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

Large monochrome vases like the present example were made as part of decorative furnishings for the Palace during the Qing dynasty. With its large globular body, the form of the present vase was one of the most popular forms and can be found in various colours and sizes. The rich cobalt-blue glaze of the present vase is sometimes referred to as ‘sacrificial blue’, deriving from the use of vessels bearing this coloured glaze during sacrifices at the Imperial Temple of Heaven. In 1369, the first Ming dynasty emperor Hongwu issued an edict declaring that the vessels used on the Imperial altars should henceforth be made of porcelain. During Jiajing period, each temple was then associated with a specific colour of porcelain- in addition to blue being used in the Temple of Heaven, red was used in the Temple of the Sun, yellow in the Temple of Earth, and white in the Temple of the Moon.

Compare to a vase of similar size with this cobalt blue glaze with Qianlong mark in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, collection number zhongci000420N (fig. 1). A slightly taller example is at the Nanjing Museum (62.3 cm.), included in the exhibition catalogue Qing Imperial Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1995, no. 66. Another example was exhibited at Hong Kong Museum of Art, illustrated in The Wonders of the Potter's Palette, 1984, no. 85.

Further compare to a similar-sized tianqiuping with Qianlong mark, sold at Christie’s New York, 3 December 1992, lot 310, and later again at Christie’s Hong Kong, 3 June 2015, lot 3110.