KANGXI SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1662-1722)

The shape of this vase is sometimes described as Guanyin ping, referring to the shape of the vase held by many figures of Guanyin, and said to contain ambrosia or magic elixir. It is also known as liuye zun, 'willow-leaf vase', owing to its elegant form which resembles that of a willow leaf.

Similar Kangxi-period amphore are in major institutions worldwide including the Palace Museum, Beijing; the Shanghai Museum; the National Palace Museum, Taipei; and the Baur Collection, Geneva. See, also, the example from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art included in the sale Collected in America: Chinese Ceramics from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Christie's New York, 15 September 2016, lot 918. This vase was formerly in the Mary Stillman Harkness (1874-1952) Collection.

For a discussion on peachbloom glaze, see the footnote to lot 726.