A very rare blue and white stembowl Yuan Dynasty

robustly potted, the generous-sized bowl with wide, rounded sides painted in rich tones of deep cobalt blue, the interior painted with a pair of mandarin ducks swimming in a lotus pond within a medallion, encircled by a wide band of classic scroll painted in a fine calligraphic-styled brush, the exterior painted with a composite lotus scroll with alternating views of the flowerhead, above upright lotus petal lappets containing a ruyi cloud and a circle skirting the base, all supported on a tall hollow splayed foot with horizontal fluting collared by thin blue stripes

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 20th May 1981, lot 684.
David Lin & Co.

The Taiwan Antique Dealers' Association 2002 Exhibition, Chang Foundation, Taipei, p. 9.

There are two adjacent C-shaped chips that have been restuck and restored (8cm and 6cm) with a 5cm hairline between the two chips. On the opposite side on the rim (where there is a glaze pull that has been fired orange), there is a 5cm hairline crack. The painting and rest of the vessel is in good condition.
"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."

Blue and white stembowls with the stem modelled after bamboo nods belong to a special group of wares made during the Yuan dynasty. For similar examples see a stembowl, the exterior painted with a chrysanthemum scroll design and the interior carrying a fourteen-character couplet in cursive script denoting that the bowl was used for drinking wine, in the Gao'an Museum, Jiangxi province, illustrated in Yuan and Ming Blue and White Ware from Jiangxi, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 16. Further two related stembowls, also in the Gao'an Museum, are published in Zhongguo taoci quanji, Shanghai, 2000, pls. 200 and 201.

Compare also a stembowl of similar design and of slightly smaller size, but without the ducks on the interior, sold in these rooms, 24th November 1981, lot 55.

Blue and white stembowls of the Yuan dynasty were often inspired by qingbai wares. It is believed that the first underglaze-blue decorated porcelain developed as a result of cobalt decoration used on qingbai and Shufu type wares. See a qingbai stembowl with a single horizontal fluting around the foot, in the Royal Ontario Museum, illustrated in Stacey Pierson (ed.), Qingbai Ware: Chinese Porcelain of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, London, 2002, pl. 48.