Lot 391
Rare Ming-Style Blue and White Vase, Meiping, Qianlong Mark and Period (1736-1795)
Lot 391 Details
Rare Ming-Style Blue and White Vase, Meiping, Qianlong Mark and Period (1736-1795)
Masterfully potted, the broad shoulders elegantly tapering towards a hidden footring with the smooth sides decorated in a network of Ming-style scrolling composite foliates simulating the “heaping and piling” method, a band of overlapping plantain lappets create a border along the foot while a band of petal lappets surround the high shoulder
height 14.3" — 36.3 cm.
Estimate $150,000-$250,000
Additional Images
Provenance:
From the estate of Joseph Desmarais (1914-1978), an auctioneer at Fraser Brothers, Montreal from the late 1940’s until 1978. The vase was acquired prior to 1950 in Montreal, and thence by descent within the family
Note:
Well-known for his antiquarian tastes, many works commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor reflected earlier stylistic influences ranging from the archaic to the 15th century. Handsomely potted, this rare blue and white Ming-style meiping emulates many of these earlier characteristics from the form itself to the “heaping and piling” method of decoration.
Inspired by the shape of a young female body, the meiping was a highly prized but rare shape for Chinese pottery. Its form recalled earlier Song (960-1279) and Ming (1368-1644) tastes, as this type of vessel was especially popular during these periods. Additionally, the carefully controlled “heaping and piling” method used to decorate the vase was reminiscent of the 15th century when potters had not yet mastered the craft of firing the underglaze cobalt blue to achieve even, well-controlled tones. The resulting effect was areas of highly concentrated, pooling paint, which created near black tones. By the 18th century, many of these skills had been perfected and in a bid to reference the greatly admired porcelains of the previous dynasty, skilled craftsmen purposefully replicated the method of bold brushwork and sporadic bursts.
For a comparable to this vase, please see a pair from the collection of Evelyn Annenberg Hall, purchased from Frank Caro, New York in 1963, and sold at Christie’s New York March 29, 2006, lot 148
CONDITION DETAILS
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A PREMIUM LOT. ANY BIDDING ON THIS LOT REQUIRES PRE-APPROVAL FROM THE ASIAN ART DEPARTMENT AT LEAST 48 HOURS PRIOR TO THE SALE. Please contact [email protected] or 416.847.6185 for more information