Page 43 - Sotheby's Imperial Chiense Porcelain Nov 4 2020 London

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A RARE BLUE AND WHITE DOUBLE-GOURD 清雍正 青花纏枝蓮紋雙耳葫蘆尊
VASE
YONGZHENG MARK AND PERIOD 《大清雍正年製》款
elegantly potted with a globular lower bulb rising to a waisted
ribbed neck and a smaller bulb with an incurved rim, the
mouth flanked by a pair of arched ruyi-shaped handles
attached to the shoulders of the lower bulb, painted in vivid
tones of cobalt blue simulating Ming dynasty ‘heaping and
piling’ with lotus scrolls between a band of pendant ruyi
heads at the shoulder and a band of upright lappets above
the foot, the upper section similarly decorated, the base
inscribed with a six-character mark in underglaze blue
Height 23.5 cm, 9¼ in.
This vase is impressive for its harmonious proportions
and delicately painted lotus scroll, which draws from
celebrated past traditions and reinterprets them to result
in a modern and engaging piece. Both its form and design
appears to have been inspired by imperial blue and
white flasks (bianhu) of the early 15th century. This form
was first revived in the Yongzheng period, when several
varieties were produced.
Vases of this form and painted with a composite floral
scroll are unusual, although a closely related example
from the British Rail Pension Fund, was sold in our Hong
Kong rooms, 16th May 1989, lot 38. See also a slightly
larger vase painted with sprays of fruit, in the National
Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum’s
exhibition Harmony and Integrity. The Yongzheng
Emperor and His Times, Taipei, 2009, cat. no. II-33. The
design is also known painted in underglaze blue and
red as on a vase in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in
The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty,
Shanghai, 2003, pl. 128; and a slightly larger one in the
Tianjin Municipal Museum, published in Porcelains from
the Tianjin Municipal Museum, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 146.
‡ £ 50,000-70,000

mark

82 Buyers are liable to pay both the hammer price (as estimated above) and the buyer’s premium together with any applicable taxes and Artist’s Resale Right (which will depend on the individual circumstances). 83
Refer to the Buying at Auction and VAT sections at the back of this catalogue for further information.