A FINE PEACHBLOOM 'BEE-HIVE' WATERPOT, TAIBO ZUN MARK AND PERIOD OF KANGXI

the hemispherical body contracting to a narrow waisted neck below an everted mouthrim, the exterior incised with three archaistic chilong roundels, glazed throughout in an mottled red of a rich crushed-strawberry tone with characteristic mushroom-coloured speckles at the neck, save for a white base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark written in three vertical lines, wood stand

An old Japanese collection.

There is a tiny flake of about 1 mm to the glazed surface. Apart from some burst air bubbles (max. 2 mm), the overall condition is very good. The actual colour is quite close to the catalogue illustration.
"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."

The Tang dynasty poet Li Taibo, known as a notorious drinker, is often depicted leaning against a wine jar of this form, for example, in a porcelain sculpture of the same period, showing the poet seated with closed eyes, a cup in his hand; see Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 106, pl. 89, where a similar peachbloom vessel is illustrated p. 142, pl. 125; three examples of this form and glaze from the collections of Peter A.B. Widener and Harry G. Steele are in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., see Virginia Bower et al., The Collections of the National Gallery of Art. Systematic Catalogue: Decorative Arts, part I, Washington, 1998, pp. 69-71. Compare also an example in the Meiyintang Collection, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London 1994-2010, vol. 2, no. 821 (left), and vol. 4, p. 328.