AN EXTREMELY RARE SMALL CLOISONNE ENAMEL 'FISH' JAR MARK AND PERIOD OF JIAJING |

of ovoid form surmounted by a short neck and gently lipped rim, brightly decorated against a turquoise ground of rippling waters with eight freely swimming fish, the fish depicted in pairs and alternating with four pairs of lotus blooms, surmounted by a turquoise-ground red ruyi border encircling the neck, the flat gilt base incised with a six-character reign mark

As visible in the catalogue photo, the neck and mouth rim is slightly dented. Minor dents and rubbing to the gilding at the base. Small areas of the enamels have flaked away and been retouched.
"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."

Jiajing reign-marked cloisonné enamel is extremely rare. As carefully researched and discussed in Beatrice Quette, ed., Cloisonné: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, New York, 2011, p. 156, only seven pieces have been recorded, all currently in museum collections. The closest example is a covered jar decorated with cranes and clouds in the Phoenix Art Museum, included in the exhibition Chinese Cloisonné. The Clague Collection, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, 1980, cat. no. 7. It shares the same form as the current jar, and is similarly enamelled in rich and brilliant enamels, the spontaneity of the cranes matching that of the fish on the current jar, with closely related freely decorated design elements, including the distinct manner in which the red ruyi border spills out of the bold gilt cloisons. Both jars are incised with six-character marks, the Phoenix Art Museum jar with the less commonly found nianzao mark.

A ‘dragon’ dish in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 46, shares the same incised nianzhi mark as on the current jar. Others include a ‘phoenix’ bowl and ‘dragon’ dish in the Pierre Uldry Collection, illustrated in Helmut Brinker and Albert Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, London, 1989, pls 70 and 71; a dish collected by the Beijing Cultural Relics Company, and a shou character bowl and covered box in the collection of the Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, illustrated in Quette, ibid., pp. 243-244, cat. nos 38 and 39. 

Jiajing works of art are brimming with Daoist imagery. Most common, however, are auspicious motifs intended to protect the Emperor against the vicissitudes of fortune. The fish-and-waterplant motif has similarly been interpreted as a combination of auspicious symbols in the exhibition catalogue Power and Glory: Court Arts of China’s Ming Dynasty, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, 2008, p. 210, where in connection with an ink painting of this subject by Miu Fu (active 1426-1435) it is explained that the fish represent phallic symbols, that the Chinese word for ‘fish’ is a homophone for ‘abundance’ or ‘profit’, the arrowroots imply compassion and benevolence, and the water lily symbolises peace and safety. Jiajing porcelain jars decorated in wucai enamels with the same design as the current jar are recorded in varying sizes in museum and private collections, including an example from the collection of the Walters Art Museum, sold in our New York rooms, 11th/12th September 2012, lot 262. This, however, is the only example of the period in metalwork and is an extremely rare legacy of the period.