A MING-STYLE BLUE AND WHITE FACETED VASE MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG

the square body with chamfered corners painted on each side with a morning glory borne on a continuous foliate scroll, supported on a splayed foot encircled by a band of pendent ruyi-lappets enclosing floral sprays, the wide cylindrical neck decorated with similar elongated upright lappets below pendent trefoils and a key-fret border around the thick lipped rim, the neck further flanked by a pair of curved handles issuing from the mouths of moulded dragon heads with short horns, bulging eyes and sharp fangs, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark within double circles in underglaze blue

Christie's London, 3rd November 2009, lot 297.

A 'V'-shaped area of the neck (extending from the rim to the square centre) has been broken and restored with a couple of small refilled sections (max 2.5 x 3 cm) and further retouching. The base of both handles and the noses of the beasts have been restored and retouched. The foot has a curved crack with small associated losses, which has been restored with minor refill (to the unglazed footring and a 0.5 cm section to the exterior). A circular firing crack around the top of the foot, partially visible on the exterior, has also been retouched (mainly to the underside around the mark). There is also an associated 0.8 cm vertical hairline crack visible on the exterior.
"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."

This early Ming shape appears to have been a particular favourite of the Yongzheng emperor, although the Ming prototypes differ in design, with morning glories covering the whole vessel. The complex geometric shape, which is not a natural potter’s shape, was clearly influenced by metal prototypes, probably from the Middle East where facetted shapes are not uncommon. Basil Gray, in ‘The Influence of Near Eastern Metalwork on Chinese Ceramics’, Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 18, 1940-41, pls. 6c and d, compares a porcelain vase of this form to an earlier Persian bronze rose-water sprinkler in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, which is illustrated and also discussed in Assadullah Souren Melikian-Chirvani, Islamic Metalwork from the Iranian World. 8^th-18^th Centuries, London, 1982, pl. 5.

A closely related vase from the Qing Court collection, and still in Beijing, is illustrated in Gugong bowuguan cang Ming chu qinghua ci, Beijing, 2002, vol. 2, pl. 186, together with a Xuande mark and period prototype, vol. 1, pl. 83; one from the Meiyintang collection, published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 4, pt. II, London, 2010, pl. 1713, was sold several times at auction, most recently in these rooms, 5^th October 2011, lot 30; and another was sold in these rooms, 31^st October 2004, lot 181.