A LARGE AND RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'PEONY' JAR, GUAN 13TH/ 14TH CENTURY

the baluster body rising from a slightly recessed base to pronounced shoulders surmounted by a short neck with rolled rim, boldly painted in cobalt-blue tones with a broad band of scrolling peony and lotus, each bloom borne on a continuous undulating leafy stem with attendant offshoot buds, finely articulated with petals and leaves lightly incised to allow for subtle veining, all above narrow classic scroll and lotus-lappet bands, the shoulder with a band of pendant lappets containing the bajixiang emblems, a leafy floral meander encircling the neck, the different registers of the decoration separated by double-line borders, with pronounced 'heaping and piling' accentuating the painterly brushstrokes against the faintly bluish white glaze, the base left unglazed to reveal the fine porcellanous body with remnant traces of glaze caught against the knife-cut grooves of the foot and the slightly countersunk centre

The jar has a circa 18cm crack running vertically along one side of the piece, this crack is also visible to the interior as a circa 3.5cm wide crack. Near to it is another 5cm crack which runs horizontally across the jar. There is also a large star crack to the exterior of the other side of the jar, the vertical line is 12cm and the horizontal one is 14cm, this can also be seen to the interior. There is also three other star cracks to the interior. There is a 0.2 x 0.2cm circular chip, other minute glaze chips and minor surface scratches around the body. The rim has general nibbling and areas of glaze pool with the largest measuring 2.5 x 0.5cm. There is a yellowish-brown discolouration to the glaze to approximately half the jar, which is slightly more prominent at the base.
"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."

The present jar is a example of this classic Yuan vessel type, however, the combination of the peony and lotus scroll band design on the main body together with the bajixiang emblems around the shoulder within a border of pendant lappets is unusual. A jar with this rare design band combination was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 10^th April 2006, lot 1666. See also a jar included in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 2, London, 1994, pl. 64, originally sold in these rooms, 27^th October 1992, lot 29.

Peony jars of the 14^th century are painted with vigour, and this jar is characteristic of this special group of wares. Compare four related examples, all with the more common lotus scroll around the shoulder; in the Shanxi Provincial Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo wenwu junghua daquan. Taoci juan, Hong Kong, 1993, no. 551; in the Shanghai Museum, published in Wang Qingzheng, Underglaze Blue and Red, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 24; one probably in a Japanese private collection illustrated in So Gen no bijutsu, Tokyo, 1980, pl. 198; and a fourth piece sold in these rooms, 7th June 1988, lot 211A.

The decoration of panels of bajixiang emblems and flaming pearls are rarely found on the shoulders of Yuan jars of this form. This design was more commonly used on larger vessels with tall and narrow cylindrical neck such as the famous jar painted with phoenixes, lotus and chrysanthemum, from the Percival David collection and now in the British Museum, London, included in Stacey Pierson, Blue and White for China. Porcelain Treasures in the Percival David Collection, London, 2004, pl. 2.

Another unusual aspect of this vessel is the thin floral scroll around the neck. Vessels of this type are usually decorated with a wave band, a classic design of the period discussed by Kikutaro Saito in 'The Yuan Blue-and-White and the Yuan Drama in the Middle of the 14^th Century', Kobijutsu, no. 18, July 1967 (pt. I) and no. 19, October 1967 (pt. II).