YONGZHENG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735)

The Yongzheng Emperor was renowned for his refined aesthetic sensibility and deep personal involvement in the design and production of imperial porcelain. Among the motifs that resonated with his cultivated taste, the chrysanthemum held particular significance. The Yongzheng Emperor is recorded as having commissioned Nian Xiyao, supervisor of the Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen, to produce chrysanthemum-shaped dishes in twelve colours, with fourty pieces made in each colour. A complete set is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasure of the Palace Museum, Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pp. 282-283, no. 257.

Other Yongzheng-marked celadon-glazed vessels modelled after chrysanthemums include a deep bowl sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, The Meiyintang Collection, Part V - An Important Selection of Imperial Chinese Porcelains, 8 April 2003, lot 5; and another sold at Christie’s Hong Kong 26 April 2004, lot 943.