A RARE BLUE AND WHITE BASIN QIANLONG SEAL MARK AND PERIOD

in the Ming style, following a fifteenth century Syrian form with high sides gently sloping inwards towards a wide everted rim, painted in rich cobalt-blue tones with a six-petalled floret formed of radiating ruyi heads and linked leaves divided by trefoils on long stems, all within a band of swirling waves, the well with a composite floral scroll and the rim with a broad frieze of swirling waves with breaking crests, the exterior with a further composite floral scroll below stylised leafy flowerheads, the base left unglazed except for a central recessed circle with a six-character Qianlong seal mark

An area of sympathetic restoration to the rim, measuring approximately 120mm along the rim and extending a maximum of approximately 55mm down into the body, possibly concealing a section to the rim which has been out and re-stuck. Elsewhere, minor surface wear, particularly to the interior and foot; and some burst air bubbles.
"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."

Vibrantly decorated in a brilliant cobalt blue, no other basin of this exact design appears to have been published and only three other Qianlong mark and period examples of this form and similar decoration are known; one from the Barros collection, illustrated and discussed in Regina Krahl, 'Unequal Twins', Arts of Asia, November-December 1997, pp 125-6, sold in these rooms, 2^nd December 1997, lot 201; another sold in our New York rooms, 22^nd March 2001, lot 101; and the third sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 1^st November 1994, lot 152. Each basin is decorated with a slightly different rosette in the centre, a variation of a flower scroll on the interior and exterior, and encircled with four, six or eight whirlpools on the rim.

Basins of this type derive from early fifteenth century originals which were revived during the Yongzheng reign (1723-35). Julian Thompson discusses in the introduction to the exhibition catalogue, Chinese Ceramics. The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, pt. II, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1987, pp 29-30, that the Qing blue and white wares were made 'to emulate the much admired porcelain of the classical periods of the preceding dynasty' and it is interesting to compare the Qing basins with the early Ming prototypes, such as one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the exhibition Mingdai chunian ciqi tezhan, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1982, cat. no. 45. The later basins follow the original closely in form and vary only in the details of the decoration. The 'heaping and piling' of the cobalt blue, a technique where Qing craftsmen deliberately tried to re-create the uneven tones of blue characteristic of early Ming blue and white wares, adds to the 15^th century style of this basin. For a Yongzheng example, see one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in Qingdai yuyao ciqi, vol. 1, pt. II, Beijing, 2005, pl. 46.

Regina Krahl, op. cit., p. 125, notes the form of this basin was inspired by 14^th century Mamluk brass  and silver basins which were adopted by craftsmen working during the Yongle period.