An almost identical vase of this size, glaze and shape, is in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in Imperial Kiln Porcelain of Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 1998, no. 16. A similarly shaped, and Yongzheng-marked, vase of a sky-blue glaze is illustrated in Selected Porcelain of the Flourishing Qing Dynasty at the Palace Museum, Forbidden City Publishing House, no. 62. Another closely related example, sold at Sotheby's New York, 4 June 1984, lot 137, has thinner loop handles on a more sloping shoulder and a reddish flambé glaze.

Archaistic revival is evidenced two-fold on the present lot. The Yongzheng emperor was interested in various aspects of antiquity and sought to have them reproduced in ceramic form, challenging the potters at the official workshops to experiment with new techniques and styles. The shape of this vase, with its moulded flanges and high spreading foot, is clearly influenced by an archaic bronze vessel, while its distinctive glaze seeks to re-create the famous classical Jun wares of the Song period. The splashes and streaks characteristic of this glaze are described as yao bian, or 'transmutation glaze'.