Yongzheng - Monochrome Green Vase China, Yongzheng mark and period, 1722 - 1735 Height 31 cm Since long, ceramics in China, which derive their aesthetic effect only from the harmony of form and glaze and do without ornamental accessories, have been regarded as the pinnacle of Confucian-intellectual refined taste, which was always in search of "pure aesthetics". After an initial peak during the Song Dynasty, when color was still limited to celadon and iron glazes for high-fired objects, and the beginning of experimental development of new glazes in the Ming period, the early Qing Dynasty, and especially the Yongzheng period, represents the undisputed pinnacle of creativity and elegance. Like all products that uncompromisingly catered to the taste of a cultural elite, the monochrome porcelains created before the mid-19th century are extremely rare today; indeed, they represent "in their entirety [...] the rarest category of Chinese porcelain today" (Juergen Ludwig Fischer, Chinesische Kunst, Munich 1997). The glaze is slightly darker than the famous apple green of the era, but this only adds to the timeless beauty. European collection before 1970 We guarantee the specified age!