QIANLONG SIX-CHARACTER IMPRESSED MARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

This unusual yellowish-green glaze belongs to the tea-dust glaze group and was first produced during Yongzheng period under the supervision of Tang Ying (1682-1756). In his famous Taocheng jishi bei ji (Commemorative stele on ceramic production), three types were specified based on the various shades - eel-skin yellow, snake-skin green, and spotted yellow. These are all opaque crystalline glazes, where their unique appearance is dependent on the firing environment, and were all prized highly at the Qing court.

Compare to a Qianlong mark and period ‘eel-skin’-glazed bottle vase of slightly different shape and smaller in size, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, lot 2314 (fig. 1).