A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'LOTUS' MEIPING MING DYNASTY, YONGLE PERIOD |

of baluster form rising to a short everted neck, finely painted in shaded tones of cobalt blue with characteristic ‘heaping and piling’ with three lotus blooms and attendant buds among scrolling foliage, all between a band of detached lotus sprays around the foot and a classic scroll encircling the shoulder, the slightly recessed base left unglazed revealing a smooth white body

The vase was broken and restored with minor refilling on the upper part of the body and the neck as visible on the illustration in the catalogue.
"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 porcelains of the Yongle period (r. 1403-24) rank among the finest in the history of Chinese ceramics and their designs provided inspiration throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties. The present meiping, with its harmonious combination of foliate scrolls with lotus blooms gracefully draped over an elegant form, exemplifies the style and taste of early Ming imperial porcelain. Closely related meiping can be found in important museum collections worldwide; see one from the Qing Court Collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Hong Kong, 2008, pl. 32; one with a cover in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum’s exhibition Shi yu xin: Mingdai Yongle huangdi de ciqi/ Pleasingly Pure and Lustrous. Porcelains from the Yongle Reign (1403-1424) of the Ming Dynasty, 2017, cat. no. 52;  another in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, exhibited in Seika jiki ten [Exhibition of blue and white porcelain from the Shanghai Museum], Matsuya Ginza, Tokyo, 1988, cat. no. 10; and a fourth vase in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, The World's Great Collections, vol. 9, Tokyo, 1981, pl. 92. Compare also a slightly larger meiping painted with fruits, from the Nagoya tea ceremony collection, sold in these rooms, 8th April 2014, lot 3023.