Lot 44. A very rare blue and white 'Fish and lotus' vase, zun, Ming Dynasty, 16th century; 21.5cm high. (2). Sold for HK$613,600 © Bonhams 2026

Of archaistic bronze zun form, the body applied with vertical flanges on opposite sides, the bulbous mid-section painted in deep and vibrant tones of underglaze-blue with a carp swimming amidst lotus plants and water weeds reserved on a ground of finely outlined turbulent waves, the long trumpet-shaped neck similarly decorated with fish swimming up towards the mouth rim, the stepped foot encircled with three bands of lotus, fish and rolling waves, the interior of the neck painted with slender overlapping leaves radiating towards the rim, box.

Provenance: An American private collection, New York, acquired prior to 1950

Imperial Oriental Art, New York, 1999

Christie's New York, 21 March 2013, lot 1456

Note: It is extremely rare to find blue and white vases in the archaistic zun form with decorations of carps swimming among waterweeds, and only one other similar example appears to have been published. See a similarly decorated but slightly larger blue and white zun vase, Jiajing, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (II), Hong Kong, 2009, no.92.

The elegant form is inspired by the archaic bronze ritual wine vessels of the late Shang and Western Zhou dynasty, which were reproduced in porcelain from as early as the Song dynasty. The imperial archaic bronze collection provided inspiration for the creation of numerous reinterpretations in ceramics according to the contemporary taste as seen in this vase. See another blue and white vase, Jiajing mark and of the period, of similar form, but decorated with dragon and peony flowers from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in ibid., Hong Kong, 2009, no.91.

Bonhams.Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 4 May 2026