A FINE CHINESE IMPERIAL TEADUST GLAZED BOTTLE VASE, BIQIPING SIX...

A FINE CHINESE IMPERIAL TEADUST GLAZED BOTTLE VASE, BIQIPING SIX CHARACTER QIANLONG MARK AND OF THE PERIOD 1736-95 The pear-shaped body surmounted by a tall cylindrical neck, decorated all over with a dark olive-coloured mottled glaze, all raised on a flared foot, the incised reign mark contained within a slightly recessed square covered with a brown wash, 33.4cm. Teadust glazes, also known as cha ye mo, are usually found on reign-marked Imperial items of specific shapes and they are generally associated with the reigns of the Yongzheng (r.1723-35) and Qianlong (r.1736-95) Emperors. There was great experimentation at the Imperial Kilns in Jingdezhen during the reigns of these two emperors as potters attempted to expand the range of glazes used on fine monochrome wares. The Yongzheng Emperor is known to have been enamoured with antiquity, and so at this time there was a conscious effort to recreate and refine visual effects present on earlier ceramic pieces. Eighteenth century teadust glazes were a reinvention of earlier dark brown iron oxide glazes, which had previously been used on pieces produced at kilns in northern China, including Yaozhou, during the Tang and early Song dynasties. Eighteenth century teadust glazes were first achieved under 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. Cf. R Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol.2, pp.256-257, no.936 for a comparable Qianlong mark and period vase; see also Sotheby's Hong Kong, 19th May 1987, lot 294 for another similar piece from the T Y Chao Collection; see also R Kerr, Chinese Ceramics: Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty 1644-1911, pp.47-48, no.25 for another related vase with a pale rim in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum; see also Christie's New York, 17th March 2017, lot 1245 and Sotheby's Hong Kong, 3rd October 2017, lot 3665 for further examples sold more recently at auction.