KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)

The finely painted scene depicted on the present vase may represent the legend of Ban zhu qiu xian (Seeking talent amongst layered walls), originating from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1045 BC).

According to the Western-Han historian Sima Qian, in Shi Ji [Records of the Grand Historian], after Emperor Wu Ding (d. 1192 BC) ascended to the throne, he remained politically inactive for the first three years of his reign to thoughtfully design policies that would alleviate the deep suffering of the people. Suddenly one day, Wu Ding announced to the court that he had a dream about a person named Yue, who was destined to empower him to rule the country. Wu Ding then commissioned the court artisan to paint a realistic portrait of Yue from his dream. Hundreds of government officials were then deployed nationwide to find the match to the painting. An official finally identified Yue, who was at the time an enslaved prisoner working as a banzhu technician (wall builder), in a remote place amongst rugged mountains called Fu Xian, presently Pinglu County, Shanxi Province in China. Yue was brought to the court and met with Wu Ding, who confirmed Yue’s identity as the prodigy in his dream. Due to Yue’s low birth status, he had no surname as was typical in ancient China. Therefore, Yue was given the surname Fu, the name of the location where he was first discovered. Fu Yue is now thought to be the origin of Fu ancestry. After admission to the Shang court, he rapidly rose through the ranks and became Zaixiang (Prime Minister) to the Emperor Wu Ding. With the help of Fu Yue’s unbridled political talent, Emperor Wu Ding revived the economy of the country, strengthened the relationship between states in turmoil, promoted the development of culture and art, and ultimately brought his reign to a high part of the Shang dynasty.

The shape of the present vase, with the flared mouth and waisted lower body, is known as Guanyin zun, inspired by the elegant silhouette of a standing Guanyin, the goddess of mercy, and is known to be a distinctive creation by the potters in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, during the Kangxi period (1662-1722). There do not appear to be any published examples of this form with this rarely-depicted scene of Ban zhu qiu xian. A Kangxi period blue-and-white Guanyin zun with a different figural scene in the Palace Museum is illustrated by Chen Runmin in Qing Shunzhi Kangxi chao qinghua ci [Qing dynasty blue and white porcelain of the Shunzhi and Kangxi periods], Beijing, 2005, pl. 285. Another example was sold at Christie’s New York, 23-24 March 2023, lot 1053.