A FINE AND RARE BLUE AND WHITE VASE, YUHUCHUNPINGSEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG |

well potted with a pear-shaped body supported on a gently splayed foot, elegantly rising to a waisted neck and flared rim, the exterior painted in bright cobalt blue with long leafy stems of bamboo and plantain growing beside craggy rocks, amongst a fenced garden landscape with further flowering sprays above a lappet band, all below upright plantain leaves, a foliate scroll and pendent trefoils around the neck, the foot skirted with a band of demi florets, inscribed to the base with a six-character seal mark

Acquired in Hong Kong, 1986.

Chinese Porcelain in the S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1987, cat. no. 62.
Blue and White Porcelain from the Tianminlou Collection, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1992, cat. no. 87.
Tianminlou qinghua ci tezhan [Special exhibition of blue and white porcelain from the Tianminlou collection], Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 1996.

Blue and White Porcelain from the Collection of Tianminlou Foundation, Shanghai, 1996, no. 93.

The vase is in fine condition, with only minor expected firing flaws including a minute glaze pull on the rim, and surface scratches.
"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."

Expertly crafted with an elegant round body tapering to a flared neck, this vase epitomises the height of early Qing porcelain production at Jingdezhen, when craftsmen strived to design innovative wares as well as recreate historical masterpieces that acted as reminders of China’s glorious past. Such developments were realised by the hands of highly skilled and creative potters under the instruction of talented superintendents, such as Tang Ying (1682-1756) who was active at Jingdezhen in the Yongzheng and early Qianlong reigns. Equally crucial was the early Qing Emperors’ eagerness to revive the celebrated porcelain tradition as a means to legitimise their right to rule. From the Yongzheng reign, treasured antiquities were sent to the Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen to be copied and the Qianlong Emperor increased such commissions. Underglaze blue porcelains of the early Ming dynasty were particularly appreciated, as evidenced in Tang Ying’s record of official porcelain from 1732, which lists copies both of Yongle and Xuande blue and white wares. While the auspicious motif on this vase first appeared in the Hongwu reign, it is most likely that the Qing version was based on a Yongle prototype, such as a vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (I), Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 33. The arrangement of flowers and rocks, the depiction of lappets and the scroll band at the neck, as well as the small lotus flowers at the foot are very similar.

Scenes of sophisticated gardens with fantastic rocks, bamboo, banana trees and other plants began to be painted on blue and white porcelain during the Yuan dynasty, where the motif proved most popular among a Middle Eastern audience who was attracted by the exotic nature of these plants. In the Ming dynasty, the design took a highly symbolic character and embodied the qualities and virtues of the scholar. Bamboo symbolises longevity, endurance and loyalty, as it remains green in winter and does not break in the wind. Rocks symbolise durability and steadfastness and are associated with reliability and friendship. Plantain leaves on the other hand, are one of the fourteen treasures of the scholar and represent education and self-cultivation. Banana leaves were used for practicing calligraphy by famous historical figures and poets, including Huaisu (c. 735-c.799). The Qianlong Emperor himself is portrayed writing on a banana leaf as Prince Hongli in the anonymous painting Prince Hongli Practicing Calligraphy on a Banana Leaf, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition China: The Tree Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005, cat. no. 187.

A closely related vase in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in Porcelain of the National Palace Museum. Blue and White Wares of the Ch’ing Dynasty, vol. II, Hong Kong, 1968, pl. 12; one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji [Complete series on Chinese ceramics], vol. 15, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 12; another was sold in our New York rooms, 20th March 1976, lot 174, and again at Christie’s New York, 17th September 2008, lot 459; and a fourth example was sold Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th May 2006, lot 1410, and again in these rooms, 8th October 2010, lot 2773.

Vases of this design were made from the Yongzheng reign through the Xuantong period; a closely related vase is illustrated together with examples from the Yongzheng, Daoguang, Xianfeng and Tongzhi reigns in the Shanghai Museum in Lu Minghua, Qingdai Yongzheng – Xuantong guanyao ciqi [Qing dynasty official wares from the Yongzheng to the Xuantong reigns], Shanghai, 2014, pls 3-107 and 3-32.