YONGZHENG SIX-CHARACTER MARKS IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN DOUBLE SQUARES AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735)

The present pair of washers appears to be the only marked examples known in this form and decorative design. Compare to a pair of unmarked washers dated to 18th century, sold at Christie’s New York, 27 November 1991, lot 413, which are almost identical in design with the exception of a slightly different depiction of petals on the underside. This unusual form, resembling a cymbal, is more often found in blue and white during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods. Compare for example, a Yongzheng-marked blue and white washer painted with a double-vajra, illustrated in Jiangxi cangci quanji – Qingdai, vol. 1, p. 146, and a smaller pair (11.2 cm.) sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 April 2011, lot 3139; and a pair of Qianlong-marked dishes painted with dragons of comparable size from the Greenwald Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 December 2010, lot 2832.