China, 1735-1796. The compressed globular body rising from a slightly waisted foot with a molded edge to a superbly potted cylindrical neck. Covered overall with a finely mottled, elegant silky matte glaze of deep olive-green color that also covers the base. The foot is covered by a dark brown wash. Neatly incised six-character da Qing Qianlong nianzhi seal mark and of the period, the mark itself highlighted by a russet-brown glaze.

Provenance: Christie's Paris, 14 June 2006, lot 364. Austrian private collection.
Condition: Absolutely perfect condition with only very minor wear and firing irregularities.

Weight: 906.0 g
Dimensions: Height 21.5 cm

Fine tea-dust glazed porcelains are particularly associated with the Qing dynasty reigns of the Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors, and it is of interest to note that, like those vessels with a robin’s-egg glaze, tea-dust porcelains usually bear seal-script marks in both the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns.

The fine tea-dust glazes of the 18th century are linked to the most famous and revered of all the supervisors of the imperial kilns, Tang Ying (1682-1756). Tang Ying’s document ‘Commemorative Stele on Ceramic Production’ from 1735 provides information on 57 types of porcelain ware, including 40 monochrome glazes. Amongst these, there is reference to ‘copy workshop glaze’ fang changguan, i.e. tea-dust, and a listing of three variants: eel-skin yellow, snake-skin green, and speckled yellow. It is interesting that these are called fang or copies, since it suggests that the kilns were specifically copying an ancient glaze, most probably a Tang or Song dynasty original tea-dust glaze from northern China.

Expert’s note: Although Qianlong-marked teadust-glazed vases of this general form are well known, smaller examples are very rare, and the current vase further distinguishes itself with its unusually fine and even glaze as well as its magnificent quality of pottery.

Literature comparison: A teadust-glazed vase of similar small size and proportions is illustrated by J Ayers in Chinese Ceramics and the Baur Collection, Geneva, 1999, no. 297. Another is illustrated by R. Krahl in Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994, vol. 2, no. 917. A related Qianlong-marked vase of this form, but of the more common larger size, from the T.Y. Chao Collection, was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 19 May 1987, lot 294; and another in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated by R. Kerr in Chinese Ceramics, Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty, 1644-1911, London, 1986, no. 25.

Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related vase, of exactly the same rare small size, but with a flaring neck as opposed to the rare straight neck on the present vase, at Christie’s Hong Kong in Imperial Chinese Treasures from a Distinguished American Collection on 28 May 2014, lot 2906, sold for HKD 1,480,000.

乾隆款與年代茶葉末釉荸薺瓶
中國，1735-1796年。直頸長頎、溜肩、扁鼓腹，底承圈足，底部正中落“大清乾隆年製”六字篆書款。器形飽滿端正，重心下移，愈顯豐腴大方。整器通體施茶葉末釉，釉質潤澤，釉色勻凈而深沉。

來源：巴黎佳士得，2006年6月14日，lot 364。奧地利私人收藏
品相：對完美的狀態，只有極少的磨損和燒傷不規則現象。

重量：906.0 克
尺寸：高21.5厘米

器瓶為清宮瓷器燒造的傳統形制之一，始於康熙朝，而尤盛於乾隆。因器形似荸薺而得名。此瓶造型端莊規整，釉質釉色靜穆，盡顯大氣雅緻。清代茶葉末釉製品多為景德鎮官窯所燒，傳世品中，以雍正和乾隆時期最多見，並以乾隆時的燒製最為成功。

拍賣結果比較：一件相近的茶葉末釉瓶，幾乎一樣的小尺寸，但頸部不同，售于香港佳士得Imperial Chinese Treasures from a Distinguished American Collection拍場，2014年5月28 日，售價HKD 1,480,000。