Auction introduction: In this tightly curated selection from the Yidetang collection, Sotheby’s presents exquisite Imperial wares from the hundred years that span from the late 17th to the late 18th century, the apex of material refinement in China’s long dynastic history. For the late master of Yidetang, the fundamental tenets of collecting were rooted in history and craftsmanship and, most of all, a quest for Imperial taste specifically that of the three great emperors of the Qing dynasty. The selection includes very fine porcelains from the collection in a variety of styles, whether blue-and-white, monochrome, doucai or famille-rose decoration.