A BLUE AND WHITE VASE, HU QIANLONG SEAL MARK AND PERIOD

of archaistic hu form, well-painted in brilliant cobalt-blue tones with simulated 'heaping and piling', the baluster body encircled by two bands, the upper with continuous lotus scroll, the lower with a composite floral meander, all between slightly raised double-line borders, the shoulder set with animal mask and mock-ring handles, below the waisted flared neck decorated with ruyi-bordered stiff upright plantain leaves and a narrow wave band around the rim, the bottom register with a further wave band above a band of pendant petal panels encircling the high flared foot

Marchant and Son, London.

Private Irish Collection.

The blue and white 'lotus' vase is in very good condition with the exception of some minor glaze scratches.
"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."

Vases of this type belong to a group of Qianlong blue and white wares with decoration adapted from fifteenth century designs but on a Chinese bronze shape 'alien to the fifteenth century' (see Julian Thompson, 'Decorative Motifs on Blue and White Porcelain in the S.C. Ko Collection', Chinese Porcelain. The S.C. Ko Tianlinlou Collection, pt. II, Hong Kong, 1987, p. 31.). A closely related example in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in Porcelain of the National Palace Museum. Blue and White Ware of the Ch'ing Dynasty, bk. II, Hong Kong, 1968, pl. 2; and another was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8^th October 2008, lot 2566, and again at Christie's Hong Kong, 31^st May 2010, lot 1904.

This type of vase remained popular and continued to be made throughout the Qing period; for example see a Daoguang vase included in Geng Baochang, Ming Qing ciqi jiandong, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 510.