
Rachel Hyman
Department Director
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Sold for £6,062.50 inc. premium
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Department Director
Provenance: collection of Tang Shaoyi (1862-1938), the first Prime Minister of the Republic of China
The rich, even, deep, jihong glaze on the present bowl is a continuation of the glazes produced in the Yuan dynasty and the early Ming dynasty, particularly during the Hongwu and Xuande reigns. The monochrome underglaze-red glaze, also known as 'sacrificial' red, was revived during the Kangxi period under the Imperial kiln supervisor Lang Tingji (1663-1715). Copper-red glazes continued into the experimental Yongzheng period, alongside further innovations such as the flambé glaze. The Yongzheng emperor was personally involved with porcelain production in the Imperial kiln - dissatisfied with the thinness of the red glaze on some newly made vessels, he is recorded to have sent on the 14th day of the 8th month of the 7th year (corresponding to 1729) five old shards with thick sacrificial red glaze to the kiln supervisor Nian Xiyao as a reference for improvement.
Compare with a pair of bowls, Yongzheng six-character marks and of the period, sold at Sotheby's, 7 November 2011, lot 414.