Provenance
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium.
Description
The vase is potted with rounded shoulders and a swelling body, rising to a short inward-curving neck with a slightly everted rim, the lower body tapering to a slightly splayed foot rim, the base left unglazed. It is fitted with a domed cover surmounted by a bud-shaped knob. The top of the knob is decorated with floral motifs, below which runs a band of continuous ruyi-head designs. The cover is painted with a diamont-pattern ground reserved with four cartouches, each enclosing a depiction of an immortal.
The mouth rim of the jar is decorated with a coin-pattern ground, interrupted by four cartouches enclosing sprays of flowering branches. The shoulder is similarly decorated with a diamont-pattern ground reserved with four cartouches, each painted with playing boys. The body is painted with a honey-comb ground filled with prunus blossoms, and reserved with four large cartouches depicting narrative scenes traditionally identified as Tao Yuanming enjoying chrysanthemums (Tao Yuanming Ai Ju 陶淵明愛菊), Zhou Dunyi Admiring Lotuses (Zhou Dunyi Ai Lian周敦頤愛蓮), Scholar Zhang Setting Out for the Civil-Service Examinations(Zhang Sheng Gan Kao 張生趕考), and Guo Ziyi’s Grand Birthday Party(Guo Ziyi Bai Shou 郭子儀拜壽). The figures are vividly rendered within garden settings, with rocks, pine trees, railings and architectural details adding to the narrative quality.
The overall design is dense yet clearly structured, with the cartouches, diaper grounds and narrative scenes carefully arranged. The cobalt blue is applied in varied tones, and the figures, floral motifs and diaper patterns are finely executed, making this a fine example of Wanli-period blue and white porcelain with narrative figural panels.
此蓋罐圓肩鼓腹，短頸內斂，口沿微撇，下腹漸收，底承微侈圈足，底部露胎無釉，配覆盂式蓋及寶珠鈕。鈕頂飾花卉紋，鈕下環飾一周連續如意紋。蓋面以菱形錦地為飾，分設四處開光，內分別繪四位仙人。
罐口沿飾金錢地，間設四處開光，內繪折枝花卉。肩部同飾菱形錦地，並設四處開光，內繪嬰戲圖。腹部以龜甲錦地為飾，其間以梅花填飾，並設四處大開光，分別繪陶淵明愛菊、周敦頤愛蓮、張生趕考及郭子儀拜壽四則人物故事。各開光內人物神態生動，庭園、山石、松樹、欄杆及建築點綴其間，富有鮮明的敘事趣味。
整器紋飾繁縟而層次分明，開光、錦地與主題畫面安排有序。青花發色濃淡有致，人物、花卉及錦地描繪細緻，構圖工整而富裝飾性，為萬曆時期青花開光人物故事紋瓷器之佳例。
Lot 178
Wanli
H.: 42 cm
Incl. cover
Estimation
€ 15.000,00 – € 25.000,00
Provenance
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium.