Lot 910. A famille-verte 'birds and flowers' yenyen vase, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Height 17 3/4  in., 45 cm. Estimate 25,000 — 35,000 USD. Lot sold 32,500 USD. Courtesy Sotheby's.

the broad rounded shoulders resting on a spreading foot, surmounted by a tall cylindrical neck and trumpet mouth, all vibrantly enameled, the body with a pair of peacocks perched on rockwork amidst a lush verdant garden with chrysanthemums, coxcombs, further flowers and various insects, the neck similarly painted with a pair of songbirds on a flowering peony branch, above a band of cracked ice and peony.

Provenance: Earle D. Vandekar, New York, 11th January 1985. 

Note: In a vivid palette of blues, reds, greens and gilt accents, this vase presents a complex and beautifully painted scene. The varying sizes of the floral blooms, foliage, fluttering butterflies, and rockwork create a lively sense of depth and perspective, accentuated by the painterly use of black enamels. The presence of pairs of birds suggest that the vase may have been presented in celebration of a wedding.

Related vases include one formerly in the Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, sold at Christie's New York, 6th June 1985, lot 406; one sold in our London rooms, 28th June 1983, lot 81; and a third sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 9th October 2012, lot 3066. See also a blue and white yenyen vase of similar design, dated 1708, illustrated in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1998, pl. 68-1.