A BLUE AND WHITE BAMBOO-SHAPED BIRDFEEDER MARK AND PERIOD OF XUANDE

skilfully potted with ridges simulating bamboo nodes with the top cut open to reveal the interiors, the exterior fitted with two small loop handles on one side and painted freely in various tones of cobalt-blue with lingzhi scrolls, the reverse inscribed with a horizontal six-character reign mark, the lobed ends decorated in cobalt-blue with a floral motif

Su Lin An collection.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 31st October 1995, lot 316.

The handle of the reverse of the character Ming has possibly been stabilised. There is also a star crack of approx. 4 cm to one end.
"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."

A closely related example, in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, is illustrated in Mingdai guanyao ciqi [Ming Imperial Porcelain], Shanghai, 2007, pl. 1-33. Two bamboo-shaped bird-feeders, one decorated with a flower scroll and the other, of slightly smaller size, with flower sprays, were recovered at the waste heaps of the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen and included in the Chang Foundation exhibition Xuande Imperial Porcelain Excavated at Jingdezhen, Taipei, 1998, cat. nos 52-2 and 54-3 respectively.

Bird rearing was popular at the Ming court and bird feeders were modelled in a variety of imaginative forms, often inspired by nature; for example, see a pomegranate-shaped bird feeder also recovered at the imperial kiln sites in Jingdezhen and included in the Chang Foundation exhibition, ibid., cat. no. 54-1; and a double-gourd shape example in this sale, lot 3696¿.