A Rare Small Blue And White Double-Gourd Vase. Jiajing Six-Character Mark In Underglaze Blue And Of The Period (1522-1566). Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2012

Both the lower and upper bulb are decorated with cranes in flight amidst lingzhi-shaped clouds below a blue line border at the mouth rim. 3 7/8 in. (9.9 cm.) high. Estimate $20,000 - $30,000

明嘉靖 青花仙鶴紋葫蘆小瓶 六字楷書款

Provenance: Sotheby Parke Bernet, Hong Kong, 24 November 1981, lot 60.
Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, acquired in 1991. 

Notes: The decoration of cranes in flight is highly auspicious as they are symbols of longevity. The motif is also emblematic of the popularity of Daoism during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor.

A similar vase was sold in these rooms, 24-25 March 2011, lot 1656. 

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part II, 13 September 2012. New York, Rockefeller Plaza