明嘉靖 青花鹿鶴同春紋葫蘆瓶 《大明嘉靖年製》款

the globular lower body rising from a short spreading foot to a smaller upper globular section with short narrow neck, brightly painted around the exterior in rich cobalt-blue tones with deer and crane in a landscape, the upper section with birds amidst shou character and prunus trees, all divided by classic scroll, lotus lappet and peach bands at the base, central section and neck, the base inscribed in underglaze-blue with the six-character mark   

倫敦佳士得1992年8月6日，編號294

This large vase is in good condition with the exception of a slight lean, a restored neck, some glaze firing imperfections including glaze pulls, adhered kiln grit, iron spots and some very minor glaze 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."

嘉靖皇帝一生篤信道教，潛心修煉，由此瓶身上之道教圖像可見一斑 ：仙鶴神鹿代表長生不老，更一語雙關——「六合」即東、西、南、北外加上、下共宇宙六方；岩石上見一壽字，代表道教宇宙能量之「氣」；「歲寒三友」松、竹、梅也是長壽、堅毅與忠貞的象徵。嘉靖年間，此類瓶似乎十分盛行，據載明宮廷於1547年下令製造十萬件青花葫蘆瓶（見《機暇明道: 懷海堂藏明代中晚期官窰瓷器》展覽圖錄，香港中文大學，香港，2012年，第247頁）。

台北國立故宮博物院藏有一瓶，與本品密切相關，載於《 故宮藏瓷‧明青花瓷》第5冊，台北，1963年，圖版4；另有一品，原屬Harry Oppenheim收藏，現寶蓄倫敦大英博物館，載於Jessica Harrison-Hall所著之《中國瓷器》，倫敦，2001年，圖版9:35；紐約大都會博物館藏有一作例，載於Suzanne G. Valenstein所著之《中國瓷器手冊》，紐約，1975年，圖版166；懷海堂另藏有一瓶，曾於《機暇明道》展覽中亮相，同上，編號64。