A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'FIGURE' STEM CUP YUAN DYNASTY

with sides of the steep bowl rising to an everted rim, the interior finely painted with one of the Eight Immortals, Han Zhongli, seated cross-legged with cup and fan in hand, the cavetto painted in white slip with dragons, enclosed by a loosely painted 'classic scroll' below the mouthrim, the exterior decorated with flowering prunus branches and a crescent moon amongst clouds, set on a tall flaring triple-ribbed foot

One third of the bowl has been restuck from one large piece (approximately from 3 o'clock to 7 o'clock based on the catalogue illustration on p. 148). There is also a smaller attendant U-shaped chip from 2 o'clock to 3 o'clock. Therestoration does not attempt to mask the breaks. (A professional restorer could hide the breaks.) There are glaze gaps around the luting line at the joint of the base of the bowl to the foot. The base of the foot has a minor iron spot. The painting of the blue cobalt is very strong.
"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."

The present piece is unusual for its figural decoration on the interior, and it is rare to find Yuan blue-and-white bowls or dishes painted with figures. Only one other stemcup with a figural design, also of an Immortal but seated with his back turned under a willow tree and with a blooming chrysanthemum scroll on the exterior, appears to have been published, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Catalogue of Late Yuan and Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 1:26. For a dish painted with a lady approaching a censer on a table, see one sold in these rooms, 31^st October 1995; and a fragmentary dish with a figure under a willow tree, excavated from the Yuan remains at Luomaqiao, Jingdezhen, included in the exhibition Ceramic Finds from Jingdezhen Kilns (10^th-17^th Century), Fung Ping Shan Museum, Hong Kong, 1992, cat. no. 151. It is also uncommon to find Yuan stemcups decorated with prunus branches and a crescent moon on the exterior; see one included in Ye Peilan, Yuandai ciqi, Beijing, 1998, pl. 144; and another sold in these rooms, 21^st May 1979, lot 36.

Moulded dragons frequently adorned the interior well of Yuan stemcups, as seen in this piece; see another example, but decorated with the more common motif of dragons painted in cobalt on the exterior, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in the Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (I), Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 12; another in the Palmer Collection, included in Harry Garner, Oriental Blue and White Porcelain, London, 1954, pl. 2A; and a third example, from the Stephen Junkunc III Collection, sold at Christie's New York, 29^th March 2006, lot 420.

The combination of the prunus branch with the figure of the Immortal, Han Zhongli, endows this piece with auspicious meaning. Symbolising purity and perseverance, the five petals of the prunus blossom represent the Five Blessings, namely old age, wealth, health, love of virtue and a peaceful death. Longevity is implied through Han Zhongli, also referred to as Zhongli Quan, the leader of the Daoist Eight Immortals, who is characterised by his protruding stomach and his fan which has the magical ability of reviving the dead. Once a general in the Han army, he became an Immortal after meeting some in the Zhongnan mountains and assumed the position of patron saint of the military. The Eight Immortals were popular characters in Yuan dynasty dramas, and their images often graced Longquan celadon vessels produced during the period.