A fine blue and white Lobed Jarlet. Yongzheng six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period. photo Nagel Auctions

The melon-shaped body has a narrow neck with lipped rim and is divided into six lobes. Each lobe is painted in crisp underglaze-blue of strong colour with melons growing on leafy stems with tendrils. The melons are of two alternating types, one with plain fruit washed in pale blue and the other with spotted fruit. Each lobe has a different composition though all have three fruit apart from one with four fruit. The neck and base are encircled by double line borders. The six character kaishu mark da qing yongsheng nian zhi, lacking the usual double circle, is written on the ase.

The design of melons is derived from a well known pattern of palace bowl from the Ming dynasty reign of Chenghua (1465-87). There the three groups of melons also show different compositions and numbers of fruit enlivening an otherwise rather formal pattern in a way which this little jar also shares 

For an similar example see the Wang Xing Lou Collection, see Imperial Perfection, The Palace Porcelain of Three Chinese Emperors, no. 9. For the Ming inspiration of this design, compare the lobed early 15th century jar from the Lodge collection, illustrated by W.B. Honey in The Ceramic Art of China, London, 1944, pl. 87A

H. 9 cm. Estimate 25 000 / 35 000 €

Nagel Auctions. Asian Art. November 3rd 2011. www.auction.de