A MAGNIFICENT BLUE AND WHITE MOON FLASK WITH BIRDS ON FLOWERING BRANCHES QING DYNASTY, YONGZHENG PERIOD

THIS IS A PREMIUM LOT. CLIENTS WHO WISH TO BID ON PREMIUM LOTS ARE REQUESTED TO COMPLETE THE PREMIUM LOT PRE-REGISTRATION 3 WORKING DAYS PRIOR TO THE SALE. BIDnow ONLINE BIDDING SERVICE IS NOT AVAILABLE.



 



of oval section and nearly circular profile, with a slender neck flanked by two scroll handles, the two sides painted in a deep cobalt blue under a blue-tinged glaze with different flower-and-bird compositions, both depicting a white-cheeked starling perched on a flowering branch entwined with a small stem of bamboo, with prunus on one side and perhaps pear on the other, both scenes bordered above and below by fanciful curly foliage motifs, the neck also with bamboo, and the handles accentuated by a scrolling line, the flat base unglazed

Collection of Richard de la Mare (1940s to 1974).
Sotheby's London, 2nd April 1974, lot 369.
Su Lin An collection.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 31st October 1995, lot 325.

The Arts of the Ch'ing Dynasty, Oriental Ceramic Society at the Arts Council Gallery, London, 1964, cat. no. 117 (illustrated, pl.41).
The Ceramic Art of China, Oriental Ceramic Society at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1971, cat. no. 197.
Tōyō no sometsuke tōji ten/Far Eastern Blue-and-white Porcelain, Mitsukoshi, Tokyo, 1977, cat. no. 27.
Evolution to Perfection. Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection/Evolution vers la perfection. Céramiques de Chine de la Collection Meiyintang, Sporting d'Hiver, Monte Carlo, 1996, cat. no.139 (illustrated).

Anon., 'Notes on Specimens', Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 23, 1947-8, pp. 27-8, pl. 7.
'The Ceramic Art of China', Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 38, 1969-71, pl. 132, no. 197.
Duncan Macintosh, Chinese Blue and White Porcelain, Newton Abbot, 1977, pl. 55.
Sotheby's. Thirty Years in Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 266.
Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 4, no. 1712.

The overall condition is very good with only a few minor firing cracks to the unglazed foot.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In its form and decoration, this flask closely copies a Yongle prototype, of which only one example appears to be extant, from the Sir Percival David Collection in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Regina Krahl and Jessica Harrison-Hall, Chinese Ceramics. Highlights of the Sir Percival David Collection, London, 2009, no. 28, p. 61 (figs 1 and 2). Such Qing copies were most likely produced directly after a genuine Ming original, possibly in this case directly after the Percival David flask. The Yongzheng Emperor is known to have repeatedly sent antique porcelains from the imperial collection in Beijing down to Jingdezhen to be copied. During this reign, such wares were often left unmarked, while later, in the Qianlong period, when much larger quantities were produced, they were typically inscribed with the mark of the current reign. Yongzheng examples of this design are very rare.

The sensitivity of the Qing craftsmen to absorb and reproduce the qualities of the Ming original is remarkable and hardly ever more manifest than in this Yongzheng version and some rare companion pieces. The present flask is so close to the Yongle original that its correct attribution has repeatedly given rise to debates. Richard de la Mare, the then owner, brought this flask to a specimen meeting of the Oriental Ceramic Society, London, in 1947, for its date to be discussed. Although the general opinion then was that it was an 18th-century piece, it was published again with a Yongle date in 1977.

A companion piece to the present flask from the Edward T. Chow collection and now in the Princessehof Museum, Leeuwarden, was also long considered as a Yongle original and is published as 'early 15th century', albeit with a question mark, in Daisy Lion-Goldschmidt, Ming Porcelain, London, 1978, pl. 14. Other similar vases were also sold in our London rooms, 21st June 1983, lot 313; and in our New York rooms, 1st December 1992, lot 339.

Medley discusses this design, which is more closely related to Chinese ink painting than virtually any other porcelain motif, and illustrates a related Song (960-1279) painting and a Ming (1368-1644) woodblock print. The slightly squeezed round shape of the flask echoes that of Chinese fans, a popular format for paintings of the bird-and-flower genre. (Margaret Medley, 'Sources of Decoration in Chinese Porcelain from 14th to 16th Century', in Margaret Medley, ed., Chinese Painting and the Decorative Style. Colloquies on Art and Archaeology in Asia, no. 5, Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1975, p. 63 and pls III a and c.).

Figs 1 and 2
Blue-and-white moon flask with birds on flowering branches
Yongle period
Sir Percival David Collection, no. A 612, British Museum, London