A large and impressive Chinese blue and white bottle vase, tianqiuping,Yongzheng seal mark and possibly of the period, well potted and of elegant proportions, decorated with a band of lappets under a main body of interwoven lotus, peony, camellia and other flowers finely painted with scrolling tendrils under a delicately shaded ruyi-head collar and and trailing leafy band beneath the tapered cylindrical neck rendered with stylised upright banana leaves under a ruyi and dart border at the rim, the six-character mark in seal script on the recessed base, 55cm (21 5/8 inches ) high (repair and losses to the rim) Footnote: Tianqiuping vases from this period and of this size are rare and recorded examples include those in the National Palace Museums, Beijing and Taipei. A very similar example was sold at Bonhams New Bond Street rooms, 10 Dec 2012, lot 5255, and for further comparison see also Sotheby's, London, 11 May 2011, lot 71 decorated with dragons. The use of 'heaping and piling' of the cobalt is of particular merit in the present lot, a method adopted in the Qing Dynasty to imitate the dark inky patches found in Ming blue and white decoration. The flowers chosen carry their own significance in Chinese culture. The peony is known as the 'King of Flowers' but also represents honour and wealth. Camellias are considered lucky, particularly around the Chinese New Year when the flower is in bloom. The lotus is the most important, symbolising the throne of Buddha as well as purity as its flowers rise out of the mud. IMPORTANT NOTICE: There will be no live online bidding for this lot