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Lot 49
A Chinese cloisonne enamel crane, with slender neck curved in an `s` shape, a red crest, the body enamelled in white within gilt outlines, the long legs intricately detailed with scales, the claws supported on a double pedestal decorated with lotuses and foliage on a turquoise ground, 72cm high, Qing dynasty (18th-19th century). Provenance: Originally purchased by Louis Joseph, 28 Knightsbridge, in 1951, for £43, as the receipt indicates.清掐丝珐琅仙鹤; 十九世纪或更晚 掐丝珐琅花卉八宝底座CRANES AND THE POWER OF IMAGES AT THE COURT OF THE QING BENEDETTA MOTTINOCranes are an important component of the Chinese decorative system which is based on the use of images whose auspicious symbolism was conveyed by their intrinsic qualities and the homophonic nature of the Chinese language. The underlying principle to such a system was the belief that all natural phenomena and things on Earth were an expression of Heaven’s will towards the human conduct. Auspicious events, therefore, were reproduced in writing or images in China and believed to function just like their physical counterpart and thus perpetuate their benign effects. In this way, buildings, tombs, gardens, paintings, ceramic, lacquer, metal wares and textiles were decorated with flowers, birds, animals and other auspicious symbols. Cranes have a long-lived tradition of connection with immortality beliefs in China. As birds with a long life span, they were associated with longevity, immortality and wisdom, especially following the rise of Daoism from the Han dynasty. We may recall the flying cranes appearing on the domed ceiling of the tomb of Wang Chuzhi of the Five Dynasties and the high-ranking tombs of the Liao, and the frequent occurrence of cranes in relation to the miraculous rebirth as immortal beings in vernacular literature dating from the 12th century. Cranes were also praised for their ability to dance to music and described in the Ruiying tu of the sixth century BC as gathering around the legendary Yellow Emperor as he practiced music on Kunlun mountains, accompanying scholars as they played music in Tang and Song paintings and appearing in official celebrations and gatherings. Accompanying the rites, music provided a moral and physical definition to a dynastic rule. In this context, therefore, cranes were interpreted as heavenly indicators of the emperor’s benevolence and sage governance. It may not be incidental that the word for crane is in fact homophone with the Chinese word for harmony he. Cranes became even more closely related to a successful reign/emperor during the prosperous period of Northern Song Emperor Huizong (r. AD 1100-1126) as the search for auspicious images increased and the Xuanhe ruilan ce, comprising some thousand volumes recording auspicious sightings, was compiled. During this time, cranes appeared as pennants and employed as part of the imperial regalia that accompanied many official affairs on the court. Cranes also appeared in many Song court paintings. Cranes above Kaifeng, in particular, has been attributed to or commissioned by Emperor Huizong. The work depicts twenty cranes appearing in flight above the Golden Gate to the Imperial Palace on the 3rd day of the Lantern Festival - believed to be 26th February 1126) as if sent by Heaven to sanction and celebrate one of the most glorious days of Huizong’s reign when the court was at its highest splendour and the emperor was united with his subjects as they wished him longevity for the year to come.It may therefore be little surprising that cranes were also ubiquitously found at the court of the Qing emperors, especially that of Qianlong (AD 1735-1795), emperor known for his virtuousness and appreciation of antiquity. In this instance, cranes not only appeared in paintings but even three-dimensionally as components of miniaturised immortal palaces made of jades, agate and other precious stones and in greater size flanking the imperial throne, such as the one presented here. Standing on an elaborate cloisonné stand, not only does this creature serve a highly visual appealing purpose, but in much the same way as the glorious emperors of the past, was surely employed by the Imperial House of the Qing as a powerful symbol embodying the contemporary brilliance of the Chinese Empire.For the occurrence of cranes in the arts of the Qing dynasty see Pine, plum and cranes pained by Shen Quan (AD 1682-1760), Cranes against Sky and Waters by Yu Xing (AD 1692-after 1767), and the miniature landscape representing the immortal island of Penglai in gold, pearls and precious stones, all part of the Imperial Collection at the Palace Museum in Beijing and illustrated in the Royal Academy catalogue China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, 2005, figs 268-269.For an account on the interpretation of auspicious images see Jessica Rawson, The power of images: the model universe of the First Emperor and its legacy, in Historical Research 75, May 2002, p.123-154 and The Auspicious Universe, by the same author, in China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy, 2005, p. 270-305.For an account on the interpretation of cranes at the court of Huizong see Peter Sturman, Cranes above Kaifeng: The Auspicious Image at the Court of Huizong, in Ars Orientalis, 1990, p. 33-68.For the occurrence of cranes during the Han dynasty see Anna Seidel, Post-Mortem Immortality or The Taoist Resurrection of the Body, 1987.
Lot 156
A Chinese famille rose charger decorated with pheasants amidst taihu rocks and peonies shrubs, 39cm diameter, 19th century, a polychrome swatow porcelain charger decorated with birds amidst floral scrolls, 27cm diameter, 17th century, and various ceramic items comprising a pair of blanc de Chine figures of ladies standing on clouds carrying flowers, 15.5cm, a blanc de Chine figure of female immortal He Xianggu carrying a lotus flower, a red ground double gourd vase decorated with floral motifs on reserve panels, both fitted as a lamp stand, three ceramic figures of the `Stars of Happiness`, 19, 33 and 42cm high, two small Japanese cloisonne vases, 11.2cm high, and a pottery bowl decorated with green and blue designs, 22cm diameter. For the Stars of Happiness, see comparable examples being sold at Halls of Shrewsbury, April Fine sale, lot 504, £3800 hammer.彩粉绶带鸟纹太湖石牡丹纹盘一件；汕头鸟花卉纹盘一件；其他瓷器
Lot 556
A Victorian mahogany kneehole desk, having raised back with central small mirror flanked by two pairs of projecting drawers, the central hinged writing slope inset with leather cloth and enclosing maple-veneered drawers and pigeon holes, with flanking writing surfaces to each side, above a central shallow drawer with fancy brass bale handles, and pedestals each of three shallow drawers above a shelf, on turned legs with brass caps and ceramic castors, 76cm x 130cm x 113cm high
Lot 88
A good collection of Great War miniature patriotic ware, including a Willow China statue of Edith Cavell, a ceramic golfball depicting the early allied flags, a Corona Ware cauldron with the allied flags `European War 1914`, a miniature vase with a cockerel mounting a field gun amid allied flags `1914-15`, a miniature teacup and saucer `The Flags of Liberty`, a conch and a swan `The Triple Entente`, and other items. (15)
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