A finely painted blue and white 'landscape' sleeve vase, Ming dynasty, Chongzhen period | 明崇禎 青花山水人物圖筒瓶

The political turmoil of the Transitional period resulted in the loss of Ming imperial control over the Jingdezhen kilns. During this time, artisans were free to create porcelains in response to popular tastes, resulting in new themes, subject matter, motifs, and painting styles on porcelain.

The landscape scene on the present jar is masterfully and delicately rendered. Upon close inspection, several figures are seen leisurely lounging in pavilions amidst the surrounding mountains, looming above the vast riverscape. Broad swathes of pale wash and fine inky blue lines express a range of details, textures, and surfaces, from misty clouds and jagged rocks, to swaying willow branches and beautiful renderings of fishermen in action. The intricacy of the scene coupled with the unforgiving nature of the blue and white medium indicate that the painter of this vase was exceptionally skilled. 

Compare a closely related sleeve vase depicting a fishermen on a raft amidst a mountainous landscape from the collection of the late Sir Joseph Hotung, sold in our London rooms, 8th December 2022, lot 282. See another sleeve vase, depicting a scene that is a conceit for the Chinese idiom jiaguan jinjue 加官進爵 (promotion to higher rank or nobility), previously in the collection of President Herbert Hoover, and more recently, the Wolf Family Collection, sold in these rooms, 21st April 2023, lot 606.