A rare reverse-ground blue and white beaker-form vase (Gu). Wanli Mark And Period. Photo Sotheby's

the central bulbous section decorated with four shaped reserves of sinuous writhing dragons amidst flames and cloud scrolls against a stylized lotus ground, surmounting a splayed base with birds among fruiting boughs with a ruyi band encircling the foot, the tall cylindrical neck with a band of stiff upright leaves and further lotus, all reverse painted on a blue ground, the mouth rim protected with a bronze metal mount, the countersunk base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle. Height 13 1/2 in., 34 cm. ESTIMATE 15,000-25,000 USD

PROVENANCE: Collection of Dr. Chao-Ming Chen, Baltimore, Maryland, acquired by the present owner in 1957.

NOTE: The rarity and desirability of this type of vase is attested to by the number of vases that have suffered damage but have been painstakingly restored and reduced in order to protect the remainder. The present example is particularly noteworthy because of the reserve blue and white ground which is exceptionally rare within the Wanli ceramic vernacular. The bronze mount around the mouth rim is of the type traditionally used by restorers at the Palace indicating some age to both the damage and repair to the vase. 

Dr. Chen was head of the Chinese Classics Department, Hwa Nan College, Fuzhou from 1912-1920 and later moved to the United States where he was a professor of Chinese art and language at Johns Hopkins University. In addition to his work at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Chen ran a successful antiques store selling some of the pieces which he brought with him from China. Several of his pieces were on show at the Baltimore Museum and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. He also generously gave several works of art to local institutions. Dr. Chen passed away in 1961