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Lot Essay
The decoration on this vase is highly auspicious, the motifs invoking wishes for longevity combined with the dragon and phoenix, symbols of the emperor and empress. The motifs are also emblematic of the popularity of Daoism during the reign of the Jiajing emperor.
All of the double-gourd vases with this decoration appear to be the same size. One from the collection of W. Greif was included in the Exhibition of Chinese Art, Berlin, 12 January - 2 April 1929, no. 1176; one in the Philadelphia Museum of Art was included in the Exhibition of Blue-Decorated Porcelain of the Ming Dynasty, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 29 October - 4 December 1949, no. 110 and again in the O.C.S. Exhibition of Ming Blue-and-White, London, 1954, no. 110; and another was included in the exhibition, Eastern Ceramics and other works of art from the collection of Gerald Reitlinger, Ashmolean Museum, 18 July - 13 September 1981, no. 11.
All of the double-gourd vases with this decoration appear to be the same size. One from the collection of W. Greif was included in the Exhibition of Chinese Art, Berlin, 12 January - 2 April 1929, no. 1176; one in the Philadelphia Museum of Art was included in the Exhibition of Blue-Decorated Porcelain of the Ming Dynasty, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 29 October - 4 December 1949, no. 110 and again in the O.C.S. Exhibition of Ming Blue-and-White, London, 1954, no. 110; and another was included in the exhibition, Eastern Ceramics and other works of art from the collection of Gerald Reitlinger, Ashmolean Museum, 18 July - 13 September 1981, no. 11.