Lot 3418. A magnificent and very rare large blue and white vase, Kangxi six-character mark within double circles and of the period (1662-1722); 29 in. (74 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 1,000,000 - HKD 1,500,000. Price realised HKD 1,840,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2013

Of baluster form, the vase is brightly painted around the body with two phoenix amongst wutong tree branches, surrounded by a multitude of birds including pheasant, crane, magpie and duck. The landscape scene features peony, lily and other plants amidst rockwork by the waterside. The long flaring neck is decorated in a similar manner with magpies perched on prunus branches, above four sprigs depicting peony, lotus, chrysanthemum and lily bordered between keyfret bands.

Note: Kangxi-marked vases of this large size are exceptionally rare. The lush imagery depicted on the current vase is a favourite theme in Chinese painting and the decorative arts known as bainiao chaohuang, 'Hundred birds courting the phoenix'. See the related 'One hundred birds' theme in the work of Ming court painter Bian Wenjin, The Three Friends of Winter and One Hundred Birds, dated 1413, illustrated by R. Barnhart in Possessing the Past, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1996, p. 340, pl. 165.

The theme is also known as bainiao chaowang, 'A hundred birds paying homage to the king', as the phoenix is considered the king of birds, and 'when it flies, the rest of the birds follow', see T.T. Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, San Francisco, 2006, pp. 160-161. The pair of phoenix, probably symbolising the Emperor and Empress, serve as the focal point of the scene. The author further notes that the pairing of the king of birds with the king of flowers, the peony, augurs great blessings and prosperity, and suggests the expression Fugui jixiang, 'May there be wealth, rank and good fortune'. 

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art (Including The Su Zhu An Collection of Inkstones), Hong Kong, 27 November 2013