A BLUE AND WHITE 'ROSETTE' MOONFLASK, BIANHU MING DYNASTY, YONGLE PERIOD

modelled after a Middle Eastern metal prototype, the flattened spherical body rising to a waisted neck and a small bulb-shaped mouth, set with two elegantly arched strap handles ending in a leaf-shaped terminal, freely painted in deep tones of cobalt accented with 'heaping and piling', the domed circular front and back with a formal rosette centred by a yin-yang medallion within a ring of petal lappets, surrounded by a radiating eight-pointed starburst of alternating foliate and floral motifs, the larger leaves dotted at the apex, all within a formal 'half-cash' diaper border around the edge, the upper bulb picked out with a narrow band of asters and carnations between double-line borders repeated at the rim and a single fillet collaring the neck, the handles outlined with double lines and decorated with a spray of lotus at the terminus, above two blue lines running down the narrow sides, covered overall with a glossy glaze of fine, smooth texture, the low rounded square foot ring left unglazed, wood stand

Christie's Hong Kong, 30th May 2005, lot 1451.

The lower section of the vase, from the base to below the pair of handles, has been extensively restored and retouched. It is probably to conceal some cracks, which are now only partially visible, such as a 4.5 cm section at the shoulder below one of the handle, and another 3 cm vertical section below near the central medallion (very likely the extension of the same crack). The top sections of both handles have been slightly restored (2 and 1.3 cm respectively). Areas of the unglazed footring have also been restored and the recessed base is covered with overpaint. There is also a 1.5 cm hairline crack to the mouth.
"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 flask represents one of the archetypal wares created at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen during the early Ming dynasty and gained favour with both Chinese rulers and foreign royalty. It belongs to a group of vessels that was inspired by Persian prototypes and created a new stylistic avenue for Chinese porcelain. These flasks were produced in slightly varying sizes, and the slender angular bulb and short foot of the present piece are characteristic of the larger flasks made during the Yongle period.

Closely related examples of slightly smaller size include one in the collection of the Ottoman sultans in Turkey, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, London, 1986, vol. 2, pl. 616; one from the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, included in the exhibition Seika jiki ten, Matsuya Ginza, Tokyo, 1988, cat. no. 16; and another, from the Jingguantang and Huang Ding Xuan collections, included in the exhibition In Pursuit of Antiques. Thirty-Fifth Anniversary Exhibition of the Min Chiu Society, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1995, cat. no. 124, sold in these rooms, 29th October 1991, lot 29, and twice at Christie's Hong Kong, 3rd November 1996, lot 545, and, 28th November 2006, lot 1512. Another flask of this type was sold in our Paris rooms, 18th December 2009, lot 65.

The design and shape of this flask appear to have derived from Near or Middle Eastern pottery or metal prototypes, although no exact counterpart has yet been found. Its possible origin is discussed in Margaret Medley, 'Islam and Chinese Porcelain in the 14th and Early 15th Centuries', Bulletin of the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, no. 6, 1982-4, where a Xuande-marked flask in the Sir David Percival collection is illustrated, fig. 11; and in John Alexander Pope, 'An Early Ming Porcelain in Muslim Style', Aus der Welt der Islamischen Kunst. Festschrift für Ernst Kuhnel, Berlin, 1959, where another blue-and-white flask is published, pl. 3B, together with a large inlaid brass canteen with similar strap handles and 'garlic' mouth, pl. 1B, the latter from the Eumoforpoulos Collection, sold in our London rooms, 5th June 1940, lot 72, and now in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.