This exquisite 19th century Chinese blue glazed archaistic ritual vessel is a true antique made during the GuangXu period (1875-1908) bearing unique historical and archeological significance. The cover is incised with scripts which reads 'Fang Zhou Bo Yi' (仿周伯彝）, which translates to 'imitate of Master Zhou's 'Yi' vessel'.
Commissioned by wealthy Chinese liberati class, objects like this were made to contain food offerings in ritual ceremonies. Crafted at the renowned Jingdezhen kiln, objects like this were made specifically to imitate archaic Chinese bronze ritual vessels, its form and pattern follows strict traditions from early scriptures dated to as early as to the Shang Dynasty (1766-1046 BCE).
The exterior of the vessel and its cover is enameled with a bright and deeply rich blue glaze which was unique and rare to see in objects at the time. Likely imported from Europe, the opaque glaze and its material were often seen in Chinese Canton export wares in the Yongzheng and Qianlong period during early 18th century.
Bearing an underglaze blue GuangXu six-character resign mark, the vessel's age is estimated to be between 1850-1899. Similar examples of this type of ritual vessels were seen in Changshu museum in Suzhou, Jiangxi Province, in the collection of Weng Tonghe, the imperial preceptor and prime minister during the early years of Guangxu's reign.
Provenance: Oakridge Auctions, Virginia, Fall 2022