AN EXTREMELY RARE SMALL BLUE AND WHITE DOUBLE-GOURD 'GRAPES' BIRD FEEDER MARK AND PERIOD OF XUANDE

with a globular lower bulb, a pear-shaped upper section, set on one side with a small circular lug to attach to the bars of a birdcage, outlined in blue and forming the starting point for a painted grape vine winding around the body, with large leaves and two bunches of grapes on the lower bulb and a single bunch on the upper, between a line border encircling the rim and spiralling mallow petals surrounding the base, the underside fully glazed and the interior and rim unglazed where it appears to have been supported during firing, the rim inscribed with a horizontal six-character reign mark in underglaze blue

Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 4, no. 1657.

There is a 8 mm hairline crack and a smaller approx. 5 mm to the rim.
"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 shape is extremely rare and the present piece may be unique. A gourd-shaped bird feeder with the gourd cut open horizontally and retaining its tip, illustrated in Geng Baochang, Ming Qing ciqi jianding [Appraisal of Ming and Qing porcelain], Hong Kong, 1993, p. 48, fig. 84, was sold in these rooms, 11th May 1983, lot 96, and again 19th May 1987, lot 237 from the collection of T.Y. Chao. Geng publishes also a line drawing of that piece, together with one of an upright gourd-shaped birdfeeder with a relief dragon, ibid., p. 49, fig. 85: 8 and 14. Compare also another unusual birdfeeder, of tubular form and ruyi-shaped section, painted with scrollwork, illustrated in Mingdai Xuande guanyao jinghua tezhan tulu/Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1998, cat. no. 6.