QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

The inspiration for this geometric pattern is an early Ming dynasty prototype. Two examples dated to the early fifteenth century have been published. The first is illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red, (I), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2000, p. 45, no. 43; and the other in the Freer Gallery of Art is llustrated by J. Pope, 'An Early Porcelain in Muslim Style', Aus der Welt der Islamischen Kunst: Festchrift fur Ernst Kuhnel, pl. 6A. This design is also found on early Ming moonflasks such as the example in the Percival David Foundation, illustrated by J. Pope, op. cit., pl. 4B; and the flask from the Reach Family and Marie Therese Rodgrigues collections, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27 April 1997, lot 657.

Jars of this type were often referred to in the West by the Spanish term 'albarello', which Pope noted as having originally derived from 11th century pottery apothecary jars that were used throughout the Near East, and introduced into the West by the Moors to Spain.