AN EXTREMELY RARE BLUE AND WHITE LOBED VASE MING DYNASTY, CHENGHUA PERIOD

gracefully potted with an ovoid body divided vertically into four lobes, tapering to a small splayed foot, the broad shoulders sweeping up to a slender neck slightly flaring at the mouth and collared by a raised filet, finely painted in a rich grayish-blue cobalt on the body with four stylised lotus blooms borned on a continuous scroll with attendant trefoil leaves, set between interlinked heart-shaped chain around the shoulders and base, the foot further skirted by a lotus scroll, the neck encircled by a floral scroll, below a second scroll with smaller four-petalled flowers, all below a thin wave band

The overall condition is very good with only a 1cm glaze frit on the rim that has been polished down and another smaller frit that has a small fleck of dirt inside the exposed body. The vase has a very slight lean.
"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."

Blue and white wares of the Chenghua period are extremely rare and even rarer are those of this exceptional quality, unusual form and large size. The majority of extant Chenghua period vessels consist of smaller utility vessels such as bowl and dishes. The rarity of Chenghua porcelains can hardly be stressed enough. Liu Xinyuan describes the volume of fragments recovered from the site of the Ming Imperial kilns at Zhushan, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, where the Chenghua fragments equal less than half those unearthed from the Xuande stratum, even though the latter period was so much shorter. See Liu Xinyuan, 'Reconstructing Chenghua Porcelain from Historical Records', The Emperor's Broken China: Reconstructing Chenghua Porcelain, Sotheby's London, 1995, p. 11.

The present vase is closely comparable with three vases of similar form; the famous vase, from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (II), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 1, the vase with green enamelled decoration, from the collection of Anthony du Boulay, published in Anthony du Boulay, 'The Mind of a Collector', Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 62, 1997-1998, p. 55; and the vase sold at Christie's London, 7th June 1993, lot 46, painted in underglaze-blue with a floral scroll motif.

Chenghua porcelain in general, and this vase in particular, display a very distinct character both in terms of the material and the style of decoration. The decoration is expertly arranged and delicately painted, with the cobalt pigment much more even than it was in the earlier periods. Although the motif is stylized, the brushwork is soft and flowing. The glaze is of particular interest as it is very fine and muted, and covers the painting with a delicate veil. The surface is velvety and smooth to the touch with a distinct strong tenacity. The sensual pleasure one gets from touching Chenghua period porcelain is possibly unmatched by porcelains of any other periods.

Amongst the larger vessels made in the Chenghua period, see a bottle vase painted with phoenixes among lotus scrolls published in The Emperor's Broken China: Reconstructing Chenghua Porcelain, op.cit., pl. 47, together with a fragmentary ewer, pl. 48. Compare also a meiping attributed to the Chenghua period included in Geng Baochang, Ming Qing ciqi jianding, Hong Kong, 1993, p. 88, fig. 150, together with a guan jar, fig. 152.

The form of this vase appears to be inspired by earlier, Yongle period, vessels with similar baluster-form body and a long tubular neck with an angled disc-shaped collar but with a splayed foot and possibly used as a candle holder. For example, see a blue-and-white example offered in these rooms, 23rd October 2005, lot 337. In the Qianlong period the shape of the candle holder still appears to have been well known, since copies were made, painted with lotus scroll design in iron-red such as the vessel included in the exhibition Emperor Ch'ien-lung's Grand Cultural Enterprise, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2001, cat.no. IV-32.