Aiguière en porcelaine bleu blanc, zhihu Dynastie Ming, époque Yongle

l'élégante panse piriforme au col cintré se prolongeant vers des bords évasés, flanquée d'un fin bec verseur arqué relié au col par une traverse aux contours mouvementés et d'une grande anse galbée surmontée d'un petit anneau se terminant en pointe agrémentée de trois petits boutons, vivement peint des deux côtés en bleu de cobalt profond d'une large pivoine épanouie entourée de feuillage, sous une bande continue de lingzhi dans des rinceaux, l'anse décorée de lotus et le bec peint de chrysanthèmes, accidents et restaurations

Acquired in Constantinople by the French Ambassador François de Fumel under the reign of Henri II.
Thence by descent in the family.

There is a V-shaped crack to the lower part of the handle just below the lotus flower, it extends upwards ca. 1cm into the handle and around and runs along the back of the handle (just above where it joins the body) to the other side and around to join the V-shape. There is a ca. 1cm large associated chip/flake to the right side of the crack that has been reattached. A ca. 6cm long hairline is visible to the left side of the handle where it is applied to the body extending upwards into the body and ca. 3cm down the body below where the handle is applied to the body. There is a crack/break encircling the upper part of the handle where it joins the body with a small area of associated loss to the porcelain and glaze across a ca. 1.5cm wide on the left side above, an associated hairline extending ca. 5cm upwards into the rim. There is a second hairline running from the right side of the handle around the lower part of the neck, running just above the tenon where it joins the body and across the neck to the left side and joining the hairline that runs up into the rim. All of these are visible inside the neck under light. The end of the spout has been damaged and is missing a small part of the rim. There is a ca. 2cm long hairline extending from the exposed body of the rim into the spout and a ca. 2cm long part of the glaze missing from the lower part of the spout (possible a firing flaw?). The damage to the handle was restored badly in the past, the thick restoration was taken off and the damage made visible, stabilizing the hairlines and cracks. the blue is of deep and vivid blue tone, the transparent glaze bluish where it collects around the rim, the handle and spout. The painting is bold and lively.
"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."

Ewers of this form which originally had a matching cover, are considered among the classic porcelains of the Yongle period when ewer styles of the Hongwu reign (AD 1368-98) and the earlier Yuan Dynasty (AD 1279-1368) were developed and improved. Several examples recovered from the Yongle stratum of the Ming imperial kiln sites at Jingdezhen and included in the exhibition Jingdezhen chutu Ming Xuande guanyao ciqi, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1998, cat. nos. 57-59, illustrate the popularity of this form.

Ewers of this form were produced with many different flower or fruit designs. The present design with its lush peony blooms is, however, very rare. Only three other ewers of this pattern appear to have been recorded, two of them preserved incomplete: one ewer in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, with the bridge to the spout and the loop on the handle missing, is illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, ed. John Ayers, London, 1968, vol. II, no. 619; the second ewer missing part of its spout, from the Ardabil Shrine and now in the National Museum of Iran, Tehran, is published in T. Misugi, Chinese Porcelain Collections in the Near East: Topkapi and Ardebil, Hong Kong, 1981, vol. III, pl. A80; the only ewer of this design in good condition from the Meiyintang Collection, was sold in Sotheby's Hong Kong, 4th April 2012, lot 38.