Famille verte Rouleau Vase.Kangxi period (1662-1722)

Finely painted with a group of soldiers gathered around a blue-skinned demon with bushy iron-red beard and wearing green robes, the scene observed by an official, a courtier and two attendants on a balcony above, all below a band of diaper and bamboo cartouches on the canted shoulder and a river landscape on the reel-shaped neck - 17¾ in. (45 cm.) high - Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000

Notes : The scene depicted is probably an illustration from one of the great Ming novels, which feature frequently in ceramic decoration throughout the Qing dynasty.
Another Kangxi period famille verte rouleau vase of similar size (18 in.), also painted with an official observing military troops, was sold in our London rooms, 13 November 2001, lot 231.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. 17 September 2008. New York, Rockefeller Plaza. www.christies.com