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Lot Essay
The present vase is distinguished by its harmonious form, with a flared trumpet mouth and a band of chrysanthemum petals encircling the base, covered in a copper glaze known as ‘peachbloom’, also known by a variety of names in Chinese, including pingguo hong (apple red), jiangdou hong (bean red), and meiren zui (drunken beauty).
A technical achievement of the Kangxi reign, the peachbloom glaze is celebrated for its aesthetic subtlety and complexity of its production. Both the characteristic soft pinkish-red of the glaze, and the areas of clear green that appear predominantly below the mouth rim on the current vase, are both derived from copper. Firing in a reducing atmosphere creates the red colour, while re-oxidation creates the green. This glaze had to be applied very precisely and fired with great care. Research suggests that a copper-lime pigment was applied between two layers of colourless glaze. The copper-lime pigment was applied by blowing through a bamboo tube with fine silk gauze over the end, to achieve an effect similar to modern spraying techniques. This allowed the thickness of the copper-lime layer to be adjusted so that some areas would be thicker than others. In those thicker areas there was additional flux, which thinned the upper glaze layer and allowed the copper to re-oxidise and produce clear green. In contrast, areas with a thinner application saw much of the copper dissolve into the glaze, producing a rich, translucent pinkish-red, while any undissolved pigment particles contributed a slight opacity and a smooth surface texture. This intricate process resulted in one of the most highly esteemed glazes of the Qing imperial kilns.
Owing to its technical demands and the time required for production, peachbloom glaze was reserved for a limited number of small vessel forms, all intended for use on a scholar’s table. These have traditionally been known as the ba da ma (Eight Great Numbers), comprising four elegant vase forms- the liuye zun (willow-leaf vase), the panlong zun (coiled dragon vase), the laifu zun (see an example that is formerly in the Au Bak Ling collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 October 2025, lot 926 (fig. 1), and the present juban ping- together with three water pots and a seal-paste box. However, there are in fact four water pot forms, bringing the total to nine, rather than eight. This numerical distinction may be significant, for while eight was traditionally regarded as a lucky number, nine is the imperial number. This has led some scholars to suggest that these peachbloom vessels were specifically commissioned by the Kangxi Emperor as gifts for favoured members of the court.
The chrysanthemums motif decorating the present vase has been greatly admired, especially by Chinese scholars, for centuries. Valued for its use in wine, tea, and medicine, and with dried petals placed in pillows for their fragrance and cooling properties, the chrysanthemum’s association with men of strength, integrity and nobility makes it an eminently suitable decoration for objects destined for the scholar’s desk.
Comparable examples can be found in several major museum collections. These include one in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Catalogue of a Special Exhibition of Ch’ing-Dynasty Monochrome Porcelains in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1981, p. 39, no. 2 (fig. 2); another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Monochrome Porcelain, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, vol. 37, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 21, no. 18 (fig. 3); and a further example in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Shanghai and Hong Kong, 1998, pp. 316-7, no. 204. Another similar vase formerly in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, was later sold at Christie’s New York, 15 September 2016, lot 913 (fig. 4). Compare further to another example, previously in the collection of Alan Chuang, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 April 2023, lot 55.
A technical achievement of the Kangxi reign, the peachbloom glaze is celebrated for its aesthetic subtlety and complexity of its production. Both the characteristic soft pinkish-red of the glaze, and the areas of clear green that appear predominantly below the mouth rim on the current vase, are both derived from copper. Firing in a reducing atmosphere creates the red colour, while re-oxidation creates the green. This glaze had to be applied very precisely and fired with great care. Research suggests that a copper-lime pigment was applied between two layers of colourless glaze. The copper-lime pigment was applied by blowing through a bamboo tube with fine silk gauze over the end, to achieve an effect similar to modern spraying techniques. This allowed the thickness of the copper-lime layer to be adjusted so that some areas would be thicker than others. In those thicker areas there was additional flux, which thinned the upper glaze layer and allowed the copper to re-oxidise and produce clear green. In contrast, areas with a thinner application saw much of the copper dissolve into the glaze, producing a rich, translucent pinkish-red, while any undissolved pigment particles contributed a slight opacity and a smooth surface texture. This intricate process resulted in one of the most highly esteemed glazes of the Qing imperial kilns.
Owing to its technical demands and the time required for production, peachbloom glaze was reserved for a limited number of small vessel forms, all intended for use on a scholar’s table. These have traditionally been known as the ba da ma (Eight Great Numbers), comprising four elegant vase forms- the liuye zun (willow-leaf vase), the panlong zun (coiled dragon vase), the laifu zun (see an example that is formerly in the Au Bak Ling collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 October 2025, lot 926 (fig. 1), and the present juban ping- together with three water pots and a seal-paste box. However, there are in fact four water pot forms, bringing the total to nine, rather than eight. This numerical distinction may be significant, for while eight was traditionally regarded as a lucky number, nine is the imperial number. This has led some scholars to suggest that these peachbloom vessels were specifically commissioned by the Kangxi Emperor as gifts for favoured members of the court.
The chrysanthemums motif decorating the present vase has been greatly admired, especially by Chinese scholars, for centuries. Valued for its use in wine, tea, and medicine, and with dried petals placed in pillows for their fragrance and cooling properties, the chrysanthemum’s association with men of strength, integrity and nobility makes it an eminently suitable decoration for objects destined for the scholar’s desk.
Comparable examples can be found in several major museum collections. These include one in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Catalogue of a Special Exhibition of Ch’ing-Dynasty Monochrome Porcelains in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1981, p. 39, no. 2 (fig. 2); another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Monochrome Porcelain, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, vol. 37, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 21, no. 18 (fig. 3); and a further example in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Shanghai and Hong Kong, 1998, pp. 316-7, no. 204. Another similar vase formerly in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, was later sold at Christie’s New York, 15 September 2016, lot 913 (fig. 4). Compare further to another example, previously in the collection of Alan Chuang, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 April 2023, lot 55.