AN UNDERGLAZE-BLUE, COPPER-RED AND CELADON-GLAZED BEAKER VASE, GU
Xuande six-character mark, Kangxi
Painted around the exterior in hues of cobalt-blue, copper-red and celadon, the central register adorned with a pair of dragons striding around the body, the upper and lower registers each decorated with a continuous mountainous riverscape depicting a figure seated on a boat, surrounded by pavilions, jagged rockwork, and trees; the base inscribed with an apocryphal Xuande mark. 41.9cm (16 1/2in) high.
Footnotes:
清康熙 釉裡三彩螭龍山水人物圖花觚
青花「大明宣德年製」楷書款

Provenance: an English private collection, acquired circa 1989

來源：英國私人收藏，約獲得於1989年

The porcelain type represented by the present piece is known as 'underglaze tri-coloured porcelain' (釉裡三彩), a distinctive form of high-temperature decorative porcelain that emerged during the Kangxi period. This art form involves the skilful combination of three colorants—cobalt, copper, and iron—to create a harmonious palette of blue-and-white, red, and celadon hues within a single piece. However, it presents a formidable challenge due to the differing temperature and kiln atmosphere requirements of these three high-temperature colours, achieving flawless coloration for all three pigments, as exemplified by the present lot. See a similar underglaze-blue, copper-red and celadon-glazed beaker vase, gu, Kangxi, in the Qing Court Collection, in the Palace Museum Beijing (acc.no. 故00148355).

Compare with a related underglaze-blue, copper-red and celadon-glazed beaker vase, Kangxi period, which was sold at Bonhams New York, 18 March 2019, lot 625.

Approx a 30cm long hairline crack running from the rim down into the body almost to the base, with an associated star crack with a minute associated glaze flake, a further shorter hairline to the lower half of the body to the reverse; firing cracks to the base; fritting to the rim.