A BLUE AND WHITE SLEEVE VASE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD

of slender cylindrical form, painted with a scene of an official receiving a scholar and his acolyte while holding a sprig of flowers in his hand, two attendants stand closely behind bearing wrapped gifts, all within a garden landscape with craggy rockwork and various trees including pine, willow, and plantain, the waisted neck further painted with four leafy sprigs of blossoming tulips

Good condition. There is a small bruise in the glaze on the rim edge, which has discolored to a brownish color and an associated 1/8 in. crack. There are several other very fine hairline cracks in the glaze to the very rim edge presumably caused by firing stress. These are all extremely minor.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

According to Michael Butler, Margaret Medley, and Stephen Little in Seventeenth-Century Chinese Porcelain from the Butler Family Collection, Alexandria, 1990, porcelain pieces depicting tulips such as the present lot are often produced for the Dutch market. For an example of a vase in a similar form also painted with tulips, see ibid., no. 98.