A FINE BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN 'THREE FRIENDS' JARLET MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG

of globular form with tapering sides and a short waisted neck with a lipped rim, brightly painted around the body in shaded tones of cobalt with entwined branched of gnarled pine bearing clusters of needles, twigs of flowering prunus and bamboo sprays, the 'Three Friends of Winter', below a band of classic scrolls around the shoulder and stylised clouds encircling the neck, the recessed base inscribed with a six-character mark within double circles in underglaze-blue

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 14th November 1989, lot 85.

The overall condition is very good.
"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."

A closely related jar was included in the Hong Kong Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Chinese Blue and White Porcelain, Art Gallery, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1975, cat. no. 108; one from the Frederick Knight collection was sold in these rooms, 18th May 1982, lot 42; another was sold in our London rooms, 9th November 2011, lot 200; and a fourth example was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 19th January 1988, lot 316, and again in these rooms, 8th October 2008, lot 2563. For a jarlet of this type but of smaller dimensions, see a pair illustrated in John Alexander Pope, Porcelains of the Frick Collection, vol. 7, New York, 1974, pls 65.8.124 and 125; a single jar published in Ma Xigui (ed.), Beauty of Ceramics. Blue and White Porcelain, Taipei, 1993, pl. 131; and another from the Goldschmidt collection, sold in these rooms, 13th November 1990, lot 5.