* DOUBLE GOURDE VASE in porcelain...

* DOUBLE GOURDE VASE < R >in porcelain and blue-white enamel, with a short and narrowed opening. The body of the vase is narrowed in its center, forming the two distinct parts of the coloquint. It rests on a small high heel. The blue underglaze decoration contrasts with the white background of the porcelain. It consists of eight medallions, representing five-clawed dragons, phoenixes and cranes among stylized clouds, surrounded by the emblems of the eight immortals and foliage. The neck, the central part of the body and the heel are decorated with lotuses and garlands of foliage. The mark 'Da Ming Jia Jing Nian Zhi' in kaishu is in blue on the base. (Small firing crack at the neck opening). China, Jiajing period (1522-1567). HEIGHT. 49 CM (19 5/16 IN.) NOTE Our vase is related to several vases preserved in France, Europe and the United States: - Musée des Arts Asiatiques Guimet in Paris, under number G4777. Donation of Ernest Grandidier, 1894. - Ashmolean Museum of Art in Oxford, under the number EA1978.938. Gift of Gerald Reitlinger, 1978. - Philadelphia Museum of Art, under number 1882-727. The Bloomfield Moore Collection, 1882.