A BLUE AND WHITE ‘MAGPIES AND PRUNUS’ BEAKER VASE, GU, TRANSITIONAL PERIODChina, 17th century. Of cylindrical form with flaring rim and foot, painted in gently accentuated shades of cobalt blue with flowering prunus, chrysanthemum, peonies, and other flowers issuing from rockwork, the two magpies perched on branches, and two other birds in flight below a full moon, all above a frieze of cloud scrolls around the waist and a band of pendent stiff leaves extending towards the foot. The base left unglazed to reveal the white ware, the rim with a pale brown glaze.Provenance: From a noted private collection in Geneva, Switzerland, assembled since the 1960s, and thence by descent. An important part of this collection was on permanent loan and exhibited over several decades at the Asia-Africa Museum in Geneva. The base with two old labels, ‘Ming dynasty 1368-1644’ and ‘F3588 KYC[...]8’.Condition: Very good condition with old wear as expected, the rim with few minuscule frits below the glaze, and manufacturing flaws including pitting, dark spots, pottery lines to the base, and minor warping.Weight: 812.5 gDimensions: Height 26.1 cmThis simple and elegant cylindrical form belongs to a group of new shapes among the Transitional Wares. Its concave lines, derived from the earlier Ming prototype, are referred to by R.S. Kilburn as ‘serving to emphasize the solid careful potting and good proportion of the pieces’, see Transitional Wares and Their Forerunners, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1981, page 30.Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie’s New York, 26 January 2015, lot 87Price: USD 15,000 or approx.EUR 17,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A blue and white beaker vase, transitional periodExpert remark:pare the closely related form, the floral decoration, and the café au lait rim. Note the larger size (44.5 cm).明清過渡時期青花《喜上眉梢》花觚中國，十七世紀。觚敞口微撇，筒式腹，腹訓凸起一周，近底微外撇，平底無釉。青花艷麗，外壁紋飾共有三層，上層主題圖案繪喜上眉梢圖，空中飛有兩隻喜鵲，另有梅花；中層簡潔花卉紋；下層繪蕉葉紋一周。