A large cloisonné enamel Hu jar, Ming dynasty (1368-1644).
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The elegant pear-shaped body supported on a splayed foot and rising to a waisted neck with flared rim, the shoulders set with a pair of taotie-mask handles suspending loose cloisonné decorated bronze rings, decorated with bands of continuous lotus pattern in the colours red, green, yellow, white, pink and blue against a turquoise ground. Height 41 cm. Height with wooden stand 47 cm.
Damages, wear.
Provenance
From the Collection of Art Director Ivar Björnberg (1934-2021). Growing up at Östermalm, Stockholm Ivar visited gallery viewings, auction viewings and antique shops with his parents and alone. It was during his visits to the antique dealers of Stockholm he became friends with the dealer Victoria Lindström, Grev Turegatan 28, Stockholm (she later moved her gallery to Riddargatan). He started to work extra at the gallery and had her as a mentor when starting his own collection. The collection is a academic one and it shows Mr Björnbergs taste and great passion for the aesthetics of Chinese Works of Art.
Literature
Compare with a cloisonné enamel 'lotus' vase of similar design and form, 17th century, but without taotie-mask handles, illustrated in Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, London, 1989, pl.183; another related example is illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels II, Beijing, 2010, p.52.