A RARE DELFT-STYLE BLUE AND WHITE SECTIONAL TULIP VASE Kangxi Modelled after Dutch Delft originals, with three tiers in square section, surmounted by a tall spire, each tier with four gently flaring spouts at the corners, supported by a rectangular pedestal painted on the sides with either a female nude dancing in a fenced interior, or a winged cherub among blossoming flowers and foliage. 40.8cm (16in) high. (2). Footnotes: Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價 清康熙 代爾夫特風格青花人物花卉紋花塔 Provenance: acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, in 2007 (collector's notes) Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Museum of East Asian Art, Chinese Ceramics and the Early Modern World, Bath, 2010, no.22 (exhibited) The Oriental Ceramic Society, China Without Dragons: Rare Pieces from Oriental Ceramic Society Members, London, 2016, pp.260-261, no.156 M.White, Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol.4, n.p, 2023, pp.304-305 (Published and Illustrated) 來源：獲得于倫敦古董商R & G McPherson Antiques，2007年（藏家筆記） 展覽著錄：東亞藝術博物館，《Chinese Ceramics and the Early Modern World》，巴斯，2010年，編號22（展覽） 東方陶瓷學會，《龍隱: 英國東方陶瓷學會會員珍稀藏品展圖錄》，倫敦，2016年，第260-261頁，編號156 M.White，《Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection》，第4冊，無出版地，2023年，第304-305頁（著錄） The present pyramidal vase, constructed in two sections, is a close copy in both form and decoration of Dutch Delftware 'flower pyramids' produced in the late 17th century, most notably by the De Grieksche A factory under Adriaen Kocx. Chinese versions of this type are rare but well documented; an almost identical example in the Groninger Museum, Groningen, even reproduces the factory owner's initials 'AK' on the base, underscoring the remarkable fidelity with which European models were copied; see C.J.A.Jörg, Interaction in Chinese Ceramics, Oriental Porcelain and Delftware, Hong Kong, 1984, no.33. Known in contemporary European inventories as 'flower pyramids', such vessels functioned as elaborate table ornaments, designed to display tulips and other flowers inserted into the projecting tubes. The Chinese interpretation, however, appears largely decorative, as the tubes, particularly those on the upper tier, are not connected to a water reservoir, rendering them impractical for their intended Western use. The overall form is thought to have been inspired by European representations of the Porcelain Pagoda at Nanjing, widely circulated through illustrated travel accounts. Compare with a similar blue and white tulip vase, Kangxi, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated by C.Clunas, Chinese Export Art and Design, London, 1987, no.41. Another similar blue and white tulip vase, Kangxi is illustrated by W.R.Sargent, Treasures of Chinese Export Ceramics from the Peabody Essex Museum, New Haven and London, 2012, no.40. See also a similar pair of blue and white tulip vases, Kangxi, which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 25 January 2020, lot 473. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing