Lot 1893
  • 1893

A BLUE AND WHITE PEAR-SHAPED VASE, YUHUCHUN PING YUAN DYNASTY

Estimate
400,000 - 600,000 HKD
bidding is closed

Description

of elegant slender shape rising to a waisted neck and trumpet mouth, the body freely painted in deep purplish tones of cobalt-blue with a single peony scroll issuing open blooms, opening and closed buds, the slender undulating stems with curling tendils and the forked leaves with turned-over tips, all above a band of formal lotus lappets above the foot, with classic scrolls encircling the foot and the interior of the rim

Provenance

J.J. Lally & Co.
Christie's Hong Kong, 26th April 2004, lot 1023.

Condition

There is a hairline crack stemming down from the rim approx 3.9 cm, and which forks out approx 1.3cm. There are two ironspots on the interior of the 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."

Catalogue Note


It is rare to find yuhuchun ping with this elegant composition of a single scrolling peony stem, that twists around the body to enhance the graceful form of this vase. See three related examples with slight variations of design offered in these rooms; one decorated entirely with peony scrolls, 27th April 1993, lot 32, the second of slightly smaller proportions, 28th April 1992, lot 26, and the third, slightly larger yuhuchun ping, sold 29th October 2001, lot 522.

Compare also two vases decorated with chrysanthemums, presented by C.T. Loo to the British Museum in 1924, and to the Art Institute of Chicago; the first illustrated in Oriental Ceramics. The World's Greatest Collections, vol. 5, Tokyo, 1981, pl. 143, and the second included in the Exhibition of Masterpieces of Chinese Art under the Mongols. The Yuan Dynasty, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, cat. no. 144. For further examples of yuhuchun ping with various designs, see several published in Yuandai ciqi, Beijing, 1998, pp. 65-69.

This elegant form is derived from silver prototypes which have less pronounced flared rims; see a covered silver flask included in the Cleveland Museum of Art exhibition, op. cit., cat. no. 33d, where it is compared to identical flasks inscribed with the date corresponding to 1339AD, which were found in the hoard of silver discovered in 1955 at Hefei, Anhui province.