A rare Chinese black-ground enamelled ewer with Ottoman musicians, Qianlong

L.: 14 cm - H.: 12 cm

Condition: (UV-checked)
- Excellent.

品相：（已用紫外线光检查）
- 全品。

Provenance:
- The collection of a Belgian connoisseur.
- Rob Michiels Auctions, Oct. 31, 2020, lot 442. (sold EUR 7.650) (link)

Ref.:
- Howard and Ayers, China For the West, vol.1, p. 305, where the authors suggest that the figures are wearing Ottoman costumes, that this was undoubtedly a specially commissioned design since the shapes of the pieces are those of tea-services used in England and the Continent c.1740, and that it illustrates music played 'eastward of the Levant'. They also discuss the possibility that the design may have been by Cornelis Pronk.
- Christie's, New York, Jan. 21, 2016, lot 60, for a plate from this service. (sold USD 30.000) (link)