A large and rare famille rose baluster 'Pronk' jar, circa 1738. Photo courtesy Bonhams

With two large cartouches depicting European men in Chinese robes, one smoking an opium pipe, the other holding a yellow-glazed saucer dish, amongst geese and roses within scrolls, all on a rich blue background embellished with large chrysanthemum and peony flowers, a pattern of cranes and lotus around the shoulder, a band of decorative lappets around the foot. 55.5cm (22 3/4in) high. Estimate £8,000 - 10,000 (€9,700 - 12,000)

Provenance: a European private collection

The present lot is an exceptionally rare example of the striking design sometimes known as 'The Potentate'. Few other vases of this design are known, but the figure with a pipe surrounded by European-style diaper and strapwork rather than flowers is in the collection of the British Museum, Museum ref. Franks.588, and another is illustrated by D.S.Howard, The Choice of the Private Trader, London, 1994, pp.240-241, no.285.

This unusual 'Potentate' figure is based on a design by the Dutch painter Cornelius Pronk (1691-1759) who was commissioned by the Dutch East India Company to produce designs for production at Jingdezhen between 1734 and 1738. Two original studio drawings of Pronk's designs survive in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, including the widely-used design entitled 'The Doctors' Visit', dated to 1738 by C.J.A.Jörg in Porcelain and the Dutch China Trade, The Hague, 1982, p.191. A vase of 'The Doctor's Visit' is illustrated by D.Howard and J.Ayers, China for the West: Chinese Porcelain and other Decorative Arts for Export illustrated from the Mottahedeh Collection, London, 1978, p.294, where the authors specifically note the resemblance in draughtsmanship between 'The Doctors' Visit' and 'The Potentate'.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART. London, New Bond Street, 15 May 2014 - http://www.bonhams.com/