A COPPER-RED AND UNDERGLAZE-BLUE 'BAT AND CLOUD' JAR QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

the ovoid body rising from a recessed base to a lipped rim, the exterior painted in underglaze-red with bats in flight amidst vaporing cloud scrolls outlined in blue, all enclosed between double line borders, the shoulder with four prunus florets set against a trellis diaper border

This jar is in good condition. There are a three small firing cracks to the unglazed foot. The under glaze red and blue is a little lighter than depicted in the catalogue.
"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."

Although vases decorated with the auspicious design of bats amongst swirling clouds are well known, this piece is unusual for the detailed and naturalistic depiction of large bats in copper red among clouds rendered in underglaze blue and red. No other related example appears to have been published although variations of the subject can be found on vases of different forms; see a tianqiuping decorated with bats and clouds hovering above rockwork, but rendered almost in silhouette and with bands of ruyi and stiff leaves at the shoulder and neck, from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Catalogue of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 212; and a pear shape vase with related decoration, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 19^th November 1978, lot 277. See also an ovoid jar with a related motif of clouds in underglaze blue and stylised iron red bats, with a Qianlong seal mark and of the period, sold in our Los Angeles rooms, 2^nd November 1981, lot 329.

Bats have traditionally been a symbol of good fortune and red bats are particularly auspicious as red is the colour that wards off demons and is homophonous to the word 'enormous' (hong) to indicate great fortune. The design of bats and clouds represents vast happiness piled up to the sky. Jan Stuart, in the Min Chiu Society exhibition catalogue Joined Colors. Decoration and Meaning in Chinese Porcelain, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., 1993, p. 97, explains that 'the symbol of a red bat is combined with colored clouds that represent the upper limits of heaven (hongfu qitian). The words for bat and happiness have the same sound, fu, while the word 'cloud' (yun) is a homonym for the word 'luck'.