A Gilt-Decorated Brown-ground 'Three Boys' vase Qianlong Seal mark and Period

the lobed globular body rising to a tall neck with everted lip, supported on a splayed foot, covered overall in a brown glaze gilded with lotus scrolls throughout, the shoulder surmounted by two boys superbly modeled in the round with another boy at the foot, working cooperatively to tie an orange ribbon around the bottom of the neck, the upper neck with three halbert handles gilded with chrysanthemum sprays, the interior glazed turquoise, gilt six-character seal mark to the brown-glazed base

Sotheby Parke Bernet New York, 23rd - 24th April 1975, lot 371.

Some parts have been restored and reapplied to the vase, including the boy at the bottom, the head of another boy, and a handle. There is a chip to one of the topknots of a boy. There is wear to the gilding, especially at the 'back' and under the mouthrim.
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.

The imagery of boys playing together has been traditionally a popular theme in Chinese decorative arts and represents the strong desire for many sons and grandsons. The need for male heirs for families to perform ancestral sacrifices and to ensure the continuation of the family life-line was central to Confucian ideology. The three boys on this vase, depicted in the act of tying a ribbon around the neck of the vase, is an auspicious visual pun and a rebus for the phrase zisun ping'an which can be translated as 'peace among sons and grandsons', with the word for vase (ping) a homophone to the word for peace (ping'an). The ribbon (shoudai) is a pun for bringing longevity (shou). 

The shape of the vase is also highly auspicious with the body resembling the shape of a juicy peach. Consider a related vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 139. The Palace Museum vase is of the same form as the present vase and is similarly covered with a dark reddish-brown glaze and gilded decoration. However, instead of the three boys and the halbert handles, peaches of varied sizes can be found in relief around the neck. Peaches and fungus together represent the wish for longevity and intelligence (ling).

Only one other vase of this unusual shape appears to be recorded, from the Qing Court collection and in Beijing, decorated in the famille-rose palette with the same design of three boys tying a ribbon around the neck of the vessel in high relief, included in the exhibition China. The Three Emperors, The Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2006, cat.no. 301.