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A FINE AND LARGE BLUE AND WHITE ROULEAU VASE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD
Estimate
120,000 - 180,000 USD
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Description
- ceramic
- Height: 18 inches, 45.7 cm
of cylindrical form with sides rising to a tapered neck, the body finely painted in washes of cobalt with Xu You in his field tending his two oxen kneeling before Emperor Yao standing beneath a parasol, the attendants holding fans and banners stand on the side by a chariot, all set between an incised band of flowers with a painted plantain leaf collar around the neck and a further incised wave band around the foot
Provenance
Sotheby's New York, 20th March 2007, lot 763.
Condition
In overall good condition.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
The scene on the vase depicts Emperor Yao, the first of the sage-kings of China's 'Golden Age' (the mythical period pre-Xia dynasty), going to ask Xu You, the reclusive sage and cowherd to take over running the government. Xu You was so shocked to hear the king's proposal that he had to go wash out his ears. Yao was an excellent head of state and Xu argued that such a competent and benevolent ruler did not need his help running the country. He is seen kneeling before the king.
The story is more a Daoist tale than a Confucian one; it indicates that one good ruler is sufficient and that holding office may actually be unfavorable to the very being of an individual, giving preference to a life of seclusion. By contrast, the Confucian principle would be that one is obligated to serve if the ruler were not corrupt or totally incompetent.
Compare a similar rouleau vase illustrating the same scene in the Butler Family Collection, illustrated in Julia Curtis, Chinese Porcelains of the Seventeenth Century, China Institute, New York, 1995, cat. no. 60.
The story is more a Daoist tale than a Confucian one; it indicates that one good ruler is sufficient and that holding office may actually be unfavorable to the very being of an individual, giving preference to a life of seclusion. By contrast, the Confucian principle would be that one is obligated to serve if the ruler were not corrupt or totally incompetent.
Compare a similar rouleau vase illustrating the same scene in the Butler Family Collection, illustrated in Julia Curtis, Chinese Porcelains of the Seventeenth Century, China Institute, New York, 1995, cat. no. 60.