Lot Essay
Cf. the very similar urn from the Mottahedeh Collection, illustrated by D. S. Howard and J. Ayers, op.cit., vol. II, p.557, no.575, where the authors state that this shape can be traced back to designs by Stefano della Bella of the late 16th/early 17th Century when he was working for Ferdinand de Medici. However, it was a Wedgwood model that the Chinese first copied in about 1790. The pistol handles, moulded reliefwork and marbled base are common to most of the Chinese versions, which were produced for every country then engaged in trade with China. The scene depicted in the oval cartouche on the Mottahedeh urn and on the urn being offered for sale is one of twelve. Cf. Lot 203 in this sale for a plate with the same scene.