DAOGUANG INCISED SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1821-1850)

Teadust glaze was used as early as the Tang dynasty on ewers and small cups produced at the Yaozhou kilns. However, it was not until the early 18th century, during the reign of the Yongzheng emperor, that the glaze was used on a wide scale. Because of the matte texture and subdued colour of the teadust glaze, it was favoured for use on ceramic vessels whose shapes were based on bronze prototypes. However, there are a few earlier examples of basin form in teadust glaze, exemplified by a Yongzheng-marked basin (32.5 cm. diam.) in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Catalogue of a Special Exhibition of Qing Monochromes, Taipei, 1982, pl. 26.