A pair of wucai meiping, Kangxi period and dated to the Xinsi year corresponding to 1701. Height 12 in., 30.5 cm. Photo Sotheby's

Provenance: Ralph M. Chait Galleries, New York.
Collection of Mrs. Colis P. Huntington.
Ralph M. Chait Galleries, New York.
Collection of David A. Berg, New York.
Christie’s New York, 21st September 2000, lot 328.
S. Marchant & Son, London 2002.

Literature: Gorer and Blacker, Chinese Porcelain and Hard Stones, London 1911, vol. I, pl. 118.

Note: The vases each depict departure scenes of a provincial governor. It is unclear whether the official is retiring or has been promoted but protocol is paramount. In one scene two foreign bearded dignitaries present the governor with a jue cup of wine and a pair of new boots to take with him as he moves on. He will leave behind the old pair symbolizing his enduring affection for the local people. The pair to the vase is painted with a scene of the governor kneeling before an official who reads an imperial edict, as if in the presence of the emperor himself. The base of each vase is inscribed with a rare dated mark Xinsi Nian Zhi.

Scholar officials moved frequently from post to post. The temporary nature of their positions would prevent them from creating strong local ties that might become a threat to imperial authority. The civil service system was highly structured and hierarchical from the lowest offices in distant regions of the empire to the pinnacle of the power base in Beijing in proximity to the Emperor.

A vase with the same subject matter from the Ionides Collection was sold at Sotheby’s London, 14th July 1964.

Sotheby's would like to thank Yibin Ni for his help in identifying the subject.

Sotheby's. Embracing Classic Chinese Culture: Kangxi Porcelain from the Jie Rui Tang Collection, New York, 14 march  2014