AN EXTREMELY RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'LOTUS BUD' VASE MING DYNASTY, CHENGHUA PERIOD

the well potted pear-shaped body rising to a lotus bud shaped mouth with raised overlapping layers of petals, the body freely painted in classic contrasting tones of soft cobalt-blue with lotus blooms on meandering leafy stems interspersed with occasional ears of millet, between bands of upright and pendant trefoils, the neck decorated with lotus florets and flanked by a pair of finely pierced and moulded scrolling lotus leaf handles, the splayed foot encircled with florets, covered overall in a thick unctuous glaze fired to a waxy finish

From a Private Japanese Collection.

There are two small glaze flakes resulting from burst air bubbles to the flower head of the handles, the larger approx 0.3 by 0.4cm. Otherwise the piece is generally in very good condition overall. The glaze is fired to a particularly smooth and waxy finish.
"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 vase is remarkable for the fine quality of the porcelain. Chenghua porcelains, which are greatly admired and display a very distinct character both in terms of their material and their style of decoration, are the rarest Chinese porcelains.  The tones found on this vase are soft and attractive, a trademark of the Chenghua blue-and-white.  Regina Krahl in 'Muted Elegance - A Superb Chenghua Palace Bowl', Classicism in Continuum. The Arts of the Ming, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 48 notes that "Chenghua glazes are arguably the finest ever achieved at Jingdezhen.  The sensual pleasure of the touch of the Chenghua porcelain vessel is unmatched by porcelains of any other period."

Although Chenghua vases of this form are rare, a similar example was sold in these rooms, 24th November 1981, lot 71; and another was offered, 8^th October 2006, lot 1162. The design of lotus blooms interspersed with millet appears on vases as early as the Yongle period; for example see a Yongle meiping, from the T.Y. Chao collection, sold in our London rooms, 1^st April 1974, lot 192, and twice in these rooms, 29^th November 1977, lot 23, and again, 18^th November 1986, lot 42. See also a meiping illustrated in Wang Qingzheng, Underglaze Blue and Red, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 53; and another painted with the same decoration, attributed to the second quarter of the 15th century, from the F. Gordon Morrill Collection, sold at Doyle's New York, 16th September 2003, lot 87.