A RARE CHINESE BEIJING YELLOW GLASS WATER POT, ZHADOU

QIANLONG 1736-95

The ovoid body with a flaring rim and foot, carved to the exterior with four Manchu characters, and an inscription which reads Qian Long yu zhi wan shou tian zi guan, the base with a tian (heaven) mark in relief, and a smaller incised bing mark, contained in a fitted silk box, 7.5cm dia. (2)

Cf. A Chorus of Colors, Chinese Glass from Three American Collections, p.96, no.69 for a comparable zhadou. The character bing is one of the Heavenly Stems used in counting cyclical years, and is also used in inventory systems.