YONGZHENG SEAL MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735)

Fruit-form ceramic vessels have a long history in China dating back to the Tang period, and remained popular through Qing dynasty. Vessels of melon form were particularly auspicious. Melons, with their numerous seeds, form the rebus gua die mian mian, 'may you have everlasting generations of sons and grandsons.' The subtly lobed form of the present vase was produced in the Yongzheng period with three known glazes. A similar vase with a celadon glaze is in the Palace Museum, Beijing (gu 00151933), along with an example featuring a turquoise glaze and another with a ‘crab-shell’ glaze, both illustrated in Monochrome Porcelain, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum (Beijing), Hong Kong, 1999, p. 166, no. 150, and pp. 276-77, no. 253, respectively. Another example with 'crab-shell' glaze was sold at Christie's Paris, 13 June 2023, lot 132. (Fig. 1)