A flambe glazed Hu vase, Qing dynasty with Qianlong mark.
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Of rectangular section, moulded on the side with a peach formed panel, two square tubular handles. Covered in a rich red transmutation glaze streaked with mottled sky-blue, thinning to a light beige and pale celadon at the mouth rim, all running down to a neatly ground footrim, the base and inside footrim with an ochre glaze over the incised mark. Height 29.5 cm.
Crazing to glaze, chips by the polished footrim.
Provenance
From the Collection of Dentist Gunnar Nygren (b. 1912), Gothenburg, thence by descent.
Exhibitions
Compare also a similar flambé-glazed vase, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 9 October 2012, lot 3043.
Literature
A number of examples of this type of vase are in museum and private collections: one in the British Museum is illustrated by R.L.Hobson, Chinese Pottery and Porcelain, Vol.II, Ming and Ch'ing Porcelain, London, 1915, pl,.23, fig.1, and another in the Shandong Museum is illustrated by Ma Xigui (ed.), Beauty of Ceramics: Gems of the Official Kilns, Shandong, no.146. A very similar vase in the Huaihaitang Collection is illustrated by P.Lam, Ethereal Elegance: Porcelain Vases of the Imperial Qing: The Huaihaitang Collection, Hong Kong, 2007, no.78, and another in the Tsui Museum of Art is illustrated by Yang Boda, The Tsui Museum of Art: Chinese Ceramics IV: Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1995, no.47.
More information
The inspiration for the flambé glaze can be traced back to the splashed Jun wares of the Song Dynasty. However this particular red glaze, derived from copper but also containing lead, was exceptionally unstable and difficult to control in the kiln, resulting in the highest failure rate of all Chinese glazes. It was not until an extraordinary technical mastery was developed during the Qing period, and the Qianlong reign in particular, that successful flambé-glazed porcelain could be produced, highlighting the exceptional quality and rarity of the present lot. The unusual shape of the hu vase, with its corners, handles and low-raised boss on each side, presented additional possibilities for streaking and pooling for the craftsman to explore.