A RARE WHITE-GLAZED 'BEEHIVE' WATERPOT KANGXI MARK AND PERIOD |

of classic 'taibai zun' form, the domed hemispherical body with rounded sides tapering to a short waisted neck, the exterior finely molded and carved with three coiled chilong medallions, the exterior applied with an even milky-white glaze, the countersunk base with a three-column six-character reign mark in underglaze blue 

Frank Caro, New York, 9th January 1964.
Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978). 

The water pot is in good overall condition with three short faintly-stained glaze cracks to the interior of the rim.
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.

Beehive waterpots of this shape are well-known with peachbloom glazes but those covered in other monochrome glazes were produced in smaller numbers. A closely related waterpot in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, is illustrated in Kangxi Porcelain Wares, Hong Kong, 1998, pl. 228; one from the Qing Court Collection, is published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 111; another in the Koger Collection, illustrated in J. Ayers, Chinese Ceramics. The Koger Collection, London, 1985, pl. 139, was sold in our London rooms, 16th May 2012, lot 171; another from the Riesco Collection, illustrated in Edgar E. Bluett, The Riesco Collection of Old Chinese Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1951, pl. 61 (right), was sold in our London rooms, 11th December 1984, lot 430; and a fifth example exhibited on loan at Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, from the collection of Mrs Yale Kneeland, was sold in our New York rooms, 1st June 1994, lot 371, and again at Christie's Hong Kong, 26th April 1999, lot 507. Compare also a similar waterpot sold twice in our Hong Kong rooms, 20th November 1984, lot 471, and again, 5th April 2017, lot 3607.