A FINE MING-STYLE BLUE AND WHITE PEAR-SHAPED EWER SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF DAOGUANG |

finely potted with an elegant pear-shaped body rising from a short foot to a waisted neck and flared rim, painted in vibrant tones of underglaze blue in Ming-style with two octofoil panels, one enclosing a fruiting and flowering peach branch, the other with a branch of loquat berries, all surrounded by leafy branches of chrysanthemum, camellia, rose and peony, the neck with a broad band of lotus blooms below overlapping plantain leaves, the foot with a scrolling border beneath a band of lappets, set on one side with a curved spout joined to the neck by a cross-strut painted with ruyi-head scrolls, opposite the arched strap handle surmounted by a small loop adorned with four lingzhi sprays above raised bosses, the base with a six-character seal mark

An English private collection.
Bonhams London, 12th May 2011, lot 332.

Recent Acquisitions, Marchant, London, 2012, cat. no. 50.

Good condition with just an insignificant original body line to the strap where it meets the spout.
"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."

Two prototypes of this design, which originated in the early Ming and was revived during the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty, are illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, London, 1986, vol. 2, pl. 618 and vol. 3, pl. 2565. A similar Daoguang ewer, included in the inaugural exhibition Selected Masterpieces of the Matsuoka Museum of Art, Matsuoka Museum, Tokyo, 1975, cat. no. 104, was sold in these rooms, 2nd April 1974, lot 372; another was sold in these rooms, 5th December 1995, lot 298; and a third from the Simon Kwan collection, included in the exhibition Imperial Porcelain of Late Qing from the Kwan Collection, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1983, cat. no. 9, was sold at Christie's Singapore, 30th March 1997, lot 202. For Qianlong examples, see one in the Grandidier collection in the Musée Guimet, Paris, accession no. 2687, and another included in the exhibition Recent Acquisitions, Marchant, London, 2009, cat. no. 38.