A blue and white ewer, Transitional period, circa 1650
A blue and white ewer, Transitional period, circa 1650. Estimate $5,000 – $7,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015
The ewer is of pear form with a s-shaped spout terminating in a molded dragon's head and secured to the body with a stretcher, opposite the ear-shaped handle. The body is decorated in rich tones of underglaze blue with a continuous landscape between decorative bands and beneath tulip motifs on the neck. 8 ¼ in. (20.8 cm.) high - Lot 3527
Provenance:Heirloom & Howard, Ltd., London, 1982.
Collection of Julia and John Curtis.
Notes: The shape of this ewer most likely derives from Ming dynasty examples of the sixteenth century. In the seventeenth century the bodies become broader. The Turkish-tulip motifs on the neck can also be found on other contemporary bottles and ewers popular with the Dutch market. In his note to a tall bottle vase with comparable decoration in the Museum Het Princessehof, Leeuwarden, Christiaan Jörg notes that, “The decoration is not freely painted over the whole surface, but divided up into bands and medallions, which suggests that this vase should be dated relatively early as an example of a stylistic stage between Kraakporselein and Transitional ware.” (see Christiaan J.A. Jörg,Interaction in Ceramics: Oriental Porcelain & Delftware, Hong Kong, 1984, p. 54, no. 12).
Christie's. AN ERA OF INSPIRATION: 17TH-CENTURY CHINESE PORCELAINS FROM THE COLLECTION OF JULIA AND JOHN CURTIS, 16 March 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza.