A rare celadon-glazed jar, Mark and period of Yongzheng

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8th October 2006, lot 1018.

Monochrome glazes reached new heights of technical sophistication and artistic refinement during the Yongzheng reign (1723-1735), owing to the remarkable innovations achieved at the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen. New glaze formulations were developed, while those inherited from earlier periods were refined to an unprecedented degree of perfection. Although a delicate, almost translucent celadon glaze had already been successfully produced at the imperial kilns in the early fifteenth century, the Yongzheng period witnessed renewed experimentation with a range of celadon tones and textures. The Yongzheng Emperor appears to have held this subtle glaze in particularly high esteem and, according to the palace records, personally instructed the imperial kilns to produce celadon wares to the emperor's taste (see Yang Boda, ‘Imperial Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty’, The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1991, p. 46). Jars of this particular type are exceedingly rare. See two sold at Sotheby's, one in our London rooms, 8th July 1975, lot 189, and the other in these rooms, 8th May 1980, lot 231.