Lot 598. A famille verte  Gu shaped vase, Qing dynasty, Kangxi (1662-1722). Height 45,7 cm. Estimate 4 331 € / 5 293 €. Lot sold 5 342 €. © Bukowskis

Composed of three sections, rising from a flared slightly tapering base to a more rounded mid-section and again to a wide-open mouth. The decoration varies within each section of the vase. On the lower section are painted a number of objects from the “Hundred Antiques” whilst the mid-section is a vivid garden scene showing court ladies in a pavilion observing the poet Pan Yue who is being wheeled in a sedan chair pushed by attendants.

Note: Pan Yue (247 – 300 AD) was a poet whose name in Chinese became a byword for handsome men. The “Book of Jin” says that Pan was so handsome that women surrounded him whenever he went out on an excursion, throwing gifts of fans, scarfs and fruits. Here the women can be seen trying to catch a glimpse of the handsome poet, who nevertheless is inaccessible to them, divided by the open space.