A BLUE AND WHITE MOONFLASK, BIANPING MING DYNASTY, YONGLE PERIOD

well painted to each side with an elaborate medallion of interlaced ruyi heads enclosing trefoils and linked by demi-florets, superimposed on radiating lappets centered on a ring of inward pointing petals, all within a band of classic scrolls, the upper bulb painted with a narrow band of floral scrolls, the ribbed strap handles with shaped terminals enclosing stylised floral sprays, all raised on a low rectangular foot

Chugoku Toji Meihin Ten [Exhibition of the Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramics], The Gotoh Museum, Tokyo, 1966, cat. no. 39.

The mouth has been broken and restuck with original pieces except for a C-shaped refilled chip of approx. 1.5 by 1 cm to the rim (showing on the illustration in the catalogue). It is slightly leaning forward. Otherwise the condition is good. The tone of blue is slightly deeper and more ultramarine, less cobalt compared 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."

This moonflask belongs to a group of vessels which represented a new departure for Chinese porcelain in both form and decoration to derive their inspiration from abroad. The formal arrangement of the geometric star-shaped medallion is probably adapted from Middle Eastern motifs, with only the narrow flower scroll band on the bulb and small floral sprays at the handles seeming to derive from the traditional Chinese repertoire. The delicate floral design admirably serves to mellow the strict geometry of the overall design.

Flasks of this type include one excavated from the waste heaps of the Ming Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen included in the exhibition Jingdezhen chutu Ming chu guanyao ciqi / Imperial Hongwu and Yongle Porcelain Excavated at Jingdezhen, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1996, cat. no. 65; one in Umezawa Kinekan Museum, Tokyo, published in Sekai toji zenshu, vol. 14, Tokyo, 1976, pl. 144; another illustrated in Ming Qing ciqi jianding, Hong Kong, 1993, p. 21, pl. 30; and a fourth example from the Mount Trust collection, included in the exhibition The Mount Trust Collection of Chinese Ceramics, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1970, cat. no. 83, and sold at Christie's London, 19th April 1983, lot 20. Further examples include a flask sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 24th November 1981, lot 80; one sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1st November 2004, lot 826; and another sold in our Paris rooms, 18th December 2009, lot 65, but the rosette encircling a yin-yang symbol.

The same design is also found adorning a slightly smaller flask with a larger rounded bulb, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Special Exhibition of Early Ming Porcelains, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1982, cat. no. 9. Compare also Xuande mark and period flasks of this type decorated with this design on one side and the other with a related motif of interlaced petals radiating from a central yin-yang symbol; such as one from the Sir Percival David collection and now in the British Museum, illustrated in R.L. Hobson, A Catalogue of Chinese Pottery and Porcelain in the Collection of Sir Percival David, London, 1936, pl. CXVII; and another from the Edward T. Chow collection, included in the Exhibition of Blue-Decorated Porcelain of the Ming Dynasty, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, 1949, cat. no. 69, sold in these rooms, 25th November 1980, lot 7.

Although no exact pottery or metal counterpart from the Near or Middle Eastern has yet been discovered, the possible origin of these moonflasks is discussed in Margaret Medley, 'Islam and Chinese Porcelain in the 14th and Early 15th Centuries', Bulletin of the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, no. 6, 1982-4; and in John Alexander Pope, 'An Early Ming Porcelain in Muslim Style', Aus der Welt der Islamischen Kunst. Festschrift fur Ernst Kuhnel, Berlin, 1959, where he illustrates a large inlaid brass canteen with similar strap handles and 'garlic' mouth, pls. 2A and 2B, from the Eumorforpoulos collection, sold in our London rooms, 5th June 1940, lot 72, and now in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.