AN UNDERGLAZE-BLUE AND COPPER-RED 'IMMORTALS' WINE EWER, WARMER AND A COVER QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD |

of double gourd form, the upper bulb comprising the ewer with a loop handle, curved spout, and deep protruding cylindrical base, each decorated with underglaze-blue bats and copper-red lingzhi-shaped clouds, the lower bulb comprising the warmer, set with two beast-mask handles, all painted with the Eight Daoist Immortals in underglaze blue against a ground of swirling copper red waves, the recessed base glazed white and inscribed Gongshou tang zhi within a double square in underglaze blue, wood cover (3)

Acquired between 1960s-1980s, and thence by descent.

The upper bulb mouthrim is restored, few surface scratches, residual glue from labels to the base. A hairline crack approx. 2.6cm to the mouthrim of upper bulb. Abrasion to the glaze at the tip of the spout.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The hallmark found on this ewer is associated with porcelains produced during the Qianlong period, as noted in Geng Baochang, Ming Qing Ciqi Jianding [Connoisseurship of Ming and Qing Porcelains], Hong Kong, 1993, p. 383. Compare a similar wine warmer with a Yongzheng mark in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated in Warren E. Cox, The Book of Pottery and Porcelain, vol. II, New York, 1949, pl. 164, fig. 872. Another, in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, is inscribed with a Caihua tang zhi ('Hall of Brilliant Splendor') mark, acc. no. 911.8.60A-C. A third example, inscribed with a Yanghe tang zhi ('Hall for Cultivating Harmony'), in the collection of the Seikadō Bunko Art Museum in Tokyo, is illustrated in Seikadō zō Shinchō tōji. Keitokuchin kanyō no bi [Qing dynasty porcelain collected in the Seikadō. Beauty of Jingdezhen imperial kilns], Seikadō Bunko Art Museum, Tokyo, 2006, cat. no. 41. See also an example sold at Christie's Amsterdam, 10th May 2000, lot 269.  For wine ewers and warmers of similar form but decorated in underglaze blue with iron-red bats, see two attributed to the 18th/19th century and with Yanghe tang zhi marks, sold at Christie's New York, 18th September 2003, lot 321, and Christie's London, 11th November 2015, lot 623.