A BLUE AND WHITE 'PRUNUS' MEIPING VASE QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD

the curved sides supported on a double-pierced foot, rising to a rounded shoulder set with four semi-circular handles, surmounted by a short waisted neck with a lipped mouth, the exterior naturalistically painted in soft washes of cobalt-blue with a pair of butterflies, flying amidst a garden scene with a blossoming prunus tree, flanked by bamboo shoots and a peony branch springing from craggy rocks, wood stand

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 28th November 1979, lot 164 (one of a pair, the mate sold separately in lot 3115).

There is a small frit of 0.7 cm to one of the handles, and a faint body line of 7.8 cm along the luting line of the vase. Apart from some burst air bubbles and a few iron spots to the mouth, the vase is in overall very good condition.
"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 form are rare, although a closely related example from the Edward T. Chow collection was sold in these rooms, 3^rd May 1994, lot 163, and again at Christie's Hong Kong, 28^th November 2006, lot 1537, and is illustrated in Julian Thompson, The Alan Chuang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Hong Kong, 2009, pl. 35; and another was sold in our London rooms, 9^th June 1987, lot 261, and again at Christie's Hong Kong, 8^th October 1990, lot 340, from the Jarras Collection.

The quality of this meiping suggests that it is a product of the imperial kilns and the bold painterly rendering of the prunus tree indicates a late Kangxi to early Yongzheng attribution. The motif also imbues the present vase with auspicious significance: butterflies symbolise blessings and happiness as well as longevity, with two butterflies symbolic of marital happiness, plum blossoms herald spring to represent renewal and its five petals signify the wish for the Five Blessings (longevity, wealth, health, love of virtue and a peaceful death). The combination of butterflies amongst blooming flowers was a popular motif for weddings; thus this vase may have been presented on the occasion of a marriage.

This form appears to have inspired the Yongzheng meiping vase, characterised by a longer neck and three small loop-handles around the shoulder; see one covered in a robin's egg glaze in the Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, included in the exhibition Qing Imperial Porcelain, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1995, cat. no. 38; and a celadon-glazed example sold in these rooms, 7^th May 2002, lot 510.