A MING-STYLE BLUE AND WHITE EWER QIANLONG SEAL MARK AND PERIOD |

finely potted with the pear-shaped body rising from a short, slightly splayed foot to a waisted neck and an everted rim, set on one side with a curved spout joined to the neck by a cloud-shaped strut, opposite the arched strap handle adorned by grooves and surmounted by a small loop on top and accented with three knobs at the base imitating metalwork studs, finely painted in early Ming style with vibrant cobalt blue imitating 'heaping and piling' with a quatrefoil panel on either side, one enclosing a branch of peaches, the other with a branch of loquat, flanked by scrolling flowers, all above upright lappets and a band of classic scroll encircling the foot, the the neck with a broad lotus scroll band below overlapping plantain leaves, the spout decorated with classic scrolls, with ruyi-clouds on the strut and sprays of lingzhi on the handle, the base with a six-character seal mark

Christie’s New York, 19th September 2006, lot 307.

The tip of the spout with a restored shallow chip to the underside, measuring approx. 1.8 cm long, and the small loop on top of the handle has been broken and restored. Some very light surface wear and minor firing imperfections.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This elegant ewer, with its well-proportioned shape and expertly painted design, captures the essence of its Yongle (1403 -24) prototype. The form originates from the Yuan dynasty, which was in turn inspired by Middle Eastern metal-bodied wares. During the Qianlong period, early porcelains celebrated for their unique form and superb craftsmanship such as early-Ming blue and white wares were consciously emulated in the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen, demonstrating the Qing craftsmen’s ability to adapt classic designs into a contemporary aesthetic.

A closely related ewer from the Qing Court Collection is preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Geng Baochang, ed., Gugong Bowuyuan cang Ming chu qinghua ci [Early Ming blue-and-white porcelain in the Palace Museum], Beijing, 2002, vol. II, pl. 210, together with a Yongle prototype, vol. I, pl. 19, and others attributed to the Xuande period, vol. I, pls 95 and 96; and another in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch’ing Dynasty, vol. 2, Tokyo, 1981, pl. 7. See also a ewer in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, together with two Yongle prototypes, illustrated in John Ayers and Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, London, 1986, vol. III, pl. 2565, and vol. II, pl. 618; and another from the Meiyintang Collection, published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. IV, pl. 1714, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 26th October 1993, lot 179, and again, 4th April 2012, lot 28.

For a reconstructed Yongle prototype that was excavated from the Ming imperial kiln sites, see one included in the exhibition Jingdezhen Zhushan chutu Yongle guanyao ciqi [Yongle Imperial porcelain excavated at Zhushan, Jingdezhen], Capital Museum, Beijing, 2007, cat. no. 66.