A BLUE AND WHITE VASE, HU MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

well potted, the ovoid body supported by a flared foot rising to a waisted neck, flanked at the shoulders by a pair of crisply-moulded zoomorphic mask handles suspending fixed rings, well painted in brilliant tones of underglaze blue with simulated 'heaping and piling' effect to the body with a band of lotus blooms on scrolling leafy stems above a composite flower scroll band, all between three raised double fillets, above a band of rolling crested waves, the foot with a band of pendant lappets, the neck with a band of upright plantain leaves, a band of crested waves around the mouth

Generally good condition - some minor areas of surface scratching
"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."

Compare a Qianlong vase of this form and design in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Porcelain of the National Palace Museum. Blue and White Ware of the Ch'ing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1968, pl. 2; another sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 30^th October 2002, lot 282; and a pair sold in our New York rooms, 27^th November 1990, lot 160.

Vases of this type belong to a group of Qianlong blue and white wares with decoration adapted from fifteenth-century designs but used on a Chinese bronze shape 'alien to the fifteenth century' (see Julian Thompson, 'Decorative Motifs on Blue and White Porcelain in the S.C. Ko Collection', Chinese Porcelain. The S. C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, pt. II, Hong Kong, 1987, p. 31). This type of vase remained popular and continued to be made throughout the Qing period; for example see a Daoguang vase included in Geng Baochang, Ming Qing ciqi jianding, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 510.