A superb and very rare Imperial doucai winepot and cover, China, underglaze-blue six-character seal mark Yongzheng and of the period. Photo Nagel Auktionen

Of finely potted ovoid shape with a loop handle and slender scroll spout, the cover surmounted by a scroll knop, either side of the body delicately painted in underglaze-blue and enamels of characteristic soft tones with a different arrangement of the Three Friends (suihan sanyou). The arching canes of bamboo rise beside a blossoming prunus and the densely needled branches of a pine tree with soft washes of green, aubergine and brown, prunus blossoms highlighted with tiny dots of red enamels. Very short hairline to spout vissible only at the outside otherwise fine condition. H. 13,3 cm - Estimate 800 000/1 200 000 €

Provenance: Private collection Rhineland, bought from Sotheby's London, 11.12.1984, Lot 357.

Former collection of Sir Percival David (1892-1964), sold as duplicate (A 798 a) from his collection and bought by Bluett at Sotheby's London, 15.10.1968, lot 134 (1650.- Pounds), possibly bought on behalf for Frederick M. Knight, who sold the winepot at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 18.5.1982, as lot 40 (165.000 HK$)

Exhibited at the O.C.S. Exhibition of the Arts of the Ch'ing Dynasty, 1964, Catalogue no. 193 collection, illustr. Harry M. Garner and Margaret Medley, Chinese Art in Three-Dimensional Colours, vol. IV, reel 28, no. 2. Publ. Sotheby's Hongkong 20 Years 1973 - 1973', no. 272

The famous Doucai ewer A 798 is now preserved in the British Museum and is illustrated by Hobson in Chinese Pottery and Porcelain in the David Collection, col. pl. CLXV, where he states that it came from the Imperial Collection, Beijing.

Another Yongzheng winepot of this pattern was sold in Hong Kong 12 May 1976, lot 352 and is now preserved in the collection of the Hongkong Museum of Art as donation from Dr K.S. Lo (1910-1995).

Compare also a white glazed imperial ewer with Yongzheng mark in the same shape in Palast Museum collection in Beijing, publ. in gugong bowuyuan cang qingdai yuyao ciqi (Porcelain of Imperial klin in Qing Dynasty in the Collection of Palast Museum Beijing) Vol Ib, no.89 

Nagel Auktionen. 2013/05/08. http://www.auction.de/