Page 39 - Christie's, MARCHANT Eight Treasures For The Wanli Emporer September 21, 2023

(interior)

Based on the ancient ritual bronze form known as a gu, Wanli
mark-and-period vases of this shape and large size are very rare.

A nearly identical Wanli wucai vase to the present example, and
of the same size, is in the Palace Museum, Beijing, and illustrated
in Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colors – 38 - The
Complete Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1999,
p. 36, no. 33. (Fig. 1) This same vase is also illustrated in Imperial
Porcelains from the Reign of Jiajing, Longqing and Wanli in the
Ming Dynasty, Beijing, 2018, pp. 654-5, no. 388. It is interesting
to note that on both the Beijing vase and the current vase, the
iron-red dragons on the central section are shown descending
and pursuing flaming pearls, while the alternating green and blue
dragons are shown ascending and writhing
amidst cruciform cloud motifs centered by lingzhi heads.
Two Wanli wucai vases of related form, but with more
compressed bulbous midsections decorated with pheasants
amidst ornamental rocks between bands of writhing dragons
on the neck and flared foot, were sold in Chinese Art from The
Art Institute of Chicago; Christie’s New York, 12 September
Fig. 1 Polychrome beaker-shaped vase with design of 2019, lots 707 and 708. Formerly in the collection Russell Tyson
dragon medallions, Ming dynasty, Wanli mark and of
the period, (1573-1620), Ming dynasty. Palace Museum, (1867-1963), both of the Chicago vases are reduced at the neck
Beijing, 故00145736. © Palace Museum, Beijing. but would likely have been of approximately the same size as the
圖ˏ 萬曆款青花̩彩團龍紋花觚
明萬曆
٫̺故宮 current vase.
博ḵ院
館藏編號故 © ٫̺故宮博ḵ院

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