 Oct 2019, 02:30 PM