A RARE FINELY-PAINTED BLUE AND WHITE 'LANDSCAPE' CUP KANGXI MARK AND PERIOD |

finely potted, of beaker form, supported on a tall straight foot, the steep, gently flaring sides rising to an everted rim, the exterior superbly painted in shades of underglaze blue with a continuous scene depicting a procession of bullock carts approaching the gates of a walled city, the surrounding landscape finely detailed with washy dots, with faint washes above suggesting the peaks of a mountain range in the background, all enclosed within double line borders, the interior with a circular medallion enclosing two huts within a landscape, the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue  

Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978). 

The cup has an approx. 4.5 x 6 cm V-shaped section out and re-stuck, with small associated chip to rim; and there is a long hairline crack.
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.

This delicate cup is an outstanding example of the high level of skill of porcelain artists working at Jingdezhen during the Kangxi period. Despite the small surface of the cup, the craftsman has successfully evoked the depth of the landscape by skillfully using inky washes of underglaze blue in techniques reminiscent of ink painting. Another Kangxi mark and period cup of the same subject, possibly the pair to the present cup, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is illustrated in Rose Kerr, Chinese Ceramics. Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty 1644-1911, Chicago, 1998, pl. 41.