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Lot Essay
Cranes, as symbols of longevity, were a popular motif on Chinese ceramics. The design on this jar known as 'hundred cranes' was therefore particularly auspicious. The painting of designs on blue and white porcelains so that the ground appears blue and the individual motifs appear reserved in white was a feature of mid-Yuan and Xuande wares. This technique was time-consuming and required more skill than the normal blue on white designs, so that it fell from use during the later 15th century and early 16th century.
The use of reserve decoration became popular again in the Jiajing and Wanli periods when various designs, particularly those of birds and floral motifs were depicted in white against a blue ground.
A similar jar is in the collection of the Kau Chi Society of Chinese Art, illustrated in Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Ceramics, (The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1981), no. 88.
Slightly larger jars with an additional classic scroll at the base were sold in Hong Kong in 1997 and 1997.
The use of reserve decoration became popular again in the Jiajing and Wanli periods when various designs, particularly those of birds and floral motifs were depicted in white against a blue ground.
A similar jar is in the collection of the Kau Chi Society of Chinese Art, illustrated in Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Ceramics, (The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1981), no. 88.
Slightly larger jars with an additional classic scroll at the base were sold in Hong Kong in 1997 and 1997.