The present lot, with its integral celadon-glazed cylinder, appears to be the only recorded example of a rare survival of a sophisticated vessel for the scholar's table, dating from the finest period of Qing monochrome production. The only comparable small tripod vase of this shape appears to be the one without any fitment (or need for it?) in the neck, now in the Meiyingtang Collection, illustrated in the Catalogue, vol.II, no.853; this latter example has a Qianlong mark rather than Yongzheng. The shape is not one of the eight prescribed shapes for the scholar's desk, normally found under typical peachbloom glazes, and it is remarkable that this extremely fragile two-part vessel should have survived with the water-dropper element intact