Lot Essay
The present jar belongs to a group of large blue and white jars and meiping of the 14th-16th centuries, depicting figures in landscapes and garden settings, that are taken from traditional literature and popular drama. The panoramic landscape scene is comparable to handscroll paintings of the early Ming period, although on the ceramic painting it required the joining of the scene at one side of the body by a series of stylized cloud scrolls to bring about an element of continuity.
The closest example to the present lot would be a blue and white jar from the Tianshun period (1457-1464), illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I) - The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong 2000, pp.198-199, pl.186.
Both jars have the same wave design around the foot and similar horses in panels on a wavy ground around the shoulder. Both jars are decorated with a central continuous scene depicting figures in a landscape, beneath rolled clouds. These latter are typical from early Ming period and have their origins in the Yuan dynasty.
Compare with two other jars sold in our New York Rooms, 29 March 2006, lot 423 and 22 March 2007, lot 308.
The closest example to the present lot would be a blue and white jar from the Tianshun period (1457-1464), illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I) - The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong 2000, pp.198-199, pl.186.
Both jars have the same wave design around the foot and similar horses in panels on a wavy ground around the shoulder. Both jars are decorated with a central continuous scene depicting figures in a landscape, beneath rolled clouds. These latter are typical from early Ming period and have their origins in the Yuan dynasty.
Compare with two other jars sold in our New York Rooms, 29 March 2006, lot 423 and 22 March 2007, lot 308.