QIANLONG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

The form of the present vase is based on the bronze ritual wine vessels known as gu from the Shang and Zhou periods. The form enjoyed further popularity as the inspiration for Song-dynasty imperial wares, including ceramics covered with Guan and Ge glazes, notable for their pale greyish-blue color and distinctive crackle, often finished on the foot with a brown dressing. The present vase reflects this rich history, in its conscious imitation of earlier forms and glazes. The Qianlong Emperor was particularly interested in antiquities and reviving the traditions of the past: by these means he intended both to consolidate the position of the Manchu-born Qing dynasty within the long history of China, and to restore what he regarded as the superior moral rectitude of ancient times.

Compare a pair of slightly smaller (17.2 cm. high) flanged gu-shaped vases with Ru-type glaze illustrated in Qing Imperial Monochromes – The Zande Lou Collection, Shenzhen, 2005, no. 26, where the author notes that according to records, Tang Ying was ordered by the Qianlong Emperor to fire some flanged gu vases, with drawings prepared by draftsmen in the Imperial Household Workshops. See, also, a further example with Guan-type glaze and slightly less pronounced flanges, illustrated ibid., no. 36.