A RARE 'SWEET-WHITE' (TIANBAI) YUHUCHUNPING WITH LOTUS SCROLLS MING DYNASTY, YONGLE PERIOD

of broad pear shape with waisted neck, flared rim and low foot, decorated around the widest part with an incised lotus scroll with four large blooms among foliage, a border of billowing waves below and sprays of lotus, rose, peony and camellia at the neck below upright leaves and a classic-scroll border, leaving the uppermost area at the rim undecorated, all covered with a smooth white glaze

Sotheby's New York, 23rd September 1997, lot 263.

Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 4, no. 1631.

There is a long 12 cm hairline crack from the neck down to about the shoulder. The glaze has a minor burst bubble. The incising is very crisp.
"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."

Monochrome white bottles of this form are surprisingly rare, as this shape is well known in the Yongle period in blue and white, and those that exist are rarely incised with a lotus design. A similar white bottle with incised pomegranate design is illustrated in The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1991, pl. 60; another from the Baur Collection, Geneva, in John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, Geneva, 1999, vol. 1, pl. 60; and a fragmentary piece with flower scroll design, converted in the Ottoman period into a drinking flask (matara) by addition of metal mounts, is published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, London, 1986, vol. 2, no. 635. A blue and white version is published in Porcelain of the National Palace Museum. Blue-and-White Ware of the Ming Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1963, book 1, pp. 44f., pl. 2.