An unusual blue and white truncated vase Mark and Period of Yongzheng

well-potted with a round squat body with curved sides extending to a broad low foot, loosely painted in 'Ming-style' with detached sprigs of peonies, camellias, wintersweet, pomegranates, peaches, and persimmons, the inky cobalt with 'heaping and piling' characteristic of Ming blue and white, all set between a trefoil lappet collar draping the shoulders encircling the short neck, and upright lotus petal lappets skirting the foot, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark in kaishu within double-circles

The vase is in very good condition with the exception of a small 2mm bruise to the exterior (located on the peach sprig) and a corresponding star crack on the interior extending to another smaller star crack below (visible only on the interior).
"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."

Delicately proportioned and painted, this piece is an example of the unprecedented levels of refinement and sophistication characteristic of porcelain manufacture during the Yongzheng period. The high level of technical and artistic achievement by these Qing craftsmen is evident in the brilliant hues of cobalt, which have been applied using the 'heaping and piling' technique to create a stippled effect to simulate early-Ming blue and white ware. The glossy sheen of the pristine white porcelain body further enhances the intensity of tones of the fruiting and flowering branches design, which also derives from early Ming decorative innovations.

A closely related vase with its original cover is illustrated in Qingdai yuyao ciqi, vol. 1, pt. II, Beijing, 2005, pl. 38; together with a vase of this form, but decorated with a pair of archaistic phoenix and also with cover, pl. 37; and a slightly smaller example painted with a fifteenth-century style lotus scroll was sold in these rooms, 25^th November 1981, lot 220. Compare also small vases of this type, but of baluster form and decorated with various designs; such as one painted with a lotus scroll and another vase with circular panels of peaches and bats, published ibid., pls 35 and 36.

For a Xuande prototype decorated with an interlocking lotus flower design, see one in the Qing court collection, and still in Beijing, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 106; and a small jarlet with cover painted with a begonia flower scroll, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsuan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1998, cat. no. 7.