Lot Essay
The shape of this vessel derives from a 13th-century Islamic metal prototype, which was first adapted by Chinese potters in the 15th century. While this form is more typically associated with blue and white porcelain, flambé-glazed examples are rare. For a Ming dynasty precedent of this blue and white form, see the ewer illustrated by J. Pope in Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, Freer Gallery, Washington, 1966, pl. 54.
The form continued into the Qianlong period, with several blue and white examples known, including one published by S. Valenstein in A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1975, pl. 159; another shown in the Hong Kong Museum of Art exhibition Chinese Ceramics: The S. C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, 1987, cat. no. 60; and a third in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Blue-and-White Ware of the Ch’ing Dynasty, 1967, pl. 4.
The form continued into the Qianlong period, with several blue and white examples known, including one published by S. Valenstein in A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1975, pl. 159; another shown in the Hong Kong Museum of Art exhibition Chinese Ceramics: The S. C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, 1987, cat. no. 60; and a third in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Blue-and-White Ware of the Ch’ing Dynasty, 1967, pl. 4.