Estimate

1.200 - 1.800

Session

8 May 2026

Description

China, Qing Dynasty, Yongzheng-Qianlong period (c. 1723-1770)

Of porcelain, decorated in underglaze cobalt blue with celadon-glazed highlights

Depicting a scholar-official observing two figures operating a loom, possibly inspired by an episode from the Gengzhi Tu (Pictures of Tilling and Weaving)



清雍正至乾隆年间（约1723-1770年），青花加洒蓝釉点彩人物纹小梅瓶，绘文官观织图，或取材自《耕织图》，造型秀雅，存世稀少。

Height: 7,5 cm

Additional Information

Note:

The combination of underglaze cobalt blue decoration with localised celadon-glazed highlights is a technical refinement characteristic of Jingdezhen production during the Yongzheng to early Qianlong period. The seemingly naïve quality of the drawing is typical of provincial or popular kilns operating in the 18th century for the scholarly market, combining spontaneous execution with iconography of literati inspiration.

The scene depicted on this miniature meiping evokes the Gengzhi Tu (Pictures of Tilling and Weaving), a pictorial tradition that enjoyed particular imperial favour after Kangxi commissioned in 1696 a new illustrated edition by Jiao Bingzhen, subsequently reissued under Yongzheng. The depiction of a scholar-official observing the operation of a loom alludes to the Confucian ideal of good governance, founded upon the appreciation of agricultural labour and sericulture.

The association of this technical sophistication, combining underglaze blue decoration with celadon glaze, to the peak of popularity of the Gengzhi Tu during the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns firmly supports the dating proposed for this piece (c. 1723-1770).