Lot 192. A blue and white 'deer and cranes' sleeve vase, Circa 1640; 43.2cm (17in) high. Estimate £20,000 - 30,000 (€24,000 - 36,000). Photo Bonhams.

Vividly painted around the body in vibrant tones of cobalt blue, depicting a continuous garden scene with two deer and a gnarled pine trees amidst rockwork and flying cranes above, all beneath floral sprigs around the neck. 

Provenance: a distinguished European private collection

Note: The highly auspicious combination of deer and cranes denotes wishes concerning the attainment of immortality. As birds spanning a long life, cranes were regarded as vehicles for the immortals in China. In conjunction with deer (lu 鹿), cranes (he 鶴) form the rebus 'The universe is enjoying springtime or longevity' (Liuhe tongchun 六合同春). A blue and white sleeve vase, Shunzi, decorated with magpies and peonies, is illustrated in Seventeenth Century Jingdezhen Porcelain from the Shanghai Museum and the Butler Collections, Shanghai, 2005, p.48, pl.40 and a blue and white sleeve vase, circa 1640, painted with lotus and ducks, sold in these rooms, 10 November 2016, lot 33.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 11 May 2017, 11:00 BST, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET