A RARE IBERIAN-MARKET ARMORIAL BLUE AND WHITE PILGRIM FLASK MING DYNASTY, CIRCA 1610-20

the slightly convex circular body rising from a short spreading foot and painted in rich cobalt-blue tones to the front face with the arms of Spain: Castile and Leon quarterly around a cross of the Order of Aviz or the Order of Christ within in a circular medallion issuing foliage encircled by a band of bosses, the reverse with a similarly bordered spray of lotus, the sides with a lotus meander below floral sprays at the tall slender neck and everted rim 

Christie's London, 28th May 1992, lot 195

This rare flask is in excellent overall condition with the exception of a slight lean to the neck, a tiny frit to the edge of the body, minute burst glaze bubbles around the body and very light glaze scratches. It should be noted that the cobalt-blue is of a stronger tone than the catalogue illustration would suggest.
"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 flask is a rare example of a small group of blue-and-white flasks modelled after the shape of Islamic metal pilgrim flasks and painted on one side with the arms of Spain, possibly copied from a coin. Because of the quarterings, the arms have been thought to be those of Philip II (1527-98), who became King of Spain in 1556 and King Philip I of Portugal in 1580. As Portugal had a pre-eminent position in the China trade at the time, flasks of this type may have been produced as a royal commission and therefore had generally been ascribed to a date around 1580-95. Philip II had a vast collection of Chinese pieces which is said to have surpassed three-thousand pieces. However, Maria Antonia Pinto de Matos, Chinese Export Porcelain, Lisbon, 1996, p. 132, notes that there is also a claim that these flasks were 'ordered by a knight of the Order of Aviz or of the Order of Christ during the Spanish occupation of Portugal', attributing a date between 1610 and 1620. Indeed, certain designs elements found on these flasks, such as the flowers painted on the neck and body, strongly suggest a 17^th century date.

All related vases appear to be painted with the arms of Spain on one side and either a scene depicting a scholar and a boy in a landscape setting or with stylised flower sprays on the other side. For examples of the former design see one illustrated in Caminhos da Porcelana, Lisbon, 1999, pl. 11; another published in Maria Antonia Pinto de Matos, Chinese Porcelain in the Carmona e Costa Foundation, Lisbon, 2002, pl. 4; one sold at Christie's London, 14^th June 2001, lot 588; and another from the Peony Pavilion collection sold at Christie's London, 12^th June 1989, lot 401, and again in our New York rooms, 14^th October 1993, lot 152. For examples of the latter design, see one published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Tokyo National Museum. Chinese Ceramics II, Tokyo, 1990, cat. no. 267; one in the Amaral Cabral collection illustrated in Azul e Branco de China, Lisbon, 1997, pl. 54; a third in Maria Antonia Pinto de Matos in Chinese Export Porcelain, Lisbon, 1996, pl. 59, from the collection of Anastacio Gonclaves; and a fourth sold in these rooms, 12^th July 2006, lot 76. Compare also a flask in Japan illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 832.