AN UNDERGLAZE-BLUE AND COPPER-RED INSCRIBED ‘MAGPIE AND PLUM BLOSSOM’ VASE QING DYNASTY, YONGZHENG PERIOD

sturdily potted with a slightly tapered cylindrical body rising from a concave base to an angular shoulder, sweeping up to a straight neck and mouth collared with a raised band, one side of the exterior painted in bright washes of cobalt blue and copper red with a pair of magpies perched on a blossoming plum tree, flanked by a leafy bamboo and a lofty pine tree, the reverse inscribed in cursive script with a poem, between two red seals reading Taocheng Tang (‘Hall of Accomplished Porcelain’) and Wu Pei zhi (‘made by Wu Pei’)

The overall condition is very good with only some surface scratches and minor firing flaws such as burst air bubbles.
"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 piece is notable for the craftsman’s command of the cobalt blue and copper red pigments through which he depicts a most naturalistic scene of the popular bird and flowers motif. Careful washes of underglaze blue give the birds, branches and rockwork a sense of three dimensionality while the precise intricate detail in which the feathers and flowers are rendered are similar to what would be found on the court paintings that served as the inspiration for the present piece.

 

A vase painted with the 'Three Friends of Winter' in a similar style to the present, on a meiping and with a Yongzheng reign mark and of the period, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Gugong Bowuyuan cang Qingdai yuyao ciqi [Porcelains from the Qing dynasty imperial kilns in the Palace Museum collection], vol. 1, pt. II, Beijing, 2005, pl. 58; and a blue and white vase of baluster form depicting birds in branches was sold at Christie’s London, 23^rd October 1973, lot 188.