Asian Art I - 17th November 2015
Lot 261
A RARE CHINESE BEIJING YELLOW GLASS WATER POT
Estimate £15,000 - £25,000 | Hammer £15000
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Description
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.