Dimensions: Height 42 cm Wide 23 cm Depth 23 cm
Weight: 2980 grams

Of elegant double-gourd form with a small waisted neck and slightly splayed foot, the vase is covered overall with a rich and lustrous cobalt “sacrificial blue” glaze pooling slightly at the foot rim and stopping neatly above the base. The base is inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character Qianlong reign mark in seal script.

This refined example exemplifies the high quality of monochrome-glazed wares produced at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen during the Qianlong period. The deep blue glaze, known as “sacrificial blue” (ji lan), was first developed under the Ming dynasty for use in state rituals and revived in the Qing period with even greater brilliance. The double-gourd (hulu) form, traditionally associated with Daoist immortality and protection, was a favored shape at court and appears in numerous Qianlong-period monochrome wares.

Comparative examples:
A sacrificial-blue glazed double-gourd vase of similar size and quality is illustrated in Imperial Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty, The Palace Museum, Beijing, vol. II, p. 192, no. 136. Another closely related example was sold at Christie’s New York, 19 March 2021, lot 512. Both share the same deep cobalt glaze and elegant proportions seen here.

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