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Lot Essay
This exceptionally rare vase reflects the imperial kilns’ continuous engagement with material culture of the past, driven by the personal antiquarian taste of the emperor. Like his father, the Kangxi Emperor, and his son, the Qianlong Emperor, the Yongzheng Emperor was an avid connoisseur of antiquities, commissioning works in archaistic styles for use at court.
The present vase closely follows the form of an amphora and is covered in a teadust glaze, both originated from the Tang dynasty (AD 618–907). This synthesis of Tang-inspired form and glaze epitomises the refined aesthetic of guya (‘antique elegance’) for which Yongzheng porcelains are especially celebrated. Tang amphoras are characterised by well-defined silhouettes with broad shoulders tapering to a narrow foot and flat base. Their necks are tall and slender, often encircled by raised rings imitating bamboo nodes, with the dish-shaped mouth flanked by handles terminating in dragon heads biting the rim. Extant Tang prototypes were produced with monochrome glazes, most commonly white, though occasionally green or amber, or in the sancai palette. A white-glazed Tang example closely resembling the present lot, particularly in the bow-string bands around the neck, is in the Museum of History, Taipei, collection no. h0000072 (fig. 1).
During the 18th century, this archaistic amphora form was revived at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen under both the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors. As noted by John Ayers, an original Tang amphora vase was sent directly from the palace as a physical model to ensure faithful proportions. These 18th century interpretations were executed in porcelain and covered with monochrome glazes or underglaze blue.
Only seven Yongzheng-marked vases of this specific form appeared to be published. Among these, the only other example of teadust-glazed example is in the Idemitsu Museum, illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, 1987, no. 962. For other published Yongzheng examples in the Palace Museum, Beijing, see a blue and white vase decorated with lotus scrolls, and a sky blue-glazed amphora, both illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 176, pl. 5 and p.266, pl. 95 (fig. 2 and fig. 3). A further related celadon-glazed example was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 31 May 2017, lot 2888 (fig. 4).
The present vase closely follows the form of an amphora and is covered in a teadust glaze, both originated from the Tang dynasty (AD 618–907). This synthesis of Tang-inspired form and glaze epitomises the refined aesthetic of guya (‘antique elegance’) for which Yongzheng porcelains are especially celebrated. Tang amphoras are characterised by well-defined silhouettes with broad shoulders tapering to a narrow foot and flat base. Their necks are tall and slender, often encircled by raised rings imitating bamboo nodes, with the dish-shaped mouth flanked by handles terminating in dragon heads biting the rim. Extant Tang prototypes were produced with monochrome glazes, most commonly white, though occasionally green or amber, or in the sancai palette. A white-glazed Tang example closely resembling the present lot, particularly in the bow-string bands around the neck, is in the Museum of History, Taipei, collection no. h0000072 (fig. 1).
During the 18th century, this archaistic amphora form was revived at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen under both the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors. As noted by John Ayers, an original Tang amphora vase was sent directly from the palace as a physical model to ensure faithful proportions. These 18th century interpretations were executed in porcelain and covered with monochrome glazes or underglaze blue.
Only seven Yongzheng-marked vases of this specific form appeared to be published. Among these, the only other example of teadust-glazed example is in the Idemitsu Museum, illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, 1987, no. 962. For other published Yongzheng examples in the Palace Museum, Beijing, see a blue and white vase decorated with lotus scrolls, and a sky blue-glazed amphora, both illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 176, pl. 5 and p.266, pl. 95 (fig. 2 and fig. 3). A further related celadon-glazed example was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 31 May 2017, lot 2888 (fig. 4).