DIMENSIONS

Height: 8 ⅝ inches

 

PROVENANCE

Ralph M. Chait Galleries, New York, 1999

 

CATALOGUE NOTES

A pair of powder blue double gourd shaped ewers and covers, of fine form. Each with a two lobed body. The lower portion is of flattened globular form with sloping shoulder merging into a contracted waist. The second lobe rises from the waist in a U shape, with narrow cylindrical neck and slightly flaring mouth. Each ewer rests upon a low slightly expanding pedestal foot and has a slightly recessed underfoot. A tall S shaped spout attaches to the lower lobe on one side, and an ear shaped handle attaches to the top and bottom lobe on the other. Each is capped by an original dome-shaped cover which fits into the mouth of the ewer and which extends further down within. The cover of each is surmounted by a double tiered knob finial. The lower lobe of each ewer is decorated along the exterior with two large quatrefoil reserves on the lower, one filled with flowering lotus, the other filled with a bird flying near a flowering prunus branch. The upper lobe of each side is decorated with leaf-shaped reserves filled with flowers. The reserve decoration is drawn in famille verte overglaze enamels, all set against a deep powder blue ground with vestiges of gilt decoration of lotus, flowers, and ruyi head lappet borders. The covers are decorated in powder blue with vestiges of gilt decoration of petals around a flower head, and a chevron border along the base. The recessed underfoot of each ewer is decorated in the center with double rings drawn in underglaze cobalt blue upon a luminous white ground.