A RARE LARGE BLUE AND WHITE 'EIGHTEEN SCHOLARS’ BALUSTER VASEKANGXI SIX-CHARACTER MARK WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1662-1722)The tapered body is decorated with a continuous scene of eighteen literati at various leisurely pursuits in a garden setting with two cranes, all between two decorative bands at the shoulder and near the base. The trumpet-form neck is decorated with bamboo emerging from rocks with a bird in flight.18 1/8 in. (46 cm.) high