A BLUE AND WHITE 'THREE FRIENDS OF WINTER' JARLET MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG

of globular form with tapering sides and a short waisted neck and a lipped rim, freely painted around the exterior in delicate shades of underglaze-blue with entwined branches of gnarled pine bearing clusters of needles, twigs of budding prunus and bamboo sprays, the 'Three Friends of Winter', all below a 'classic' scroll band bordering the shoulder, the neck encircled with ruyi-shaped cloud swirls, the recessed base inscribed in underglaze-blue with a six-character reign mark within a double-circle, wood stand

Hosokawa Morisada Collection ten II – Shinno jiki, Persia no touki [Morisada Hosokawa Collection exhibition II – Qing porcelains and Persian ceramics], Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art, Kumamoto, 1993, cat. no. 13.

Morisada Hosokawa, Mokumei goshiki: Shinchō jiki [Bewildering colours: Qing Dynasty porcelains], Tokyo, 1992, no. 19.

There are four starcracks which are only visible on the interior, but the overall condition is otherwise quite good.
"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 jarlet in the S.C. Ko Tianminlou collection, is illustrated in Liu Liang-yu, A Survey of Chinese Ceramics, vol. 5, Taipei, 1991, p. 90 (top left); one was included in the Hong Kong Oriental Ceramic Society Exhibition of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain, City Museum and Art Gallery, Hong Kong, 1975, cat. no. 108; another was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 19th January 1988, lot 316, and again in these rooms, 8th October 2008, lot 2563; and a fourth example was sold twice in these rooms, 2nd May 1995, lot 62, and 8th October 2013, lot 3103.