A Ming dynasty blue and white jar

Wanli reign, 1573–1619
Height: 14 in (35.5 cm)

A beautifully painted large jar with a pond scene filled with lotus and other aquatic vegetation. Waterfowl swim in the pond, leaving streamers of current that convey the movement of the animals. The mouth rim is decorated with a key fret or leiwen (thunder) motif, above a lappet of ruyi heads facing downwards. The groupings of lotus are carefully painted in detail, showing all the different stages of the life cycle of the lotus plant, from leaves, to flowers, to pods. Below it all, the waters are stirred by waves. The classic scroll, missing from the border, is seen instead —hinted at— as tendrils emerging from sprays of aquatic vegetation, and the whole is painted in a particularly pleasing blue with the satin feel of the porcelain of the period.

Published: Asiantiques, Chinese Works of Art (2009), cat. no. 89

Ref. 859380

SOLD