A fine and extremely rare small copper-red glazed vase, Mark and period of Yongzheng清雍正 霽紅釉小瓶 《大清雍正年製》款elegantly potted with a squat pear-shaped body with a tall neck and flared rim, the exterior covered with a rich, dark copper-red glaze, the interior and base left white, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double circle, wood standh. 12.1 cm文学: Julian Thompson, The Alan Chuang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Hong Kong, 2009, pl. 63.朱湯生，《中國瓷器：莊紹綏收藏》，香港，2009年，圖版63拍卖专文: Sturdily potted of baluster form surmounted by a slender neck terminated at a gently everted rim, this vase is exceptional for its unusual shape and dainty size. Yongzheng vases of various forms are held in important museums and private collections worldwide, but it is extremely rare to find an example of this compressed pear form. No other vase of this glaze and shape appears to have been published, but there are related examples in other monochrome glazes. See a slightly shorter Yongzheng Ru-glazed mallet vase of similar form, also with a wide base but a thicker neck and more everted mouth, sold at Christie's London, 7th June 1993, lot 75; and another lime-green example with archaistic kui dragons, sold in these rooms, 11th April 2008, lot 2910, respectively. Compare also a related Kangxi red-glazed mallet vase of a taller and slender proportion from the collection of Ernest Grandidier in the Musee Guimet, Paris, no. G125.The use of copper-red glaze at Jingdezhen was revived by the Kangxi Emperor after a decline in its usage during the late 15th century. With the wish to reproduce classic Ming sacrificial red (jihong) porcelains, Qing copper-red pieces quickly outnumbered their Ming counterparts. Nigel Wood in Chinese Glazes, London, 1999, p. 180, notes how the French Jesuit missionary, Père François d’Entrecolles (b. 1664-1741) wrote letters giving detailed accounts of the copper-red production at Jingdezhen, the sourcing of the copper for the glaze, the recipes and the kiln location of the firing of these wares. D’Entrecolles was aware of the difficulties involved in the making of copper-red wares and his account confirms the high level of technical knowledge acquired by the potters at Jingdezhen.