Page 315 - 2019 September 11th Sotheby's Important Chinese Art

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PROPERTY OF AN ASIAN PRIVATE COLLECTOR 明嘉靖 青花祝壽紋大葫蘆瓶
A LARGE BLUE AND WHITE
‘SHOULAO’ DOUBLE GOURD VASE 來源
MING DYNASTY, JIAJING PERIOD 德國私人收藏，得於1920年代
robustly potted, the bud-shaped upper lobe
decorated with stylized shou character central
medallions, surrounded by regular script shou
character roundels alternating in radiating
stylized and ruyi-head cloud borders, all below a
band of ruyi-head border at the rim, the waisted
neck painted with similar shou medallions, the
lower bulb of square section, boldly painted on
each side with a medallion depicting Shoulao
holding a ruyi and enjoying burning incense,
surrounded by eight shou character alternating
in regular and seal script roundels amidst
clouds, all above swirling waves around the
foot, the base unglazed
Height 22 in., 55.9 cm
PROVENANCE
German Private Collection, acquired in the
1920s.
A related, smaller double gourd vase, from the
Palace Museum, Beijing, but with a different
design of medallions enclosing the Eight
Immortals on the lower section, and crane
among clouds decorating the upper section,
is illustrated in The Complete Collection of
Treasures of the Palace Museum: Blue and
White with Underglazed Red (II), Hong Kong,
2000, pl. 85; and another related vase, from
the Matsuoka Art Museum, Tokyo, decorated
on the lower section with roundels enclosing
mythological beasts, and on the upper section
with Shoulao enclosed in a medallion, all
among smaller shou-roundels, is illustrated in
Mayuyama, Seventy Years, Tokyo, 1976, vol. I,
pl. 868. Compare also another vase from the
Chinese History Museum, Beijing, of a smaller
size, and rounder and more slender shoulders,
with the Eight Immortals and cranes among
clouds, but of varying design, illustrated in
The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics,
vol. 12, Shanghai, 1999, pl. 145; see also a
vase illustrated by R. L. Hobson in The George
Eumorfopoulos Collection, London, 1927, pl. 1,
fig. D 24, of smaller proportions and rounder
shoulders, decorated on the square section
with medallions of children playing in a garden
scene, and on the globular section with the
Eight Immortals paying tribute to Shoulao.
A similar vase, but decorated on the lower
section with large roundels enclosing an image
of Shoulao, among several smaller shou-
roundels, with the upper section decorated with
xi-roundels among smaller shou-roundels, was
sold at Christie’s London, 9th June 1997, lot 67.

$ 15,000-25,000

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