A CHINESE RU-TYPE ARCHAISTIC VASE

YONGZHENG 1723-35

The bulbous body rising from a short flared foot to a tall cylindrical neck which terminates in a wide garlic-head mouth, with two applied handles formed as stylised chilong, all covered in a pale greyish-blue glaze, the base with the remains of an old paper label, 36.5cm.

Provenance: formerly a European private collection, acquired prior to 1990, and then sold at Christie's South Kensington on 11th November 2015, lot 525.

Cf. The British Museum, museum no.PDF,B.572 for a Yongzheng mark and period Ru-type zun vase decorated with a similar glaze; see also Asian Art I, 14th November 2017, lot 130 for another Ru-type archaistic vase from this period sold in these rooms.

The glaze on this vase is an interpretation of Ru ware, which is often considered as one of the most celebrated of all wares from the Song dynasty. Whilst imitation pieces with Ru glazes were produced for the Ming Imperial Court as early as the 15th century, the reproduction of this glaze on porcelain became significantly more popular in the Qing dynasty, first under the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor and then in the Qianlong period. The Yongzheng Emperor is known to have been enamoured with antiquity and he was especially fond of Song pieces with this glaze. It is possible that the revitalisation of Ru ware glazes during the Yongzheng period was achieved by Tang Ying (1682-1756), who is often regarded as one of the greatest supervisors of the Imperial Kilns and is renowned for his outstanding imitation of early pieces.