H. 52,8 cm Condition A VERY RARE DOUBLE GOURD FAHUA VASE, China, 16th ct. Lotus blossoms and tendrils on manganese ground, filled with white, yellow, and turquoise enamels, the inside with green enamels. The bulbous upper part with an elegant S curve and slightly curved mouth. The lotus decoration on this double-gourd vase is similar to several fahua pieces studied by Jessica Harrison-Hall in "Ming Ceramics in the British Museum", including a lotus decorated fahua barrel, p. 425, plate 13:32, and a fahua porcelain stand similarly adorned in light relief with lotus, p. 430, plate 13:44, and another double gourd vase, p. 414, fig. 13:11. All three pieces are dated to the first half of the 16th ct. The lotus pattern can also be found on a double gourd vase in the Beijing Palace Museum, see: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Miscellaneous Enamelled Porcelains, Plain Tricoloured Porcelains, p. 56, no. 49.-Property from a French private collection, acquired at Sadde, Grenoble, 30th Oct 2014-Few fine firing cracks