A DOUCAI 'LOTUS AND CHRYSANTHEMUM' JAR AND COVER QIANLONG SEAL MARK AND PERIOD |

the ovoid body swelling from a tapered foot to a rounded shoulder beneath an upright rim, the sides painted in soft-toned underglaze-blue and overglaze enamels with two registers of alternating scrolling lotus sprays and roundels enclosing pairs of red and yellow chrysanthemum blossoms against leafy green grounds, all between bands of underglaze-blue ruyi-heads centered with a small dot of enamel in alternating red and yellow tones, the cover centered with a similar chrysanthemum medallion and with leafy stems of blossoming yellow lotus around the sides, the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue (2)

The jar and cover are in good condition, however the jar has a hairline firing line beneath the glaze on the rim and a slight potting flaw to the interior of the 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.
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 type of doucai 'lotus and chrysanthemum' jar is believed to be modeled after Chenghua prototypes. No exact Chenghua original appears to be recorded, however the design is well-known from Chenghua bowls; see a doucai bowl excavated from the waste heaps of the Ming imperial kilns at Jingdezhen included in the exhibition A Legacy of Chenghua, The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1993, cat. no. C119. Compare also a Chenghua jar and cover with a related design in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji. Gongyi meishu bian: Taoci [Complete series on Chinese art. Arts and crafts section: Ceramics], Shanghai, 1988-91, vol. 3, pl. 96. A pair of similar doucai jars and covers from the Qianlong period is illustrated in Tianjin shi yishu bowuguan cang ci / Porcelains from the Tianjin Municipal Museum, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 177; another pair is published in Min Shin no bijutsu [Ming and Qing Art], Tokyo, 1982, pl. 170; and a single jar and cover in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is included in Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain, vol. 2, Tokyo, 1981, pl. 24. A jar of this type, without the cover, sold in these rooms, 11th-12th September 2012, lot 40; a pair of jars and covers sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27th November 2013, lot 3209; a single jar and cover sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 7th April 2015, lot 3713; and another sold at Christie's London, 15th May 2018, lot 192.