Vase en bambou sculpté Chine, dynastie Qing, époque Qianlong (1736-1795)

de forme balustre à décor de quatre enfants en relief se faisant la courte échelle, le col légèrement évasé agrémenté de frises de grecques et de palmes, les anses en forme de tête d'éléphant, la panse sculptée de masques de taotie

Few chips at the rim and on the sides of the vase, a shock associated with a loss on the ear of one of the elephant's head, a scratch on the lower side of the vase, a tiny chip at the bottom rim
"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 vase is notable for the charming carving of boys climbing the sides. Traditionally a popular theme in Chinese decorative arts, the imagery of boys at play represents the strong desire for many sons and grandsons. The need for male heirs to perform ancestral sacrifices and to ensure the continuation of the family line was central to Confucian ideology. Four boys with a vase represents the wish for peace in the four seas (sihai shenping), meaning the universe.

Compare a similar 18th century bamboo vase with boys supporting an archaistic vessel with elephant handles and taotie carvings in the Hai Po collection in Taiwan, illustrated in Zhu mu ya jiao qi zhen shang, (Bamboo, wood, ivory and horn carvings), Wen Pei Art publishing co., Taipei 1995, no.41 p.31. The subject of boys supporting or surrounding vessels, which were usually archaistic in form, appeared from the early Ming period and continued into the Qing; For example see a jade carving of three boys climbing a vase attributed to the early Ming dynasty, in the Sammy Chow collection, included in the exhibition Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1980, cat. no. 137; and a porcelain famille-rose vase decorated with three boys modelled in the round, with a Qianlong reign mark and of the period, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition China. The Three Emperors, The Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005, cat. no. 301. The same design of boys helping each other to climb to the edge of a vase is also found on a Qianlong period famille-rose vase in the Musée Chinois de l'impératrice Eugénie in the Chateau de Fontainebleau, France