Estimate

400 - 600

Session

8 May 2026

Description

China, late Qing Dynasty or Republic Period, 19th/20th century

Of ovoid body, with pronounced shoulder and tall cylindrical neck

Exceptionally painted in underglaze cobalt blue with a continuous scene of boys at play in a rocky landscape, depicting the celebrated episode of Sima Guang breaking the jar to save his drowning companion

The base bearing an apocryphal Yongzhen four-character mark in underglaze blue



清末民国 青花「司马光砸缸」婴戏图小瓶，十九/二十世纪。胎体卵形，溜肩长颈，通景绘童子嬉戏于山石庭院，描绘司马光破缸救友之典故。底书「雍正年制」四字寄托款。

Height: 8 cm

Additional Information

Nota:

The production of miniature porcelain in Jingdezhen flourished notably between the Tongzhi (1862-1874) and Guangxu (1875-1908) reigns, continuing into the Republic Period. Following the destruction wrought by the Taiping Rebellion, the rebuilding of the imperial kilns favoured the imitation of classic Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong models, accounting for the profusion of apocryphal marks from these reigns. Intended mainly for a private, scholarly clientele, such small-scale pieces demanded remarkable pictorial skill, prizing fine brushwork and masterful control of the cobalt wash, qualities well displayed in the present bottle vase.