A large blue and white double-gourd vase Ming Dynasty, Jiajing Period

of hour glass shape, painted in bright blue cobalt on both the top and bottom lobe with figural vignettes enclosed within quatrefoil panels, the lower lobe decorated with scenes of the 'Four Scholarly Accomplishments' of reading, appreciating painting, playing chess and playing the qin, the upper lobe decorated with the 'Eight Immortals', the lobes divided by a narrow waist painted with four cranes, each enclosed within a quatrefoil panel, all reserved on a dense diaper ground and bordered at the rim and middle sections with linked ruyi heads

A Private Japanese Collection.

A 2cm section of the rim has been repainted covering a restuck chip. There is a long 20cm hairline extending vertically from the base of the vessel (the scene with scholars reading). The rim and luting lines around at the joints of the middle section have characteristic fritting to the glaze. However, the overall condition is still quite good.
"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."

Double gourd vases of this type are known painted with variations of this design; see one with the panels on the body depicting Immortals and with a longer neck enclosing characters, sold at Christie's London, 15^th June 1999, lot 63. Compare also a double gourd vase of this type, similarly decorated but with various shaped panels of figures and birds on a trellis-pattern ground, sold at Christie's New York, 30^th March 2005, lot 348.

A special container for the liquor of immortality, the gourd is carried by Shoulao, the God of Immortality. Thus the symbolic associations carried by double gourd-shaped vessels were especially relevant in light of the reigning monarch's quest for immortality.