A blue and white vase, yuhuchunping, Qianlong seal mark and period - Sotheby's
elegantly potted, the pear-shaped body rising from a spreading foot to a waisted neck flaring at the rim, painted to the exterior with bamboo and plantain in a fenced garden above a lappet band, the neck encircled with stiff leaves, floral scroll and ruyi bands, the foot with demi florets, inscribed with a six-character seal mark; 28.5cm., 11 1/4 in. Estimation: 250,000 - 350,000 GBP
PROVENANCE: A Philadelphia Private Collection, circa 1940s-50s (by repute).
An Irish Private Collection.
NOTE: The landscape design seen on this magnificent vase originated in the early Ming dynasty when this combination ofmotifs became popular amongst the literati for its auspicious connotation. Bamboo represents longevity, endurance and loyalty as it remains green in winter and does not break easily in the wind; while the plantain tree is the symbol of education. Classical legends tell the tale of a scholar who wrote on plantain leaves as he was too poor to afford any paper. Rocks stand for durability and steadfastness, and are generally associated with reliability and friendship.
For the prototype of this vase see one attributed to the Yongle period, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 33; and another attributed to the Xuande period, also in the Palace Museum published in Yeh Peilan, Appraising Ancient Chinese Ceramics, Taipei, 1994, pl. 83. While in shape and decoration Qing examples are undoubtedly inspired by Ming dynasty pieces, the brushwork and painting style in these later examples are much more detailed and fine, with the cobalt blue also of brighter tone. The neck has also become wider and the body of more bulbous profile in the Qing period.
Compare a similar Qianlong vase in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, published in Porcelain of the National Palace Museum. Blue and White Wares of the Ch’ing Dynasty, Book II, Hong Kong, 1968, pl. 12; another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji, vol. 11, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 12; and a third example, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2010, lot 2773.
For earlier Qing examples see a yuhuchunping in the Palace Museum and illustrated in Ming chu qinghua ci, Beijing, 2002, p. 328, no. 175, where it is attributed to the Kangxi period; and another Kangxi vase sold at Christie’s New York, 16th September 2011, lot 1515. Similar vessels were also made during Yongzheng’s reign; see one published in Gugong Bowuyuan cang Ming chu qinghua ci, vol. 2, Beijing, 2000, pp. 354-5, pl. 190; and another offered at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th November 2011, lot 2937.
Late 18th and 19th century versions of this vase include a Jiaqing mark and period piece sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 5th November 1997, lot 1471; a Daoguang example sold in these rooms, 6th June 1995, lot 235; a Xianfeng vase, from the Weishaupt collection, sold in our Amsterdam rooms, 30th October 1995, lot 4; and a Tongzhi vase included in the exhibition Imperial Porcelain of Late Qing from the Kwan Collection, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1983, cat. no. 91, and sold at Christie’s Singapore, 30th March 1997, lot 245. However, the painting style and the spacing of the design on these later pieces is noticeably different from the Yongzheng and Qianlong versions.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. London | 15 mai 2013 - www.sothebys.com