23 cm. （9 in.） high

Provenance：_x000D_
Formerly in an English private collection_x000D_
Sotheby’s London， 16 June 1999， lot 797 （sold for GBP 287，500）_x000D_
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Magnificently-potted in compressed globular form and decorated with a profusion of floral blossoms including lotus， chrysanthemum， peony， gardenia， camellia lily， pomegranate and rose， all borne on scrolling stems with curled leaves between rising leaf lappets at the foot and a collar of pendent spearheads at the shoulders， the waisted neck decorated with two bands of stylised flowerheads rising to a pronounced garlic bulb-shaped mouth further decorated with floral sprays beneath a band of keyfret scrolls at the incurved rim， flanked by a pair of elegant handles in the form of ruyi-head sceptres， all delicately painted in rich cobalt blue of the Ming-style， the base with a six-character kaishu Imperial mark in underglaze blue._x000D_
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An Imperial Object that Satisfies the Heart’s Desires_x000D_
A FINE AND EXTREMELY RARE BLUE AND WHITE DOUBLE-GOURD VASE， RUYIPING_x000D_
By Mr. Huang Qinghua， Founder of Tang Ying Society and A Member of Oriental Ceramics Society， London_x000D_
There are extensive innovations evident on various categories of Chinese porcelain during the reign of the Yonzheng emperor， however those that stand the test of time and remain in existence until this day are considered extremely scarce. The ruyiping， or ruyizun， as the scholars refered to in the old days， was an artistic innovation during the Tang Ying adminstration. According to the publication ‘Yinluizhai Shuo Ci’ by Xu Zhiheng， the author describes the vessel as “ruyiping， standing tall approximately six to seven inches high， surmounted on a wide lower body rising steeply to a short waisted neck， ending in a flared mouth； often produced in blue and white during the early Qing dynasty， but can also be found in elegant plain white glaze or with anhua decoration.”_x000D_
The present lot is without a doubt， is one of the most excellent examples of its type； the skillful workmanship is an absolute pleasant sight for the viewer. Painted beautifully in rich cobalt blue in the style of the Ming dynasty Xuande period， the artist showcases the finesse of his execution by using fluid brushstrokes to depict the elegant floral decorations on the jade-like lustrous porcelain body. Complimented by a pair of beautiful curved handles on the side， the vase is visually stunning in its boldness， yet retaining a sophisticated flair. The base is further inscribed with a strict and formally written six-character “da Qing Yongzheng nianzhi’ kaishu Imperial seal mark of the period._x000D_
The current lot is a prime example representing the epitome of 18th century production under Tang Ying’s supervision. Tang Ying （1682-1756）， was the superintendent of the Imperial porcelain kilns in Jingdezhen in which he remained in position serving both Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors. What is interesting to note is the striking and notable aspect of this vessel is its pair of ruyi-form handles. To produce such elegant handles， the ruyi-form is first moulded into shape and is examined to be absolutely identical by checking the clay consistency so to achieve uniformity when the clay contract evenly during the cooling process after firing. The handles are also carefully attached onto the main body； a feat which requires substantial concentration and technical prowess. Everything from the placement， elevation， thickness of the handles， possible misfiring， is all taken into consideration when attaching the handles. Any mishap during this step will cause an imbalance allocation of the clay， the vase will lose the desired shape and form， which will severely affect the overall presentation and how the object is perceived by the viewer. Under the expert guidance of Tang Ying， he ensured that the depth of such complex expertise is well-supervised and divided by skilled craftsmen from various departments， to encourage a better team-working relationship， resulting in the near-perfect finish product laid before us at present._x000D_
Once all the preparation is ready， comes the all-important firing process. The piece is placed carefully and held in place within the kiln， or the slightest of movements will cause inconsistencies and warping. Due to the unusually rare form of the vase， the firing must be controlled under a balanced condition， and must be placed at the center of the kiln where the temperature is most stable， distant from the raging open-flame. Such is the stringent standards is not unusual during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods， and is a practice deriving from the gradual study and development of techniques under Tang Ying’s administration. He has set such a high precedent and standards that the succeeding dynasties could hardly surpass._x000D_
The Yongzheng emperor had a discerning taste and adored the most superior of antiquities； he often demanded that his Imperial collection be filled with precious antiquities “in the style of the ancestors， with fresh interpretation and yet with reference to the past”. It is the emperor’s wish to constantly seek a personal and emotional connection to his forefathers， by paying respects to the stylistic qualities of previous reigns. The current lot is heavily influenced by the Yongle and Xuande periods， drawing inspiration from what the Yongzheng emperor regards as the essence of beauty through the eyes of his ancestors， in order to achieve modern innovation and produce advangarde porcelain pieces indigenous only to his reign. In summary， the present lot quintessentially reflects the demeanor and expressive thoughts of the Yongzheng emperor， all carefully reinterpreted in the course of its production and visually materialised by the masterful Imperial craftsmen._x000D_
The Yongzheng emperor specifically oversaw the production of such porcelain during his reign. Under the watchful eye and guidance of the emperor， who implied specifically in his orders that the production of his porcelain be “similar in form to the predecessors but represented in an alternative palette”. The emperor’s insistence of quality and perfection combined with reminiscent styles of the past has led to the merging and resulting in the creation of distinctively unique porcelain iconic to the Yongzheng period. Identical examples were ordered by Imperial decree to be produced with different decorative motifs or glazes， sometimes in a set， but always represented with only one example in a set； the lesser the quantity of the specific category of design， the rarer and more precious it is considered. For example， refer to the twelve individual monochrome glazes of the chrysanthemum-shaped dishes and gourd-shaped vases， whereby every set has only one representative glaze colour in a set； each and every one bestows the viewer a different experience given the varying glaze colours._x000D_
At present， the known types of Imperial Yongzheng ruyiping can be found in categories of blue and white， Ge-type glaze， doucai， celadon and dark green glaze. The recorded decorative motifs for these vessels are lotus sprays， the Three Abundances， or with of the Precious Objects. These examples are all similar except they are classified into two difference sizes of 23cm and 26cm high respectively. Such exquisite examples are found predominantly in Imperial collections of the Palace Museum， Beijing， National Palace Museum， Taipei， Nanjing Museum； it is exceptionally rare to find an example of such exceptional rarity in private hands. Compare a similar Yongzheng blue and white ruyiping， but with different decorative motifs， formerly in the Qing Court collection， now in the collection of the National Palace Museum， Taipei， illustrated in Harmony and Integrity： The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times， National Palace Museum， Taipei， 2009， p.207， pl.II-33.

Price estimate:
Estimate On Request
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Auction Result:
HKD : --