T53 A “wishing promotion” small fat bottle, Chongzhen period, Ming Dynasty

Description

Description:  Chinese odd shaped bottle / vase, decorated in vivid underglaze blue with two scenes of boys and scholars. Two plum branches are separating the two decorated panels. It is not very clear what the running boy in the first scene is carrying; most probably he is bringing wine to his master in an archaic bronze ceremonial Jue vessel. The second scene, rarely seen, is described in the Reference section here below.

The bottle has a very odd shape, with almost round body and a thin, short neck. At the date, we have not been able to find a vessel with this exact shape. There is a crack, most probably originated during the drying process of the paste, that was repaired during firing, being covered by thicker glaze.

Dating:  17^th century, Chongzhen period, Ming dynasty.

Size:  17.8 cm high

Provenance:  Antiquarian market

References:  The “Pointing to the Sun” scene is not a common one, as it is known on few vessels only. The fourth last picture is showing an extremely rare, very early Kangxi dated dish that is at the British Museum, being one of the very few known vessels bearing the ZhongHe Tang mark. Among them, that one is probably the only one known of that size and decorated with that scene of the scholar and his attendant pointing to the Sun, described by the Museum as a visual pun on advancement within the civil bureaucracy. Prof. Peter Lam, in commenting that dish in a lecture published on Transactions from the Oriental Ceramic Society,  say that the scene is depicting the auspicious phrase ” Pointing at the sun to wish oneself to get great promotions”. The antepenultimate picture and the penultimate picture are comparing the detail of the scene of that dish with that on our bottle vase. The last picture is showing a bitong from the  Marsh collection, sold by Bonhams, with the same scene. The Bonhams notes are better explaining the meaning of the motif:

“The boy pointing at the sun provides a rebus: the rising sun suggests a rise in prosperity. ‘Pointing at the sun’ (zhi ri) is a pun for ‘day by day’, suggesting the blessing zhiri gaosheng 指日高升 (May you day by day rise in rank). The boy also carries what is perhaps a cloth saddle, again reinforcing the pun, as to get on a horse (mashang) also carries the same meaning of ‘soon’. Similar variants of the theme of pointing to the sun are seen on numerous other blue and white wares from the Chongzhen reign and speak to the scholar-official’s desire of attaining high rank in the Imperial civil service. ”

Notes:  The notes provided by Bonhams here above say that the boy is carrying what should be a cloth saddle. It is probably correct because of the squared shape, but it is worth to mention that another possibility is the most common one for similar scenes of a Scholar and his attendant, who is carrying the musical instrument qin wrapped in a cloth.