The shouldered body decorated with floral scroll, below a border of heads, with a further scrolling foliage to the shoulders, with a collar above and below the body each with a further band of pendant heads, the upper collar supporting the separately potted neck, the trumpet neck and a wide band of floral scroll, above a band of lappets, and below a further , the foot of the vase horizontally ridged, with bands of waves, floral scroll and pendant lappets. 

Note: The present lot relates to the monumental blue and white alter pieces famously created under the direction of Tang Ying of which at least six sets were , mostly dedicated to temples in Beijing. Lam (1998) compiles a table of such pieces which were created between 1740 and 1741 all around 64cm H. The present piece, smaller in scale and lacking a temple dedication may have been an earlier trial piece. Credibility is added to this theory by the existence of lamp stand of similarly small scale (10cm H) and made for personal use being inscribed for Tang Ying’s birthday of the 5th day of the 5th month of 1734. The piece is currently in the collection of the Shanghai Museum. (Lu, 1996, [Connoisseurship of Blue and White Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty] p 65 no 76). Another of the same size but slightly different decoration from the present lot is illustrated as Eldon Worrall, Precious Vessels: 2000 Years of Chinese Pottery, 1980, no 105. The piece was from the collection of Sir Charles Bell and was listed as having been acquired from Tibet.

Chiswick Auctions. Asian Art. 12 Nov 2018