30 cm. (11 3/4 in.) high

Of compressed globular body elegantly tapering to a trumpet neck and a flaring rim, vividly decorated on the exterior with dense clusters of six peaches beneath a stylised bat borne on a continuous leafy meander issuing large lotus flower heads and acanthus leaves, all above rigid leaf lappets at the foot and beneath a band of ruyi-head at the rim, all pleasantly represented in a soft copper red tone, the base with a six-character imperial zhuanshu seal mark in underglaze blue.The soft crushed-raspberry tone of the copper red glaze, as beautifully exemplified by the current vase, is in continuation of the copper red glaze reintroduced during the Kangxi reign, inspired by its predecessors of the early Ming dynasty. Copper red-glazed porcelains were revived during the reign of the Kangxi era in an effort to reproduce the classic sacrificial red, or jihong of the Ming dynasty, notably the specimens dating to the Hongwu and Xuande reigns. Recording the production of copper red glaze at Jingdezhen during the Kangxi reign, French Jesuit Pere Francois D'Entrecolles (1664-1741) acknowledged the difficulties involved in making the highly sought-after glaze and the refined skills of the potters. Copper red-glazed vessels which feature skilfully controlled application of the glaze continued to be manufactured during the reigns of the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors, with the former taking an active interest in ensuring the production of copper red-glazed vessels characterised by the right glaze thinness and texture. This tradition seemingly ended after the reign of the Qianlong emperor, whereby the period met with a decline in the production of imperial-worthy porcelain of the highest standard towards the Jiaqing period.The present lot can be regarded as one of the last great imperial copper red-glazed vases produced during the transitional period between the late Qianlong to the early Jiaqing period. The rarity of this vase is further affirmed by the lack of identical examples including those of similar decorations in the Qing Court collection. The closest example is a similarly decorated a copper red-glazed vase decorated also with auspicious bats and peaches with a Qianlong six-character zhuanshu seal mark in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Catalog of the Special Exhibition of K'ang-Hsi, Yung-Cheng and Ch'ien-Lung Porcelain Ware From the Ch'ing Dynasty in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1996, no.73.Provenance:A European private collection

Price estimate:
HKD: 2,000,000 - 3,000,000
USD: 255,000 - 382,500

Auction Result:
HKD: 2,360,000