Christies will auction in New York on Mar 24 works from the Gordon Collection which include several vivid Qing monochrome porcelains. Morton and Grace Gordon were passionate American collectors who assembled a comprehensive collection of Chinese ceramics and works of art. Acquired primarily at auction in New York in the 1970s and early 1980s, their collection comprises a rich diversity of works ranging from archaic ritual bronzes of the Shang dynasty, to painted pottery vessels and figures from the Han to Tang dynasties, to fine ceramic wares from the Song to Qing dynasties. The Gordon's collecting interest reflects a particular fascination with monochrome ceramics from the Song to Qing dynasties, and includes an especially strong group of finely potted Qingbai and Longquan celadon wares of the Southern Song and Yuan dynasties, and an outstanding selection of Qing Imperial monochrome porcelains from the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods. The striking and unusual form of this magnificent blueglazed vase (Left) is based on Yueyao celadon-glazed stoneware prototypes from the Jin dynasty, 3rd-4th century, and is a vivid reflection of the Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors' fondness for archaic shapes and designs. The charming bird-form handles are a fanciful Qing alternative to the small double-lug handles applied on the narrow sides of the Yueyao prototypes. Qing vases of this form are exceptionally rare, and include two in the Palace
Museum, Beijing: a celadon-glazed example, Yongzheng mark and period, and a flambé-glazed example with a cover, Qianlong mark and period; and a teadust-glazed Yongzheng mark-and-period example in the Victoria and Albert Museum.The shape of this celadon-glazed baluser vase was inspired by Western Zhou bronzes and is representative
of the archaistic style frequently seen in porcelain vessels the Qianlong period. The antiquarian interest of the
Qianlong Emperor influenced the efforts of the potters at the Imperial kilns to interpret the shapes and designs of archaic bronzes and antiquities of all types in porcelain.