A fine and extremely rare blue and white vase. Qianlong six-character sealmark and of the period (1736-1795)

The vase of square section with chamfered corners below the waisted neck, the angled shoulders tapering to a bulbous base finely painted and pencilled with a dense lotus flower scroll issuing curled leaves and tendrils, interspersed with pairs of bats to each of the main facets with a further bat below the rim suspending a musical stone and tasselled wan emblem, with additional tasselled musical chimes dangling from the top corner of each squared shoulder, the everted mouth encircled with a band of ruyi heads, the low splayed foot with floral sprays. 12 3/4 in. (32.5 cm.) high, stand, box. Estimate HK$3,000,000 - HK$5,000,000 - ($388,876 - $648,126) Price Realized HK$9,620,000 ($1,247,205)

清乾隆 青花萬福如意倭角方瓶 六字篆書款

瓶四方倭角，唇口外撇，短頸微內收，折肩，斂腹，腹下出沿，隨形圈足。通體青花紋飾，口沿下繪如意雲頭一周十八個，每面頸肩處飾一蝙蝠口銜古罄和卍字；出沿上繪一對蝙蝠遙遙相對，倭角面肩部蓮枝上各懸古罄一枚，器體滿繪纏枝蓮紋。底施白釉，內青花書《大清乾隆年製》六字篆書款。

此瓶造型獨特，秀雅，瓶肩、腹倭角處過度自然，筆觸自然生動，相纏的枝葉、盛開的花朵，別有新意。此器在傳世品中未有所見，唯一件1998年11月15日於香港蘇富比拍賣，與此器應為一對。

此器原為英國鐵路養老基金會所藏，1989年5月16日於香港蘇富比拍賣，拍品第40號。

Provenance: Previously sold:
Sotheby's London, 14 December 1976, lot 163
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 20 May 1985, lot 181
The British Rail Pension Fund, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 16 May 1989, lot 40

Exhibited: On loan at the Dorchester International Ceramics Fair, London, June 1986
The Chang Foundation, Taipei, Ching Wan Society Millennium Exhibition, 2000, illustrated in the Catalogue, p. 197, no. 102

Notes: The only other vase of this rare shape and pattern, possibly the pair to the present lot, was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 15 November 1988, lot 104.

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. 1 December 2009. Hong Kong www.christies.com