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Click here to subscribeA Chinese famille rose porcelain plaque,20th century, of rectangular form, painted with a literatus wearing a long robe walking on a bridge above a lotus pond, accompanied by an attendant carrying a qin, inscribed,39 x 26cm二十世纪 粉彩携琴访友图瓷板Condition ReportUpper right corner damaged. Lower right corner with chips to glaze. Some enamel losses.
A Chinese polychrome-enamelled porcelain plaque,20th century, of rectangular form, in the style of Wang Qi (1884-1937), painted with a wealthy man and his son clutching tightly to a cash coin inscribed 'Xing Ming zhi Bao' (Treasures of Life), a poor man by their side reaching out, inscribed with a dedication to commemorate the anniversary of the Jingdezhen School of Fine Art, the signature of Wang Bizhen and two seals reading 'Wang Qi Hua Yin' and 'Zengcai Duoli shi Kong Kong' (Being aggressive for wealth and profit will end in nothing), accompanied by a poem describing the danger of greed which translates:Good money, good moneyLinked with life and death Even with this moneyStill want a house and a fieldA happy family togetherOnly thinking of themselvesWith the sight of a rat's eyeTakes over and does not let goWho dares to get in the wayThe young and the old do nothingFearing any words of wisdomTrading wife for moneyWith no regard for the greater goodIf their greed does not changeThe household will not last,37.5 x 25cm, framedProvenance: Acquired at auction in Singapore in 1980 and brought back to UK in 1990s on retirement. 二十世纪 王琦款 彩绘《性命之宝》图长方粉彩瓷板 木框题诗：好钱好钱 性命柶连 有了此钱 仲要房田 一家大小 快乐团圆 只仿自己 鼠目不远 钻头霸住 谁敢沾边 老小无力 怕你良言 不顾大局 以妻换钱 贪心不改 恐宅有险景镇瓷业美术研究社周年纪念品 卤昌采新予王碧珍写 《王琦画印》方印《争财夺利是空空》印Condition ReportSurface scratches. Knocks to frame. Did not examine the back of the plaque outside of the frame.
Three Chinese underglaze blue and copper-red porcelain snuff bottles, late Qing dynasty, of cylindrical form,one painted with crabs, six-character Yongzheng mark to base,one with travellers in a mountainous landscape, andanother with a literatus standing by a river, four-character Chenghua mark to base,8.7 to 10cm high (3)清晚期 青花釉里红鼻烟壶 一组三件Condition ReportAll with surface scratches. The one with travellers with small chips to base.
A Chinese polychrome-enamelled porcelain plaque,20th century, painted with two cranes standing in a pine tree, inscribed, 24 x 17cm, framed, and a polychrome-enamelled box and cover,of circular form, painted with a bird standing in a blossoming prunus tree, inscribed, the base with a six-character mark,6.5cm diameter (3)Condition ReportPorcelain plaque - did not examine outside of the frame. Frame with chips and splits. Wood warped. Box - No obvious faults.
A Chinese polychrome-enamelled porcelain plaque,20th century, painted with a mountainous landscape, inscribed with signature of Wang Guiying (1931-2012),35 x 22cm, framedCondition ReportDid not examine outside of the frame. No obvious faults to plaque.Frame with cracks to corners, surface scratches, chips and knocks to edges.
A Chinese blue and white vase, 18th century, of rouleau form, painted with dragons chasing flaming pearls among clouds, 42cm high Provenance: from the collection of John Timlin (died 11 September 2020), a world-renowned art psychotherapist. John started collecting Chinese porcelain in the 1950s along with French and German art nouveau objects. He had an extensive library on these subjects and travelled around the world visiting galleries, dealers and collectors. He also visited China in the 1980s. This vase was used as a lamp in his property in Chelsea. 清十八世纪 青花云龙纹棒槌瓶Condition ReportSurface scratches, chips to rim. Drilled to the side near base. Was fitted as a lamp.A 13cm crack to the side of the body.
LARGE LONGQUAN CELADON 'TRIGRAMS' TRIPOD CENSER MING DYNASTY, 15TH CENTURY 明 龍泉青釉八卦紋劃花大香爐 sturdily potted, of tapering cylindrical shape raised on three cabriole legs, the exterior moulded with the eight trigrams and freely carved with scrolling foliage between raised bands, the base pierced, covered in a celadon glaze of greyish-green toneDimensions:25.3cm wideProvenance:Provenance: Sir Alan Campbell, GCMG, thence by descent to his daughters.The diplomat Alan Campbell (later Sir Alan Campbell, 1919-2007) was the youngest son of Hugh Campbell, (1873-1943) silk merchant and Director of Ilbert & Co, Shanghai. In 1905 Hugh Campbell married Ethel Warren (1881-1951) daughter of HM Consul-General in Shanghai, Sir Pelham Warren (1845-1923). Alan Campbell, who inherited an interest in Chinese porcelain from his parents, probably acquired this censer in Beijing in 1956-57 during his time as Head of Chancery at the British Legation. His neighbour and colleague in the Legation was John Addis (later Sir John Addis KCMG, 1914-83, British Ambassador to China 1972-4), a collector and authority on Ming porcelain, who made important donations of ceramics and textiles to the British Museum and the V & A Museum. Addis may have advised Campbell about purchases from the Beijing merchants whom they both used.Note: Note: A closely comparable large incense burner with eight trigrams, dated to early Ming dynasty, 14th-15th century, is in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, museum no. Gu Ci 故瓷4098; another example of similar sign and size, dated to Ming dynasty, 15th century, was sold at Christie's London, 7 June 2004, lot 1.
GREEN-ENAMELLED 'DRAGON' DISH QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG MARK, 18TH-19TH CENTURY 清 乾隆款 綠釉龍紋盤 the interior painted with a sinuous dragon grasping for a pearl amidst flame scrolls below a pair of green-enamelled line borders, the exterior with a pair of five-clawed dragons in pursuit of flaming pearls, the base inscribed with a six-character Qianlong mark in underglaze blue Dimensions:17.7cm diameterNote: Note: A similar dish in the Victoria and Albert Museum is illustrated in R. Kerr, Chinese Ceramics, Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty, London, 1986, no. 98 and another in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, was included in the Special Exhibition of K'ang-Hsi, Yung-Cheng, Ch'ien-Lung Porcelain Ware from the National Palace Museum, Taibei, 1986, illustrated in the Catalogue, p. 116, no. 86. Yongzheng and Jiaqing examples can be found in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Miscellaneous Enamelled Porcelains, Plain Tricoloured Porcelains, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Shanghai, 2009, nos. 76 and 77.
FAMILLE ROSE 'MAPLE AND PEACOCK' VASE BY ZHAI XIAOXIANG (1944- ) 1995 一九九五 翟筱翔款 景德鎮製底款 粉彩紅霜素羽白孔雀紋燈籠形賞瓶 the lantern-shaped oval body supported on a tall straight foot and terminating to a short inverted mouth rim, the body finely painted with two white peacocks perching on a large maple tree, one side inscribed with the title 'Hong Shuang Su Yu (Red maples with plain feathers)', dated to the Spring of Yi Hai year, corresponding to 1995, signed 'Zhai Xiao Xiang'Dimensions:17.3cm highProvenance:Provenance: Private English collection, London; acquired from Peter Wain, Shropshire during 25th February and 3rd March 1997 at the Olympia Fine Art and Antique Fair, with an original handwritten receipt which states the piece dates to Spring 1995, together with a certification states this vase 'was exhibited at the Olympia London demonstration and exhibition of Master Zhai Xiao Xiang of Jingdezhen, China and is certified an original work by the Master', signed by the artist and the dealer, the base inscribed with 'Jing De Zhen Zhi (Made in Jingdezhen)' mark in double squareNote: Note: Mr Zhai Xiaoxiang is one of eight Senior Masters currently working in Jingdezhen and the only one still painting in the traditional Imperial style. He was born in 1944 in Poyang county, Jiangxi Province. In 1955, he won a scholarship to the Art and Ceramics Training School, attached to the Art Porcelain Factory of Jingdezhen. During his time at the School he quickly earned a reputation for his excellent bird and flower painting. In 1975, he was invited by the Palace Museum, Beijing, to reproduce a copy, a porcelain, of a famous Kangxi Imperial cloisonne vase. The perfect work earned him not only the admiration of the museum and the industry in Jingdezhen but also a gold medal award from the President of the Chinese Republic. He is now a Consultant at the Jingdezhen Art College and the Deputy Director of the Jingdezhen Ceramic Research Institute, and his works are passionately collected in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan with a waiting list for his latest masterpieces.A comparable vase with overglaze decoration of birds on a rock was painted by Zhia Xiaoxiang himself and given to V&A during the Olympia Fine Art and Antique Fair in February 1997, accession number FE.66-1997
A Chinese famille rose porcelain panel,Republic period (1912-1949), of rectangular form, painted with an eagle perched on a pine tree above blossoming peony, 38 x 25cm, framed民国 粉彩花鸟图瓷板Condition ReportWood frame with scratches and knocks. Backboard with splits and holes. Did not examine outside of the frame.
A Chinese blue and white plate,Republic period (1912-1949), the rounded sides rising from a circular foot, painted with a cockerel, hen and chicks by blossoming peony and chrysanthemum, six-character Jiangxi Ciye Gongsi (The Porcelain Company of Jiangxi Province) mark to base,18.3cm diameter民国 青花大吉图碟 《江西瓷业公司》青花楷书款Condition ReportSurface scratches, a minute chip to rim.
A VERY RARE DOCUMENTARY TIANQI AND QIANGJIN LACQUER 'DRAGON' BOX AND COVERWanli eight-character mark cyclically dated to the Jiachen year corresponding to 1604 and of the periodThe square box and cover with canted corners, the cover superbly decorated in polychrome lacquer and gilt with red and black five-clawed dragons, contesting a 'flaming pearl' above turbulent waves and amidst cloud scrolls, all reserved on a diaper ground, the rounded sides with recessed panels incised with peony sprays framed by ruyi-scrolls below and to the corners, the box similarly decorated, the interiors and base lacquered red, the base incised and gilt with the mark Da Ming Wanli jiachen nian zhi, Japanese wood box. 15.9cm (6 1/4in) square. (4).Footnotes:明萬曆，一六〇四年 戧金填漆海水江崖雙龍戲珠紋方蓋盒「大明萬曆甲辰年製」楷書款Provenance: Nagatani Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 2 July 1951. Stephen Junkunc III (d.1978), Illinois來源：芝加哥Nagatani Inc.，1951年7月2日史蒂芬•瓊肯三世（1978年逝）舊藏Notable for the lavish use of gold, conveying a vivid representation of the two Imperial five-clawed dragons contending the flaming pearl, the present box is a fine example of lacquer wares produced for the Court during the Wanli period. It is unclear when the qiangjin technique was first used, but it appears to have already been in use during the third century AD, as seen on the cover of a box discovered in the tomb of Zhou Ran, a high-ranking official, dated 249. Boxes of all shapes and sizes were made during the Wanli period, some in specifically conceived shapes, such as the long rectangular examples used to hold fans, others, such as the present example, which may have been used as a container for a gift of sweetmeats.The animated dragons, a popular design on qiangjin and tianqi lacquerwares during the Jiajing and Wanli periods, can be seen on the covers of several lacquer boxes and covers in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Compete Colletion of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Lacquer Wares from of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2006, nos.179, 181, 183 and 186. The auspicious message conveyed by the symbols decorated on the present box, with the juxtaposition of the five-clawed imperial dragons surrounded by ruyi clouds, links the ruler to the wish for long life, a wish that is mirrored in the mountains that symbolise longevity and the sea which represents good fortune. The constant dialogue between different workshops is evident when comparing porcelain and lacquer pieces. For example, diaper patterns originally taken from brocade designs and incorporated into the carved lacquer repertoire in the 14th century began appearing on porcelain designs in the 16th century; see, for example, a Wanli mark and period wucai rectangular box decorated with a pair of dragons in a panel surrounded by a diaper pattern, which was sold at Christie's London, 26 October 1964, lot 96.Compare with a related tianqi and qiangjin lacquer square box and cover, Wanli mark and period, dated to 1610, but with a single dragon on the cover, illustrated in East Asian Lacquer: The Florence and Hebert Irving Collection, New York, 1991, pp.123, no.53. Another lacquer square box of similar form, dated 1601, is illustrated by S.Riddell, Dated Chinese Antiquities, 600-1650, London, 1979, p.215, no.174; see also a closely related tianqi and qiangjin lacquer box, Wanli mark, dated to 1616, from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2006, no.183.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A VERY RARE IMPERIAL TIANQI AND QIANGJIN 'DRAGON' BOX AND COVERWanli six-character mark and of the periodOf rectangular form with canted corners, finely decorated with incised and coloured designs, the cover with a rectangular panel enclosing two five-clawed dragons in mutual pursuit of a 'flaming pearl' amidst various clusters of cruciform clouds, the rounded sides of the box and cover with continuous lotus and peony scrolls and Precious Emblems at the eight corners, the rims with further stylised floral scrolls, the base incised with the six-character mark in gilt, fitted box. 39cm (15 2/8in) long x 22.5cm (8 7/8in) deep x 17cm (6 5/8in) high. (2).Footnotes:明萬曆 戧金填漆祥龍戲珠紋長方蓋盒「大明萬曆年製」楷書款Compare with a related qiangjin and tianqi box of similar form, incised with a Wanli cyclical mark and of the period, decorated with two confronted dragons around an auspicious emblem, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures from the Palace Museum. Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Beijing, 2006, no.177, pp.224-225. See also a similar box incised with a Wanli cyclical mark and decorated with two dragons flanking a Shou character, from the Lee Family collection, illustrated in Dragon and Phoenix - Chinese Lacquer Ware, The Lee Family Collection, Tokyo, 1990, no.82, pp.190-191. Boxes of similar shape, decorated with confronted dragons and scrolling lotus, dating to the Wanli period are also found in porcelain. See, for example, a similarly-shaped and decorated blue and white box and cover, Wanli mark and of the period, illustrated in The Fame of Flame. Imperial Wares of the Jiajing and Wanli Periods, Hong Kong, 2009, no.96. Another blue and white porcelain box and cover, from the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, is illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, Kodansha Series, vol.8, Japan, 1982, pl.245.The auspicious message underscored by the five-clawed Imperial dragons and the cruciform ruyi clouds links the ruler to the wish for long life: dragons were empowered with extraordinary powers that compared with those of the emperors, and when clutching the flaming pearl, expressed the visual metaphor of the good ruler who behaved wisely for the wellbeing of his subjects; clouds were, on the other hand, reminiscent of the mist swirling around the high-peaked mountains where Immortals were deemed to live, see R.Stein, The World in Miniature: Container Gardens and Dwellings in Far Eastern Religious Thought, Stanford, 1990. Compare with a related Imperial 'yellow dragon' polychrome lacquer box and cover, Wanli mark and period, which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 16 September 2014, lot 548.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A SELECTION OF CHINESE ART BOOKSIncluding R.Lockhart Hobson, The George Eumorfopoulos Collection. Catalogue of the Chinese, Corean and Persian Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1925-28, vols. 1 (2 copies), 2 (2 copies), 3 (2 copies), 4 (2 copies), 5 (2 copies), 6; P.Yetts, The George Eumorfopoulos collection: Catalogue of the Chinese & Corean Bronzes, Sculpture, Jades, Jewellery and Miscellaneous Objects, London, 1929-1932, vols.1, 2 and 3; L.Binyon, The George Eumorfopoulos Collection: Catalogue of the Chinese Frescoes, London, 1927; L.Binyon, The George Eumorfopoulos collection: Catalogue of the Chinese, Corean and Siamese Paintings, London, 1928; J.Ayers, The Baur Collection: Chinese Ceramics, vols.1, 2 2 copies), 3, 4, Geneva, 1972; P.F.Schneeberger, The Baur Collection: Chinese Jades, Geneva, 1976 (2 copies); J.Ayers, The Baur Collection: Japanese Ceramics; Geneva, 1982; M.Forrer, The Baur Collection: Japanese Prints, Geneva, 1994; V.Nicollier, The Baur Collection: Chinese Snuff Bottles, Geneva, 2007; P.Schneeberger, The Baur Collection: Japanese Lacquer, Geneva, 1984; M.Forrer, The Baur Collection: Japanese Prints, Geneva, 1994; B.W.Robinson, The Baur Collection: Japanese Sword Fittings, Geneve, 1980; M.T.Coullery and M.S.Newstead, The Baur Collection: Netsuke, Geneva, 1977; Burlington Fine Arts Club London, Exhibition of Early Chinese Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1911; Oriental Ceramics: the World's Great Collections: Musee Guimet, Paris, Tokyo, 1981; Oriental ceramics: the World's Great Collections: National Museum of Korea, Seoul, Tokyo, 1980-1982; Oriental Ceramics: the World's Great Collections: Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1980-1982; J.Ayers, Far Eastern Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1980; M.Bussagli, L'Arte del Gandhara, Turin, 1984; Kawade Shobo, Collection of World's Ceramics, vols.1 to 16, Tokyo, 1961. (57).Footnotes:中國藝術參考書籍一組五十七冊Provenance: a European private collection來源：歐洲私人收藏For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A BLUE AND WHITE 'CRANE AND DEER' YENYEN VASEKangxiThe body boldly painted with a continuous scene of a pair of cranes in flight above a spotted doe turning to look at an antlered deer, all amidst rocks and pines, the flaring neck also with a crane in flight above two recumbent deer amid rockwork and pines. 46.5cm (18 1/4in) high. Footnotes:清康熙 青花「鶴鹿同春」鳳尾尊Provenance: George Kidston CMG, Head of the Eastern Department of the British Foreign Office, 1919-1920, and thence by descent to the the estate of the late Hon. Mrs Patricia A. Kidston (1927-2021).來源：George Kidston勳爵舊藏，曾於1919年至1920年任英國外交部東方事務部主管；並由後人Patricia A. Kidston夫人（1927-2021）保存A similar albeit slightly smaller yenyen vase, Kangxi, also decorated with deer and cranes in the Gardiner Museum of Chinese Art, is illustrated in Cobalt Treasures: The Bell Collection of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain, Toronto, 2003, p.62.Compare with a similar blue and white 'crane and deer' yenyen vase, Kangxi , which was sold at Bonhams London, 8 November 2012, lot 44.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'DRAGON' EWERQianlong, the Persian metal cover and mounts 19th centuryElegantly potted of flattened pear-shape rising from a short spreading foot, moulded and painted in a vibrant cobalt blue on either side with a tear-drop-shaped panel depicting a writhing five-clawed dragon amidst clouds and flames, reserved on a dense floral meander between key-fret pattern and lappets around the neck and a classic scroll around the foot, the tapered spout with florets and cloud scrolls, and connected to the neck with a ruyi-cloud strut, the metal mount forming the arched handle, the flaring neck and the high domed cover engraved with Arabic calligraphic roundels alternating with rabbits and birds between scrolling arabesques, the finial inset with green glass. 36.9cm (14 1/2in) high.Footnotes:清乾隆 青花雲龍紋執壺 配鑲十九世紀波斯壺柄及蓋Provenance: Christie's London, 12 July 2005, lot 169來源：倫敦佳士得，2005年7月12日，拍品編號169The roundels on the upper and lower parts of the mount are invocations: ya ghafran (O Forgiving One)ya sultan (O Sovereignty)ya Hanan (O Compassionate One)ya musta'an (O Requiter)ya 'azum (O Mightly One)The inscribed band on the rim is the basmallah (invocation in the name of Allah) followed by the Qur'anic text of Surah 68, verse 51:Bismillah al-rahman al-rahim wa an yakad al-din kafaru al-yuzliqunak bi-basrihim lama sami'ua al-dhikaru wa yaqulun innhu lamajnun - 'When they hear Our revelations, the unbelievers almost devour you with their eyes. 'He is surely possessed', they say. (Translation from The Koran by N.J.Dawood, Harmondsworth, revised edition, 1979, p.63.)The present lot is extremely rare, and there are only two known blue and white ewers of this type with decoration of dragons and Qianlong mark published. One is in the collection of the Topkapi Saray, Istanbul, illustrated by J.Ayers and R.Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum Istanbul, vol.3, London, 1986, pp.1106-1107, no.2566. See also a ewer from the Roemer-Museum in Hildesheim illustrated by U.Wiesner, Chinesisches Porzellan: Die Ohlmer'sche Sammlung im Roemer-Museum, Mainz am Rhein, 1981, no.70. Pear-shaped ewers, such as the present example, appear to be based on an earlier round sectioned prototype produced during the Yuan and early Ming dynasties, which in turn were inspired by Central Asian and Middle Eastern metal vessels. See, for example, a blue and white ewer, Yongle, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red, vol.1, Hong Kong, 2000, p.43, no.41. Similarities can also be drawn with a group of tianbai ewers, Yongle, excavated from the Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen despite these specimens display a wider neck and a square spout; see Imperial Porcelain of the Yongle and Xuande periods Excavated from the Site of the Ming Imperial Factory at Jingdezhen, Hong Kong, 1989, pp.96-97, no.7. Although the shape of this ewer does not appear to have been made in the following reign periods, it was revived in the Jiajing reign on both monochrome white and with underglaze blue wares; see for example, a blue and white ewer with a design of children playing, Jiajing, in the Percival David collection in the British Museum, illustrated by R.Scott and R.Kerr, Ceramic Evolution in the Middle Ming Period, London, 1994, p.30, no.51. The Western Asian metal mounts on the present ewer vessel suggest that the ewer was previously in a Western Asian collection. The chased decoration on the mounts is Qajar Persian dating to the 19th century. Compare with a blue and white ewer, Kangxi, which displays a similar mount and cover, from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (acc.no.476.18-6). See also a 15th century blue and white ewer from the Topkapi Saray museum, Instanbul, fitted with a related but lesser rounded metal cover; see ibid., p.519, no.618. A pair of similar ewers with handles and covers, Qianlong, was sold at Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 1 May 2001, lot 537.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A PAIR OF BLUE AND WHITE 'LONGEVITY' BOWLSDaoguang seal marks and of the periodPainted around the body with four ruyi-bordered roundels, enclosing four stylised characters reading Wanshou Wujiang (boundless long life), surrounded by lotus scrolls below a band of the Eight Buddhist Emblems, bajixiang, the interior decorated with a central roundel of a stylised shou character encircled by a further band of emblems. 19cm (7 1/2in) diam. (2).Footnotes:清道光 青花萬壽無疆碗一對青花「大清道光年製」篆書款Provenance: an English private collection, and thence by descent來源：英國私人收藏，遂由後人繼承For the prototype of the Daoguang bowls, see a very similar blue and white bowl, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, illustrated in Treasures in the Royalty: The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p.309; the decorative motif suggests that bowls of this type may have been produced for an Imperial birthday banquet.See a similar blue and white 'longevity' bowl, Daoguang seal mark and period, which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 21 September 2022, lot 383.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE CELADON-GLAZED BARREL-SHAPED JARQianlong seal mark and of the periodThe ovoid jar applied with a pair of archaistic mythical beast-mask and ring handles set between rows of bosses around the shoulder and above the foot, covered with a soft pale blue-green glaze of even tone continuing over the flat rim and stopping at the unglazed ring encircling the countersunk base. 16.5cm (6 1/2in) high.Footnotes:清乾隆 粉青釉鋪首罐青花「大清乾隆年製」篆書款Provenance: Mrs Doris Herschorn (d.1975) and by descent to her son Hugh SassoonChristie's London, 8 June 2021, lot 293來源：Doris Herschorn夫人（逝於1975年）舊藏，並由其子Hugh Sassoon保存倫敦佳士得，2021年6月8日，拍品編號293The present vessel is an elegant example of the refined effect that could be created by combining a finely-textured pale green glaze with relief decoration on a monochrome porcelain vessel. This technique allows the details of the crisp decoration around the body to be highlighted by the delicate translucent glaze pooling in the small recesses, creating a pleasing dichromatic effect whilst accentuating the archaistic design as demonstrated in the taotie mask handles.Vessels shaped as drums, dating to the Qianlong period, are rare, and are a continuation of the Yongzheng period. See a celadon and gilt drum-shaped vase, Yongzheng mark and period, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 17 November 1975, lot 154, and a celadon-glazed example which sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 31 March 1992, lot 574.During the 18th century, the Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen devoted considerable research and development to the production of celadon glazes applied to a white porcelain body. Although celadon-type glazes, coloured with small quantities of iron, were applied to porcelain bodies at the Imperial kilns in the early Ming period, the potters working during the Kangxi period perfected a particularly delicate version over a very white porcelain body. The elegant celadon glaze was obtained using only about half the amount of iron utilised in similar glazes produced during preceding periods. During the Yongzheng period, the newly-obtained celadon glaze was further refined to produce an even more finely textured and slightly bluer pale green glaze, and small adjustments continued to be implemented throughout the Qianlong reign. The delicate range of green glazes produced during the Qing dynasty was highly-regarded at the time, and individual glazes were given specific names, such as 'bean green' douqing, 'eastern green dongqing during the Kangxi reign, as well as 'winter green' dongqing and 'soft green' fenqing during the Yongzheng reign. Compare with a pair of similar drum-shaped jars, Qianlong marks and of the period, illustrated in Chinese Celadons and Other Related Wares in Southeast Asia, Singapore, 1979 pl.224, nos.271 and 272. Another similar jar, Qianlong mark and period, from the T.Y. Chao collection, is illustrated in Ch'ing Porcelain from the Wah Kwong Collection, Hong Kong, 1974, no.18.A pair of similar celadon-glazed jars, Qianlong marks and period, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3307.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE PART-SET OF SIX FAMILLE ROSE 'IMMORTALS' PLAQUESJiaqingThe rectangular panels all superbly enamelled with groups of Immortals and sages clad in colourful robes and holding various attributes, engaged in various leisurely pursuits in a mountainous river landscape defined by a profusion of crashing waves, dotted with pine, bamboo, prunus and paulownia trees, all beneath a blue sky interspersed with wispy clouds.The largest plaque 62cm (24 2/8in) high x 24cm (9 1/2in) wide. (6)Footnotes:清嘉慶 粉彩道教人物圖屏 六件Provenance: George Kidston CMG, Head of the Eastern Department of the British Foreign Office, 1919-20, and thence by descent to the the estate of the late Hon. Mrs Patricia A. Kidston (1927-2021)來源：George Kidston勳爵舊藏，曾於1919年至1920年任英國外交部東方事務部主管；並由後人Patricia A. Kidston夫人（1927-2021）保存Superbly enamelled in vibrant colours and notable for the meticulous attention devoted to portraying the smallest details, such as the joyful expressions of the figures, the various floral and geometric patterns decorating their robes and the elaborate details of the headdresses, the present plaques would have been inset in a precious frame making up a screen gracing one of the Imperial halls. The decorative subjects presented the beholder with auspicious wishes associated with the Daoist Immortals. It is likely the screen containing these plaques would have been commissioned for a special Imperial celebration such as an Imperial birthday. The format, dimension and decoration of the present plaques closely compare with those making up a very rare Imperial famille rose and huanghuali twelve-leaf screen, Jiaqing, which was sold at Bonhams London, 15 May 2014, lot 88. The Qianlong emperor, though abdicating his throne in 1796 out of filial respect to his grandfather the Kangxi emperor, continued ruling in effect until his death in 1799. Therefore, the Imperial taste and demand as well as the zenith of craftsmanship achieved during the Qianlong period, continued into the Jiaqing period. Screens were commonly used in ancient China to keep out draughts, shut out light and partition rooms. Apart from practical functions however, screens also had an essential social and decorative function. In the Imperial halls, they were often used as backdrops to thrones, reinforcing the Imperial eminence and stature behind the throne. The importance of such screens is further demonstrated in that no cost was spared in their production, using precious materials generously, such as zitan and huanghuali woods, cinnabar lacquer, gilt on black lacquer and embellishments with porcelain panels, hardstones, and cloisonné and painted enamels.The present plaques are exquisitely decorated with mythical imagery of Daoist Immortals, auspicious flowers underscoring auspicious puns, rebuses and symbolism. Accordingly, the first panel on the far left depicts Liu Hai tempting his three-legged toad with strings of gold coins: together, they are symbolic of wealth and prosperity. The Chinese word for 'toad', chan (蟾), is homophone with the character qian (錢). Bentah Liu Hai stands a sage holding a large peach: he may be Shou Lao, also known as Shouxing, Daoist God of Longevity. This plaque thus underscores the auspicious wish for wealth, good fortune and long life.The second and third plaques depicts various female Immortals including Magu attended by a spotted deer, symbolic of longevity; He Xiangu carrying a basket of flowers, the only female in the Eight Immortals group; Guanyin, bodhisattva of compassion, standing on a Buddhist lion, and other deities carrying lingzhi fungi and jars storing the elixir granting Immortality.The fourth and fifth panel some wizened old sages and female deities, as well as the remaining figures making up the Group of the Eight Immortals, namely Li Tieguai standing on his double-gourd emanating a cluster of a cluster of vaporous clouds, Zhang Guolao riding his white mule; Lan Caihe holding a basket of peaches, Can Guojiu holding a pair of clappers; Han Xiangzi carrying a flute; Zhongli Quan holding a fan; Lu Dongbin holding a whisk.The sixth panel depicts the Hehe Erxian, the Twin Immortals, floating on the clouds, carrying a lotus he (荷) and a box he (盒), both homophones with harmony (和) and union (合).A pair of famille rose plaques, Qianlong, decorated with similar subjects as the present examples, was sold at Bonhams London, 12 May 2022, lot 178.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE FAMILLE ROSE 'LOTUS AND BATS' BOWLQianlong six-character seal mark and of the periodWell potted, rising from a short foot to an everted rim shaped as a flower head with a gilt edge, exquisitely decorated to the exterior with large colourful lotus flowers amidst smaller buds and leafy scrolls, alternating to descending bats each suspending an endless knot, all set above crashing waves and a leiwen band encircling the foot, the base with the six-character seal mark. 16.3cm (6 1/2in) diam. (2).Footnotes:清乾隆 粉彩番蓮「富貴綿長」紋盌「大清乾隆年製」篆書款The present bowl is notable for its high quality of brilliant enamelling, serving as a fine testament to the Qianlong emperor's appreciation of overglaze-enamelled porcelain. A similar combination of bats suspending endless knots and blossoming lotus, is on a famille rose bowl, Qianlong mark and period, illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p.263. Compare also with a related famille rose bowl, Qianlong mark and period, decorated with similar designs of lotus sprays and and bats suspending emblems, which was sold at Christie's New York, 18 March 2016, lot 1626.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: †† VAT at the prevailing rate on Hammer Price and Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A PORCELAIN BLUE-AND-WHITE LARGE DISHEdo period (1615-1868), 19th centuryOf circular form with a scalloped rim, painted in underglaze blue and partially glazed in celadon, the centre well decorated with a bird flying above several blossoming chrysanthemums on a hill, the rim decorated with stylised floral sprays with karakusa ('Chinese grasses'), the exterior decorated with stylised floral sprays; with a seal possibly reading Nakayama/Chuzan. 41.1cm (16 1/8in) diam.Lot to be sold without reserve.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A BLUE AND WHITE CIRCULAR BRUSH AND INK STANDChang ming fu gui mark, late 16th centuryThe drum shaped stand with three circular and one rectangular opening around a smaller central circular opening on a raised knob, the top surface painted with wave-pattern, the straight sides with a wide band of egrets among lotus between slightly raised borders of coins, the recessed base with maker's mark translated as 'long life, riches and honour'. 13cm (5 1/8in) diam. Footnotes:明十六世紀晚期 青花五孔筆插「長命富貴」款Provenance: S.Marchant & Son, London, 24 May 1966John Burke da Silva (1918-2003)Sotheby's London, 10 November 2004, lot 591Exhibited: Oriental Ceramic Society, The Chinese Scholars Desk, 17th to 18th Century, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1979, no.46. Oriental Ceramic Society, Research Display of Chinese Sixteenth Century Ceramics, British Museum, London, 1994, no.44 (illustrated p.6)Published: John da Silva, 'Three Types of Chinese Brush Stand', Oriental Art, vol.XXIV, no.3, Autumn 1978, p.326, fig.2. S.Marsh, Brushpots: A Collector's View, Hong Kong, 2020, pp.22-24, figs.2-3 來源：倫敦古董商 S.Marchant & Son，1966年5月24日John Burke da Silva (1918-2003)蘇富比倫敦，2004年11月10日，拍品591號展覽：東方瓷器協會，《The Chinese Scholars Desk, 17th to 18th Century》，阿什莫林博物館，牛津，1979年，編號46東方瓷器協會， 《Brushpots: A collector's view》，大英博物館，倫敦，1994年，編號44（圖版頁6）錄著： John da Silva, 'Three Types of Chinese Brush Stand'，《Oriental Art》，第24卷，編號3號，1978年秋季，頁326，插圖2號S.Marsh, 《Brushpots: A collector's view》，香港，2020，頁22-24，插圖2-3號John da Silva was born in the United States of a Portuguese father and American mother, whose parents had come to America from France in the middle of the 19th century and founded a chocolate factory in San Francisco. After the Second World War he joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The job took him to many parts of the world. His love of Chinese porcelain stemmed from a posting to the Embassy in Rome in 1954, where he happened to stay in a rented flat that housed a large collection of Chinese and Japanese works of art. He regularly purchased Chinese works of art from auction houses in London in the 1960's. He Joined the Oriental Ceramics Society in 1960, serving on the Council from 1977-1980 and from 1984-1987 and as Honorary Treasurer from 1992-1994.The use of this vessel is clarified by a painting of the famous philosopher Wang Yangming (1472-1529) seated at his writing desk which illustrates a handscroll of his letters and other related material. The piece is shown on his desk with three brushes placed, tips upwards, in it, together with a small vase of flowers, an inkstone and a water dropper or paper weight. The natural assumption is that the rectangular section is to hold an inkstick, which is confirmed by the late Ming scholar Wen Zhenheng, who in Zhang wu zhi ('A Treatise on Superfluous Things') under the heading of brushpots wrote:'...there are also drum-shaped ones with holes in them for inserting brushes and ink.' See a similar blue and white brush and ink stand, Jiajing, illustrated by G.Tsang and H.Moss, Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Hong Kong, 1986, pp.226-227, no.212. See also another similar blue and white brush and ink stand, 16th century, in the Percival David collection in the British Museum (acc.no.PDF,B.605). Compare also with a similar blue and white vessel, but decorated with fish, Jiajing, illustrated in Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (II): The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2000, no.114.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE BLUE AND WHITE '384 SHOU' BRUSHPOT, BITONGKangxi six-character mark and of the periodThe cylindrical vessel rising from a grooved foot ring, painted around the exterior of the straight walls in vibrant tones of cobalt-blue with 384 Shou ('longevity') characters in various calligraphic styles of seal script. 17cm (6 3/4in) diam. Footnotes:清康熙 青花寿字笔筒青花「大清康熙年製」楷書款Provenance: J.J. Lally & Co. Oriental Art, New York, 10 December 1990Exhibited: Oriental Ceramic Society, China Without Dragons, Rare Pieces from Oriental Ceramic Society Members, London, 2016, no.149Published and Illustrated: Oriental Ceramic Society, China Without Dragons, London, 2018, p.248, no.149 S.Marsh, Brushpots: A Collector's View, Hong Kong, 2020, pp.11 (fig.6), 118-121來源：紐約古董商 J.J. Lally & Co. Oriental Art，1990年12月10日展覽：東方瓷器協會，《China Without Dragons, Rare Pieces from Oriental Ceramic Society Members》，倫敦，2016年，149號錄著：東方瓷器協會，《China Without Dragons, Rare Pieces from Oriental Ceramic Society Members》，倫敦，2016年，149號S.Marsh，《Brushpots: A Collector's View》，香港，2020年，頁11（插圖 6），頁118-121The present brushpot with continuous rows of 384 Shou ('longevity') characters in different forms of seal script, channelled foot ring and Imperial reign mark, is extremely rare. There is a closely related brushpot with Shou characters in underglaze copper-red, Kangxi, but supported on three short feet and with no mark on the base, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red, Shanghai, 2000, p.182, no.166, where the authors note that it was made in the late Kangxi period. Another related blue and white brushpot decorated with Shou characters, Chenghua six-character mark, Kangxi, with flat and slightly recessed 'button' base, is in the Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (acc.no.2000.0081). Stylistically, the present brushpot with numerous Shou characters is also related to a large blue and white 'ten thousand Shou character' zun vase, Kangxi, from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red, Shanghai, 2000, pp.8-9, no.5. Another similar blue and white zun vase with Shou characters, Kangxi, is in the Nanjing Museum, and illustrated in Qing Imperial Porcelain of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, Hong Kong, 1995, no.12. See also a blue and white baluster vase, Kangxi, decorated with Shou characters in various seal script, illustrated in Qing Shunzhi Kangxi chao qinghuaci, Beijing, 2005, p.436.With regards to the date of the present lot, the channelled foot ring suggests that it was made in the early Kangxi period. The channelled foot ring is a feature that appeared in the Shunzhi reign. A blue and white brushpot with channelled foot, cyclically dated to 1667, serves to demonstrate that by this year, the potters were still producing pieces with an unglazed channel foot ring. Extant pieces bearing cyclical dates show that by 1671, fully developed unglazed channel foot rings were commonly used. This channelled foot ring however, virtually disappeared by the late Kangxi reign; see T.Canepa and K.Butler, Leaping the Dragon Gate: The Sir Michael Butler Collection of 17th-Century Chinese Porcelain, London, 2021, p.374. Therefore, it is very likely that the present brushpot was made circa 1670's. Another clue that the present lot could have been made in the 1670's, is the close stylistic relationship between the style of the Shou characters and a dictionary re-published in 1670. The characters on the present brushpot include unusual variants of the Shou character including in so-called 'tadpole' script (kedou wen 蝌蚪文) and 'birds and worms' script (niaochong wen 鳥蟲文). The characters on the brushpot appear to be based on the Jinshi yunfu (金石韻府) or 'Treasury of Ancient Characters on Bronze and Stone', an epigraphic dictionary that combines characters from earlier dictionaries and a wide range of sources. It was originally compiled by the Ming scholar Zhu Yun in 1530, but in 1670 another edition was published, from which the present lot may have been based on. The Kangxi reign ushered in a new age for epigraphy with numerous scholars and Imperially sponsored projects compiling new dictionaries; the largest among these was the 'Kangxi Dictionary' published in 1716, the most authoritative dictionary of Chinese characters from the 18th century until the 20th century. The proliferation of dictionaries reflects the Kangxi emperor's personal concern for Confucian culture and to foster the standardisation of the writing system. This paved the way for the height of the 'searching for evidence' movement (kaozheng 考證) in the Qianlong era: a rigorous new philology that sparked closer scrutiny of stone inscriptions and inscriptions on archaic bronze. The fascination for characters can be seen on a screen with Shou characters, used in the background of a painting of a lady; see 'Twelve Beauties at Leisure Painted for Prince Yinzhen', late Kangxi, illustrated in China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795, London, 2005, pp.258-259. Scholars generally accept the large blue and white zun vases with Shou characters mentioned above, were ordered by the Kangxi Emperor for his grandmother, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's (1613-1688) 60th birthday (corresponding to 1673 in the Gregorian calendar). Furthermore, in 1674, the major kilns in Jingdezhen were razed to the ground following the chaos and suppression of the Revolt of the Three Feudatories (1673-1681). The rebuilding of the kilns was not completed until 1684. It therefore seems likely that the present lot was also made for the occasion of an Imperial birthday before 1674. Another opinion, though less likely, is that the present lot was made after 1684, for the occasion of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's 75th birthday (1687, by Chinese count), which would correspond to the period when several vessels were written and signed by Gong Yuzi (攻玉子). Gong Yuzi was apparently active for only a three year period between the 26th and 28th years of the Kangxi reign (1687-1689). According to research by Lu Chenglong, 'Jianwei zhizhu - You xin faxian de yi xiao kuai cipian tan Kangxi qinghua wanshou zun' (Recognising the Whole from one Small Part: New Discoveries from a Kangxi Blue and White Ten Thousand Shou Character Zun Vase) in Gugong bowuyuan yuankan, no.6, 2002, pp.114-123, which shows a blue and white brushpot signed by Yu Gonzi; Lu argues tenuously that Yu Gongzi possibly inscribed the calligraphy for the Shou character zun vases. See a blue and white brushpot with the 'Ode to Red Cliff', Wenzhang shandou mark, signed by Gong Yuzi, illustrated in Qing Shunzhi Kangxi chao qinghua ci, Beijing, 2005, no.213. Another blue and white brushpot signed by Gong Yuzi, decorated with Shou characters, is in a private collection in Beijing an... 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A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'MASTER OF THE ROCKS' JARShunzhi/early KangxiOf elegant baluster form, painted around the exterior with a continuous scene of craggy mountains in pencilled line around a lake with fisherman on a sampan, pavilions with scholars dotted throughout, all amidst various trees, the sky with V-shaped flocks of geese, all beneath a border of pine trees on the shoulder, the neck with a border of lotus. 27.8cm (11in) high. Footnotes:清順治至康熙早期 青花山水紋罐Provenance: Professor Desmond R. Laurence (1922-2019)S. Marchant & Son, London, 17 October 2003Marchant, London, 6 December 2010Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Marchant, Selected Chinese Porcelain from the Collection of Professor D.R. Laurence, London, 2010, pp.20-21, no.12來源：Desmond R. Laurence 教授 (1922-2019)倫敦古董商 S. Marchant & Son，2003年10月17日倫敦古董商 Marchant，2010年12月6日展覽及錄著：《Selected Chinese Porcelain from the Collection of Professor D.R. Laurence》，倫敦，2010年，頁20-21，編號12The present jar is decorated with a landscape in the so-called 'Master of the Rocks' style. This style, which seems to have developed towards the mid-17th century in the final years of the Ming dynasty, continued to be popular in the early years of the Kangxi reign, with a very few examples being made as late as the turn of the century. The 'Master of the Rocks' style was by no means limited to the brush of a single artist, and appears in a number of versions on porcelains from about 1640 to 1700. It was used on porcelains decorated in underglaze cobalt blue and also those decorated in underglaze blue and copper red. There are even very rare examples where the style has been combined with famille verte enamels. The style itself is characterised by the use of 'hemp-fibre' strokes to produce rocky landscapes full of movement and drama, often combined with the use of fluid dots to depict scrub and foliage.This development in porcelain painting reflected elements seen in the landscape painting of certain artists working on silk and paper. The use of 'hemp-fibre' brush strokes can be seen in the work of the famous late Ming dynasty literatus Dong Qichang (1555-1636), for example in his hanging scroll 'Autumn Landscape' in the Nü Wa Chai Collection illustrated by J.Cahill, Chinese Painting, Lausanne, n.d., p.150. The dramatic, almost writhing, rock forms as well as the 'hemp-fibre' brush strokes can also be seen in paintings such as 'Returning Home from Gathering Fungus' painted in 1628 by Wang Jianzhang (fl.1628-1644), illustrated by S.Little, Chinese Porcelains of the Seventeenth Century: Landscapes, Scholars' Motifs and Narratives, New York, 1995, p.36, fig.2. The influence of such paintings on the porcelain decorators at Jingdezhen was not necessarily direct. This style of painting was not only well-regarded, it also lent itself to translation into woodblock printing, and it is quite possible that it was through this medium that aspects of style, such as 'hemp-fibre' strokes were transmitted to the ceramic artists of Jingdezhen. See for example 'hemp-fibre' brushstroke mountain landscape in the Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting, circa 1679, illustrated by T.Canepa and K.Butler, Leaping the Dragon Gate: The Sir Michael Butler Collection of Seventeenth-Century Chinese Porcelain, London, 2021, p.404.For a blue and white brushpot with this 'master of the rocks' style landscape, Kangxi, see Ibid., p.404; other pieces including a gu vase, and dish, Kangxi, all with related decoration, are in ibid., pp.406-417. Compare with a related large blue and white 'master of the rocks' style landscape vase, 18th century, which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 15 September 2015, lot 107.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'SAAGATA' SLEEVE VASEChongzhenThe tall elegantly potted cylindrical vessel brilliantly painted around the exterior in vibrant tones of cobalt-blue with a continuous scene of an Arhat in cascading robes holding a staff with concerned expression beneath long eyebrows and wrinkled brow, gazing at a boy-attendant carrying a meditation mat through a pole, both facing an elderly woman carrying a large jar with cracked-ice glaze, all amidst plantain, craggy rocks and billowing clouds, all between finely incised scroll borders at the foot and shoulder, pendant plantain-leaves beneath the mouth. 47cm (18 1/2in) high.Footnotes:明崇禎 青花「莎伽陀」筒瓶Provenance: William James, prior to 1905 (a photograph of circa 1905 illustrated in Country Life).Christie's South Kensington, 15 December 2016, lot 120Published and Illustrated: C.Aslet, 'West Dean Park, Sussex - II', Country Life, 29 October 1981, p.1462, fig.1.來源：William James, 1905年前入藏（《Country Life》雜志刊有一約攝于1905年的舊照）佳士得肯辛頓，2016年12月15日，拍品120Saagata is the Tibetan name of the Arhat Shajiatuo (莎伽陀). Numbered 239 out of the 500 arhats, he was known for his fondness for liquor. However, before inebriation he was said to be powerful enough to subdue a dragon. His story is documented in the Upasakasilasutra 'Sutra of the Upasaka Precepts' (優婆塞戒經) no.5, the fifth precept prohibiting intoxication through alcohol. According to the legend, after subduing a dragon, the people were grateful to Saagata and a poor woman who respected him greatly offered him wine. Saagata became drunk and fell to the ground near the gate of the temple. Buddha and Ananda walked by and noticed Saagata on the floor, and thereupon forbade all Buddhist disciples from consuming alcohol.In the context of late Ming culture, when 'passion' (qing 情) and 'obsession' (pi 癖): unswerving commitment and genuine fondness towards something was celebrated, the depiction of Sagataa's fondness for alcohol would have been less a genuine condemnation, and more a tacit nod of his affable humanity. Late Ming attitudes towards Saagata therefore, would not be unlike an Elizabethan audience's attitudes to Shakespeare's larger-than life character Falstaff: a rogue, yet loved by all. The literati's approval of certain elegant 'vices' can be seen in the famous late Ming scholar Zhang Dai's 張岱 (1599-1684) writings:'One cannot befriend a man without obsessions, for he lacks deep emotion, nor can one befriend a man without faults, for he lacks integrity'.Indeed, late Ming culture celebrated another Monk known for his love of alcohol - Lu Zhishen - from the novel Outlaws of the Marsh (水滸傳) published in the 16th century. Lu's love of alcohol, and enormous consumption of it, also gets him into trouble, yet in the novel he is a loveable character that attains enlightenment. Seen within this context, Saagata would have been well-received by Ming dynasty literati.Stylistically as well, the depiction of the Arhat on the present lot tallies with paintings of Arhats by Wu Bin (c.1573-1620) and Ding Yunpeng (1547-1621). Ding Yunpeng excelled in painting religious figures which were meticulously executed with fine 'iron-wire' lines. Wu Bin too in his Five Hundred Arhats depicted an enormous number of Arhats in a variety of postures and gestures. Their facial expressions are also almost comical such as in the present lot. Ding and Wu's work were both reproduced in woodblock printed books such as the Lidai minggong huapu (歷代名公畫譜), published in the Wanli period, and it is primarily through printed matter that they influenced porcelain painters. See Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting, New Haven and London, 1997, pp.236-238. See a related blue and white sleeve vase, dated to 1641, in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, illustrated by R.S.Kilburn, Transitional Wares and Their Forerunners, Hong Kong, 1981, p.35. Compare with a related blue and white sleeve vase, Chongzhen, but decorated with horsemen, which was sold at which was sold at Christie's New York, An Era of Inspiration: 17th Century Chinese Porcelains from the Collection of Julia and John Curtis, 16 March 2015, lot 3532.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE AND LARGE BLUE AND WHITE 'QILIN' DISHShunzhiWith deep rounded sides rising from a channelled foot ring, vividly painted in underglaze blue with an open-mouthed roaring scaly qilin prancing across a landscape of plantain and rockwork issuing foliage, the reverse decorated with flaming pearl and precious objects, the rim enamelled brown, the base recessed. 34.5cm (13 5/8in) diam.Footnotes:清順治 青花「麒麟」大盤Provenance: Dr John Pullan (1915-1995)Spink & Son Ltd., London, 1998Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Spink and Son Ltd., Chinese Blue White Porcelain From the Pullan Collection, London, November 1998, pl.37來源：John Pullan 博士 (1915-1995)倫敦古董商 Spink，1998年展覽著錄：Spink & Son Ltd.，《Chinese Blue White Porcelain From the Pullan Collection》，倫敦，1998年11月，圖版37Dr John Pullan was born in Yorkshire and educated at Shrewsbury and Cambridge before entering the Medical School at St Thomas' Hospital in 1937. His collection of Chinese ceramics comprised over three hundred pieces, with the majority being blue and white, acquired mostly from the main dealers in London in the 1950s-1970s. The auspicious qilin was particularly popular during the Shunzhi reign. Eva Strober noted the reason may be because the mythical beast was considered to only appear when foreshadowing the birth of a great sage. See, E.Strober, Symbols on Chinese Porcelain: 10,000 Times Happiness, Stuttgart, 2011, p.66. See a similar blue and white dish with qilin, Shunzhi, in the Palace Museum, Beijing illustrated in Gugong Bowuyuan Cang Qingdai Ciqi Leixuan Qing Shunzhi Kangxi Chao Qinghuaci, vol.I, Beijing, 2004, pl.20. Compare also with a similar blue and white dish with a qilin, Shunzhi, from the Butler Family collection, illustrated in Shunzhi Porcelain: Treasures from an Unknown Reign, Seattle and London, 2002, pp.108-109, no.13. A further example in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, is illustrated in Eastern Ceramics and Other Works of Art from the Collection of Gerald Reitlinger, Oxford, 1981, p.49, no.98.See also a fine and large blue and white qilin dish, Shunzhi, which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 19 March 2019, lot 312.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE AND LARGE 'LADIES AND BOYS' WUCAI DISHYu tang jia qi mark, ShunzhiFinely potted with deep rounded sides rising from a short foot ring, the interior exquisitely decorated with two ladies and five boys, one lady carries a young boy in her arms while the other with her back to us plays with a Cassia flower, one boy hiding behind a lady humorously pulling his face at the viewer, another two boys playing with a drum gaze in the distance, all within a balustraded garden with large craggy rocks and prunus, a three character inscription reading tanhua lang 'The Flower Snatching Gentleman', the underside of the dish with maker's mark in underglaze blue within a double circle. 33cm (13in) diam.Footnotes:清順治 五彩仕女嬰戲圖盤青花「玉堂佳器」楷書款Provenance: S. Marchant & Son, London, 27 September 2005來源：倫敦古董商 S. Marchant & Son，2005年9月27日The painting on the present lot has multiple allusions to examination success. It is particularly remarkable however, for the humorous twist the craftsmen took in making the child behind the lady pull his face at the viewer; making a common trope of hopeful wishes for examination success into something unique. The image shows a lady plucking a cassia flower before the child held up to her. To 'pluck the cassia' was a euphemism for passing the Imperial civil service examinations. The phrase has its origins from the biography of Xi Shen (郤詵, exact dates unknown) in the Book of Jin (晉書), an official history of the Jin dynasty (266-420). Xi Shen was sent to Yongzhou as a Provincial Governor, but before he journeyed, Emperor Wu of Jin (236-290) asked him: 'how does our minister [i.e. you] consider yourself? [for the role]'. Xi replied saying: 'I, your servant, esteem virtue and am good at strategies in running a state, [I am] first under heaven, like a branch from the forest of cassia, or jade from Kunlun'. The link between plucking flowers and examination success is further reinforced by the inscription on the dish reading 'The Flower Snatching (or Plucking) Gentleman' (tanhua lang 探花郎). Tanhua was the title given to the third highest ranking candidate in the examination for the jinshi ('presented scholar') degree, the highest level. Zhuangyuan (literally meaning 'top thesis author') was the title given to the highest scoring candidate, while Bangyan (literally 'eyes positioned alongside') was the title awarded to the second highest scoring. The child reaching out for the flower held by the woman is literally a 'flower snatcher' or tanhua, embodying the hopes of later achieving examination success. See a blue and white bottle vase, Kangxi, with the same design, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red III, Hong Kong, 2000, p.14, no.10. See also a pair of related famille verte dishes, Kangxi marks and of the period, illustrated by S.Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain, London, 1965, pl. XXXI, no.2.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A VERY RARE WUCAI BRUSHPOT, BITONGChongzhen/ShunzhiExquisitely decorated around the exterior with a bearded scholar official on a balustraded terrace carrying a tablet in his right hand and pointing with his left hand to the sun, behind him two attendants with large fans and three boy-attendants carrying a guqin, robes of office and a saddle, all amidst gnarled rocks and shrubbery, beneath a wide border at the mouth of green and red dots. 19cm (7 1/2in) diam.Footnotes:崇祯/顺治 五彩指日高陞圖笔筒Provenance: John R. Berwald Oriental Ceramics & Works of Art, London, 20 June 1993Published and Illustrated: S.Marsh, Brushpots: A Collector's View, Hong Kong, 2020, pp.216-219來源：倫敦古董商 John R. Berwald Oriental Ceramics & Works of Art，1993年6月20日錄著： S.Marsh，《Brushpots: A Collector's View》，香港，2020年，頁216-219The present brushpot is unusual both for the rare decorative border beneath the rim, and also its large size. Although 'blobby dots' can be found on the borders of several brushpots from the transitional period, its combination with red and green is particularly unique. The brushpot is laden with auspicious meaning. The scholar-official pointing at the sun provides a rebus: the rising sun suggests a rise in prosperity. 'Pointing at the sun' (zhi ri) is a pun for 'day by day', suggesting the blessing zhiri gaosheng 指日高陞 (May you day by day rise in rank).See a related wucai brushpot, early Kangxi, illustrated in Transitional Wares and Their Forerunners, Hong Kong, 1981, p.35. Compare also with a related blue and white brushpot with similar composition of figures on a terrace, Chongzhen, illustrated by T.Canepa and K.Butler, Leaping The Dragon Gate: The Sir Michael Butler Collection of Seventeenth-Century Chinese Porcelain, London, 2021, p.224.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WUCAI 'RISE IN OFFICIAL RANK' JAR AND COVERShunzhiBrightly enamelled around the exterior with a continuous scene of a dignitary seated on a horseshoe-back chair with tiger-skin, surrounded by court retinue with sword and standard bearers, kneeling before the dignitary a gentlemen in black robes proffers a boot, with further guardsmen carrying swords and halberds watching, all amidst a balustraded court setting leading to rocks and trees with swirling clouds, all beneath a ruyi-head border at the neck, the domed cover surmounted by a lotus-bud finial and decorated with cartouches containing landscapes. 33cm (13in) high. (2).Footnotes:清順治 五彩「加官進爵」蓋罐Provenance: Richard Marchant Ltd. Chinese and Japanese Works of Art, London, 14 December 1994來源：倫敦古董商 Richard Marchant Ltd. Chinese and Japanese Works of Art，1994年12月14日'Rise in official rank' was a popular motif but usually shows three scholars offering a wine ewer, wine cup and boot. The boot is part of official attire while the wine cup or jue was an archaic ritual vessel that conveyed rising in official rank. See Folklore in Ming and Qing Porcelain, Hong Kong, 2019, pp.166-167. However, the present lot shows no ewer or wine cup. The other possibility is that the figure in black kneeling is the powerful eunuch and politician Gao Lishi holding the drunken poet Li Bai's boots. According to Stories to Caution the World (警世通言), Li Bai, the renowned poet in the Tang dynasty who refused to take the civil service examination was berated by the powerful officials Yang Guozhong and Gao Lishi as an an unlearned scholar that was only worthy of holding an inkstone and removing footwear for them. Later, however, the Balhae Kingdom sent an ambassador with a letter, which only Li Bai could read. The emperor directed Li Bai to reply to the letter and granted the drunk Li's request to have Yang Guozhong hold his inkstone and Gao Lishi take of his boots; see ibid., pp.16-17.The scene could also relate to the story of 'Chancellor Ku Zhun Venturing into the Cellar Without his Boots on', which tells the story of the chancellor pursuing General Yan Linlang, treading softly in his socks, but fails to catch him and has to report failure to the eight princes. See Shunzhi Porcelain: Treasures from and Unknown Reign, Alexandria, 2002, p.216, no.70.See a related wucai jar, Shunzhi, with similar design, from the Butler Family collection and illustrated in Shunzhi Porcelain: Treasures from an Unknown Reign, Alexandria, 2002, pp.216-217, no.70.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'ROMANCE OF THE WESTERN CHAMBER' SQUARE VASEKangxi six-character mark and of the periodHeavily potted with four tapering sides surmounted by a waisted cylindrical neck with flaring mouth-rim, the body painted in bold tones of cobalt-blue with a scene of a gentleman with a queue holding a fly-whisk and seated before a dignitary in front of a screen, another side with a scholar and monk emerging from a pavilion with two ladies gazing at them, another side with mounted soldiers charging towards each other, the fourth side with a lady peering out from the window of a tall pavilion, gazing at a scholar and boy-attendant carying a guqin. 49.8cm (19 1/2in) high.Footnotes:清康熙 青花「西廂記」方瓶Provenance: a Bavaria, Germany private collection, by reputeSotheby's London, 15 May 2007, lot 68來源:德國巴伐利亞私人收藏（擬）蘇富比倫敦，2007年5月15日，拍品68The present vase depicts scenes from the popular 13th century drama Xixiang Ji (西廂記), or 'The Romance of the Western Chamber'. The play narrates a secret love affair between the young scholar Zhang Sheng, and Cui Yingying, daughter of a chief minister.Although scholar Zhang and Cui Yingying fell in love with each other at a Buddhist monastery, Cui Yingying's mother disapproved of the match because of Zhang's low status. Yingying's maid Hongniang, however, took pity on them and arranged to bring them together in a secret union. When Yingying's mother discovered what had happened, she reluctantly agreed to a formal marriage on the condition that Zhang must pass the Civil Service examination. To the joy of the young lovers, Zhang Sheng passes, is appointed to high office, and the two are finally married.The scenes on the present lot refer to scene 3 (Book 1): Scholar Zhang, holding a fan, is shown around the temple by the abbot. He sees Cui Yingying and her maid Hongniang strolling outside and although Yingying keeps her fan high in a modest gesture to hide her face, Zhang falls in love. Scene 4 (Book 1) shows Zhang seated, asking permission to stay at the temple from the abbot opposite holding a fly whisk. Scene 5 (Book 1), shows scholar Zhang reciting a love poem in the garden holding a fan. Next to him is the maid Hongniang and an attendant. Looking down from the window is Cui Yingying. Finally, the vase shows scene 10 (book 3), Du Que and Huiming clash with the rebel Sun Biao. I thought it might be easier to just do the whole thing as a whole below so you can copy and paste? Below is the whole footnote, which can just copy and paste again? 清康熙 青花「西廂記」方瓶 Provenance: a Bavaria, Germany private collection, by repute Sotheby's London, 15 May 2007, lot 68 來源:德國巴伐利亞私人收藏（擬） 蘇富比倫敦，2007年5月15日，拍品68 The present vase depicts scenes from the popular 13th century drama Xixiang Ji (西廂記), or 'The Romance of the Western Chamber'. The play narrates a secret love affair between the young scholar Zhang Sheng, and Cui Yingying, daughter of a chief minister. Although scholar Zhang and Cui Yingying fell in love with each other at a Buddhist monastery, Cui Yingying's mother disapproved of the match because of Zhang's low status. Yingying's maid Hongniang, however, took pity on them and arranged to bring them together in a secret union. When Yingying's mother discovered what had happened, she reluctantly agreed to a formal marriage on the condition that Zhang must pass the Civil Service examination. To the joy of the young lovers, Zhang Sheng passes, is appointed to high office, and the two are finally married. The scenes on the present lot refer to scene 3 (Book 1): Scholar Zhang, holding a fan, is shown around the temple by the abbot. He sees Cui Yingying and her maid Hongniang strolling outside and although Yingying keeps her fan high in a modest gesture to hide her face, Zhang falls in love. Scene 4 (Book 1) shows Zhang seated, asking permission to stay at the temple from the abbot opposite holding a fly whisk. Scene 5 (Book 1), shows scholar Zhang reciting a love poem in the garden holding a fan. Next to him is the maid Hongniang and an attendant. Looking down from the window is Cui Yingying. Finally, the vase shows scene 10 (book 3), Du Que and Huiming clash with the rebel Sun Biao. See two blue and white vases, Kangxi six-character marks and of the period, of this type illustrated in Seventeenth Century Chinese Porcelain from the Butler Family Collection, Alexandria, Virginia, 1990, nos.118 and 120, painted with different scenes of figures in landscapeSee two blue and white vases, Kangxi six-character marks and of the period, of this type illustrated in Seventeenth Century Chinese Porcelain from the Butler Family Collection, Alexandria, Virginia, 1990, nos.118 and 120, painted with different scenes of figures in landscape.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE WUCAI 'LOTUS POND' ROULEAU VASECirca 1640Deftly painted in blue and enamelled in shades of iron-red, aubergine, green and yellow around the exterior with a continuous scene of lotus and aquatic fauna issuing from the water, the shore with one egret resting, one standing and one eating some water-weeds, another two egrets flying in the air amidst red-enamelled clouds, all beneath floral sprays around the neck. 44cm (17 1/4) high.Footnotes:約1640年 五彩蓮池禽戲紋筒瓶Provenance: S. Marchant and Son Ltd., LondonRoy Davids (1943-2017), collection no.69, acquired on 28 June 2005Bonhams London, The Roy Davids Collection of Chinese Ceramics, 6 November 2014, lot 47來源：倫敦古董商 S. Marchant and Son Ltd.Roy Davids (1943-2017)，藏品編號69，2005年6月28日入藏邦瀚斯倫敦，《The Roy Davids Collection of Chinese Ceramics》，2014年11月6日，拍品47號Lotus and their depiction in ponds were beloved by the literati since the Neo-Confucian scholar Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073) wrote his essay 'On Loving Lotus' (Ai lian shuo). In his essay, Zhou likened the scholar-gentleman to the lotus who 'remains pure despite growing from the mud' ('出淤泥而不染'). During the tumultuous transitional era between the Ming and Qing dynasties, the pure lotus that rises from the mud would have resonated strongly with scholar-officials and encapsulated a hopeful attitude.Sleeve vases of this large size decorated in the wucai palette are exceedingly rare. Only a handful of examples decorated with flowering branches and birds have been published. These include one from a private collection, illustrated by M.Butler, Julia B.Curtis and S.Little illustrated in Shunzhi Porcelain: Treasures from an Unknown Reign, 1644-1661, Alexandria, 2002, pp. 126-129, no.22.2; and one in the collection of Sir Michael Butler, illustrated by M.Butler, M.Medley, S.Little in Seventeenth-Century Chinese Porcelain from the Butler Family Collection, Alexandria, 1990, p.154, no.101. Another related wucai rouleau vase, circa 1640-1670, decorated with peacocks, is illustrated by R.Kilburn, Transitional Wares and Their Forerunners, Hong Kong, 1981, no.176. Compare with a related wucai sleeve vase, decorated with various flowers and rocks, Shunzhi, which was sold at Christie's New York, An Era of Inspiration: 17th Century Chinese Porcelains from the Collection of Julia and John Curtis, 16 March 2015, lot 3547.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A FINE WHITE BISCUIT PORCELAIN 'CRANES AND PINE' BRUSHPOT, BITONG19th centuryExquisitely carved around the exterior with a large gnarled pine tree with fine pine needles and a crane perched among the branches, beside it a rocky outcrop issuing auspicious lingzhi fungus and bamboo with a flittering butterfly above. 13.8cm (5 3/8in) high. Footnotes:清十九世紀 澀胎雕松鶴紋筆筒Provenance: Belfont Company (Hong Kong) Ltd., 28 June 1994Published and Illustrated: S.Marsh, Brushpots: A Collector's View, Hong Kong, 2020, pp.200-201來源：Belfont Company (香港) Ltd.，1994年6月28日錄著：《Brushpots: A Collector's View》，香港，2020年，頁200-201 The elaborate yet delicate carving style on white biscuit porcelain, as exemplified by the present brushpot, suggests it was carved by a contemporary of one of the great craftsmen of the time, such as Chen Guozhi 陳國治 (circa 1820-1860). Chen was a native of Qimen, Anhui Province, and was renowned for his ability to carve designs on porcelain with the intricacy and elegance of those found on paintings. See H.Moss, V.Graham, and K.B.Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles. The Mary and George Bloch Collection. Vol.6. Part 3. Arts of the Fire, Hong Kong, 2008, pp.759-762. According to Jin Wuxiang in Fragrant Corn Casual Jottings (Suxiang suibi 粟香隨筆), Chen Guozhi was 'of great renown...every piece [of his work] being valued at ten pieces of gold.'Another famous potter, Wang Bingrong 王炳荣 (circa 1820-1875), was also well known for his relief-carved porcelain. Wang Bingrong was the most commercially successful of the Daoguang period porcelain carvers and was active through at least the Xianfeng reign as well. This success enabled the family kiln to re-establish production relatively quickly even after the destruction caused by the Taiping rebellion. Wang Bingrong also produced several series of desk sets which would have included scholar's accessories such as the present brushpot, of exceedingly high quality. See T.Miller and H.Hui, Elegance in Relief: Carved Porcelain from Jingdezhen of the 19th to Early 20th Centuries, Hong Kong, 2006, p.344. See also a snuff bottle, Wang Bingrong four-character mark, illustrated ibid., no.81.Compare with a related white biscuit porcelain 'cranes and pine' brushpot, Wang Bingrong impressed four-character seal mark, Daoguang/Xianfeng, which was sold at Bonhams London, 12 May 2022, lot 168.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A FINE BLUE AND WHITE WATERPOTKangxiOf lotus-bud form rising from a short foot to a narrow lipped mouth rim, painted around the exterior with lappets enclosing lotus sprays, beneath a herring-bone border beneath the mouth rim. 8cm (3 1/8in) high.Footnotes:清康熙 青花花卉紋蓮子洗Provenance: Sir Harry M. Garner, KBE CB FRAeS (1891-1977) and Lady Hilda A. Garner (1897-1994)Bluett & Sons Ltd., London, 14 May 1992Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: The Oriental Ceramic Society, Chinese Blue and White Porcelain 14th to 19th Centuries, London, 16 December 1953 - 23 January 1954, no.279來源：Harry M. Garner 爵士 (1891-1977) 及 Hilda A. Garner 女爵 (1897-1994) 舊藏倫敦古董商 Bluett & Sons Ltd.，1992年5月14日錄著：東方瓷器協會，《Chinese Blue and White Porcelain 14th to 19th Centuries》，倫敦，1952年12月16日至1954年1月23日，編號279Sir Harry Garner was a distinguished mathematician. He joined the Royal Aircraft establishment in 1927; he was Director of Scientific Research, Ministry of Aircraft Production in 1943; and Chief Scientist to Ministry of Supply 1949-1953. He collected oriental art and published extensively, producing key reference works on blue and white ware, lacquer ware and cloisonné enamels. He and Lady Garner donated much of the collection to the British and Victoria and Albert Museums. He was Honorary Secretary of the Oriental Ceramic Society 1951-1967 and President 1967-1971.Compare with a similar waterpot, late 17th to early 18th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc.no.79.2.311).This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A VERY FINE BLUE AND WHITE TANKARDChongzhenThe cylindrical vessel of tapering form, boldly painted around the exterior in vibrant tones of cobalt-blue with a continuous scene of a scholar with a fan by a gnarled taihu rock with two young boy attendants approaching, carrying a goose and a box and cover, all amidst a balustraded garden setting with mountains in the distance, between foliate borders at the foot and mouth, applied with a loop handle decorated with lotus. 21.5cm (8 1/2in) high. Footnotes:明崇禎 青花執杯Provenance: Blitz Oriental Ceramics and Works of Art, Amsterdam, 22 June 1993來源：阿姆斯特丹古董商 Blitz Oriental Ceramics and Works of Art，1993年6月22日The Dutch sent stoneware tankards to Jingdezhen from Cologne in Germany in 1635 to serve as models for these Dutch market tankards, of which there are extant examples. See a similar blue and white tankard decorated with a scholar, Chongzhen, illustrated in Seventeenth Century Jingdezhen Porcelain from the Shanghai Museum and the Butler Collections: Beauty's Enchantment, Shanghai, 2005, pp.322-323, no.121. See also a related blue and white tankard, 1635-1645, but decorated with a foreigner, illustrated by J.Ayer, Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen, vol.1, London, 2016, p.124, no.238.Compare with a related silver-mounted blue and white tankard, Chongzhen, which was sold at Christie's New York, An Era of Inspiration: 17th Century Chinese Porcelains from the Collection of Julia and John Curtis, 16 March 2015, lot 3511.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE AND LARGE FAMILLE VERTE 'MAGPIES AND PRUNUS' BRUSHPOT, BITONGKangxiThe cylindrical vessel exquisitely decorated around the exterior with angular blue and green rocks and gnarled branches issuing sprays of red, green and blue prunus with gilt stamens, a magpie rests on one branch with four others in flight, the base with small recessed circular section and maker's mark forming a wan-character in underglaze blue. 18.2cm (7 1/4in) diam.Footnotes:清康熙 素三彩花鳥紋筆筒Provenance: S. Marchant & Son, London, 13 November 2000來源：倫敦古董商 S. Marchant & Son，2000年11月13日Published and Illustrated: S.Marsh, Brushpots: A Collector's View, Hong Kong, 2020, pp.230-231錄著：S.Marsh《Brushpots: A Collector's View》，香港，2020年，頁230-231The present lot is laden with auspicious symbolism and wordplay. The theme of magpies (xique 喜鵲), a homophone for 'happiness' (xi 喜), on top (shang 上) of prunus branches (meishao 梅梢), which puns with 'eyebrows' (meishao 眉梢) forms a rebus for the blessing, 'May happiness reach up to your eyebrows' (喜上眉梢).The decoration on the present lot is rare for its gilding, which is a most unusual feature to survive to the present day. The design also appears to be related to woodblock prints of flowers and birds, such as the Shizhuzhai shuhua pu (Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Calligraphy and Painting), published by Hu Zhengyan (1584-1674) and printed between 1619 and 1633. The increasing availability of illustrated woodblock printed books, including pharmaceutical literature dealing with plants and their medicinal properties helped facilitate their design on porcelain. See for example, a blue and white brushpot, cyclically dated to 1638, with similar design of flowers and birds, and its source from the Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Calligraphy and Painting, illustrated by T.Canepa and K.Butler, Leaping the Dragon Gate: The Sir Michael Butler Collection of Seventeenth-Century Chinese Porcelain, London, 2021, p.231.Compare with a related but narrower famille verte brushpot, decorated with flowers and birds, Kangxi, illustrated in The Complete Collection of the Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelains and Contrasting Colours, Shenzhen, 2007, p.97, no.89. Another related famille verte brushpot with lotus and kingfisher and calligraphic inscription, Kangxi, is also illustrated in ibid., no.91.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A FINE SMALL BLUE AND WHITE ROULEAU VASEChongzhenThe tall cylindrical vessel rising to a waisted neck, painted around the exterior painted in vibrant underglaze blue with a continuous scene of vases and trays with various flowers amidst flittering butterflies, all between incised borders, the neck with pendant leaves. 21.8cm (8 3/4in) high. Footnotes:明崇禎 青花博古花卉紋小筒瓶Provenance: John R. Berwald, London, November 2017來源：John R. Berwald, 倫敦, 2017年11月The depiction of antiques and flowers, as seen on the present lot, a design sometimes known as bogu or 'various antiquities' reflected the growing scholarly interest of the literati in collecting antiques, works of art and flowers. In the late 16th century, the writer Fan Chao from Songjiang pondered on his contemporaries who sought to emulate the lifetsyle of the scholar class:The particularly strange thing is that even officials' lictors and runners...would set up a small place...with a goldfish and various pots of flowers in the courtyard. with a hardwood table and a flywhisk, and call it a 'study'. I have no idea what books officials' lictors and runner studied.Nevertheless, during the late Ming dynasty, when urban populations, literacy and the merchant class with access to education and positions at court expanded, the collecting of artefacts and their pictorial record became increasingly popular. See also a woodblock print of the various antiquities and flowers, early Qing dynasty, illustrated by C.Von Spee, The Printed Image in China: from the 8th to the 21st centuries, London, 2010, p.91, no.29. Compare with a similar blue and white vase, Shunzhi, also decorated with flowers and the Hundred Antiques and of similar height (20.4cm high), in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated by T.Canepa and K.Butler, Leaping The Dragon Gate: The Sir Michael Butler Collection of Seventeenth-Century Chinese Porcelain, London, 2021, p.449.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'DRAGON AMIDST CLOUDS' BEAKER VASEShunzhiThe cylindrical vessel with waisted central section tapering to a flaring rim from a spreading foot, painted in vibrant tones of cobalt-blue with a large four-clawed scaly dragon writhing amidst blue washes of misty cloud chasing the flaming pearl of wisdom. 43.6cm (17in) high. Footnotes:清順治 青花雲龍紋觚Provenance: A & J Speelman Oriental Art, London, 3 November 2009來源：倫敦古董商 A & J Speelman Oriental Art，2009年11月3日The dragon was the most important of the mythical animals. Essentially a gentle creature, despite its often fierce appearance, the dragon represents the male principle of nature (yang). It was the god of rain and also, in certain manifestations, the emperor's special symbol - he sat on the dragon throne and was borne aloft by dragons when he died. Many different dragons are portrayed in Chinese art, often chasing a pearl and almost always surrounded by flames. The present lot is more unusual in showing a dragon in the clouds, and shows a sophisticated, playful hand at work, with blurred and painterly edges of the clouds reminiscent of wet ink on paper. The cottony cloud forms, the almost whimsical expression on the dragon's face, and the vivid plasticity of the beast's form, show the influence of the Southern Song dragon painter Chen Rong (陳容 ca.1200–1266). See a painting of nine dragons by Chen Rong, illustrated in Masterpieces of Chinese Painting, 700-1900, London, 2013, pp.198-199, no.38.Similarly treatment of clouds around dragons is seen also on a blue and white vase, decorated with animals of the four directions, circa 1640-1655, illustrated by M.Butler, J.B.Curtis and S.Little in Shunzhi Porcelain: Treasures from an Unknown Reign, 1644-1661, Alexandria, VA, 2002, p.99, no.7.Compare with a related blue and white beaker vase, Shunzhi, also decorated with a dragon amidst clouds, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Qing Shunzhi Kangxi chao qinghuaci, Beijing, 2005, pp.98-99, no.52. A related blue and white beaker vase, dated to 1670, with the upper register similarly decorated with a dragon amidst clouds, is illustrated in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1998, p.98, no.64.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE WUCAI ROULEAU VASEShunzhiThe tall cylindrical vessel vibrantly decorated around the exterior with craggy rocks issuing dense chrysanthemum and peony, two birds in flight, all against a red petal-pattern ground and between floral patterned borders, the waisted neck with floral sprays. 39.5cm (15 1/2in) high. Footnotes:清順治 五彩花鳥棒槌瓶Provenance: Priestly & Ferraro Chinese Art, London, 10 July 2006來源：倫敦古董商Priestly & Ferraro Chinese Art，2006年7月10日The dense decoration of flowers on red ground, as found on the present lot is rare. See a jar with related decoration of flowers and rocks against a red diaper-pattern ground, Shunzhi, illustrated by T.Canepa and K.Butler, Leaping the Dragon Gate: The Sir Michael Butler Collection of Seventeenth-Century Chinese Porcelain, London, 2021, p.345. The same jar is illustrated in Seventeenth Century Chinese Porcelain from the Butler Family Collection, Alexandria, 1990, no.60, where the author notes that 'some pieces of this type were made for the Indian or Middle Eastern markets. Friedrich Volker asserts two red rolwagens were given to an Indian King in 1648'; see ibid., p.107.According to T.Volker in Porcelain and the Dutch East India Company: As Recorded in the Dagh Registers of Batavia Castle, Those of Hirado and Deshima and other Contemporary Papers, Leiden, 1971, p.105, in 1649 the Dutch wrote to Batavia on 31 May 'that they intend to present the King [of Surat] with...2 large red rolwagens with leaf work in relief and flowers...' The present lot, also with a predominately red tone, could therefore, have been made for the Indian or Middle Eastern market.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A VERY FINE BLUE AND WHITE 'HAN XIN' PEAR-SHAPED VASEKangxiElegantly potted with an ovoid body rising from a short foot to a long cylindrical neck and flaring mouth rim, painted around the body in vibrant tones of cobalt-blue with a continuous scene of Han Xin and companion on horseback being chased by Xiao He riding at full gallop followed by an attendant emerging from a gate, Han Xin stops by the river with fan held aloft while a boatman approaches, all amidst pine trees and craggy rocks, a herring-bone border under the mouth rim. 18.3cm (7 1/4in) high. Footnotes:清康熙 青花「蕭何月下追韓信」故事圖膽瓶Provenance: S.Marchant & Son, LondonAdrian M. Joseph (d.2010), Hong Kong, 6 September 1985Published, Exhibited and Illustrated: S. Marchant & Son, Chinese Blue and White - Wanli to K'ang Hsi, London, 1980, no.71來源：倫敦古董商S.Marchant & Son 香港Adrian M. Joseph（逝於2010年）舊藏，1985年9月6日 出版展覽：S. Marchant & Son，《Chinese Blue and White - Wanli to K'ang Hsi》，1980年，編號71Han Xin 韓信 (died 196 BC) was a military general who served Liu Bang 劉邦 (died 195 BC) in founding the Han dynasty. Initially, Liu Bang was not impressed with Han Xin and put him in charge of food supplies. After a while, Han Xin became discontented and attempted to desert under the cover of darkness. Xiao He 蕭何 (died 193 BC), one of Liu Bang's chief advisers, recognised Han Xin's talent, however, and heard that he left. Xiao He immediately chased after Han Xin to bring him back, whereupon Han Xin was promoted to the rank of general. According to some versions of the story, Xiao He was able to catch up to Han Xin because the rise in water level prevented Han from crossing the river. In the Jin dynasty, Jin Renjie wrote the play 'Xiao He Chasing after Han Xin under the Moon' in which Xiao He invited Han Xin for a boat ride after catching up with him; several other Ming dynasty versions of the story also existed. The original story, recorded in Sima Qian's Shiji (史記), would have resonated strongly with many scholar-officials during the late Ming dynasty, who felt their talents to serve in the government were not being appreciated under the waning Ming empire. The same motif can be found on a baluster vase, c.1635-40, illustrated in Seventeenth Century Chinese Porcelain from the Butler Family Collection, Alexandria, 1990, p.78, no.37.See also a very similar blue and white vase, with the same design, Kangxi, illustrated in Folklore in Ming and Qing Porcelain, Hong Kong, 2019, pp.48-49. Another very similar vase with the same design, Kangxi, is illustrated by H.Garner, Oriental Blue and White, London, 1970, pl.69, no.A.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'DESCENDING GEESE' OVOID JAR AND COVERChongzhenHeavily potted of ovoid form, rising from a short foot to a waisted neck, painted around the exterior with a continuous scene of a lotus pond, one goose flying towards another swimming in the water, all beneath a border of pendant foliage, the domed cover with incised scroll-border surrounding a rabbit gazing at the moon amidst rockwork, bamboo and floral sprays. 28.3cm (11 1/8in) high. (2).Footnotes:明崇禎 青花寳鴨穿蓮紋蓋罐Provenance: a Leipzig private collection, purchased in 1990, by reputeSotheby's London, 15 May 2007, lot 503來源：萊比錫私人收藏，於1990年入藏（擬）蘇富比倫敦，2007年5月15日，拍品503號Lotus were beloved by the literati since the Neo-Confucian scholar Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073) wrote his essay 'On Loving Lotus' (Ai lian shuo). In his essay, Zhou likened the scholar-gentleman to the lotus who 'remains pure despite growing from the mud' ('出淤泥而不染'). In the context of venal late Ming Court politics of the Chongzhen era when the present lot was made, the pure lotus that rises from the mud would have resonated strongly with scholar-officials and encapsulated a hopeful attitude. The depiction of the geese are also particularly interesting. Geese descending is a theme which has strong poetic associations with Autumn and has been extolled by both painters and musicians alike in the well-known song for the guqin 'Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank' (平沙落雁). This theme attained renown within Chinese literary and artistic circles during the Song period and continued from then on. See also for example, a painting of geese descending by Bian Shoumin (1683-1752), in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (acc.no.90.513). the painting 'Wild Geese and Hibiscus' by Bian Wenjin (ca.1356-1428), in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated by Hou-mei Sung, Decoded Messages: The Symbolic Language of Chinese Animal Painting, New Haven, 2009, p.68. The painting (though with five birds) shows wild geese on a river shore in the four aspects of flying, calling, sleeping and eating, a traditional grouping. Geese over time had many different meanings from orderliness in flight, to their ability to come and go as they pleased, to their apparent busyness and friendship. During the Yuan dynasty, wild geese appear to have symbolised the self-enforced leisure and freedom of retired Han Chinese scholars, indignant at their treatment under Mongolian rule. It could be perhaps, that Han Chinese scholars felt the same with impending foreign Manchu rule. It is likely that the present's lot design was based on the woodblock printed book Tuhui zongyi (圖繪宗彝), juan 8, which also shows geese descending, and was published in 1607. The cover depicts a rabbit gazing at the moon. This is a reference to the Goddess of the Moon's companion, the moon rabbit, sometimes also known as the Jade rabbit, who constantly pounds herbs into an elixir of longevity for Chang'e. In time, the rabbit became synonymous with the moon. Compare with a similar blue and white ovoid jar, but without cover, Jiajing six-character mark but Shunzhi, with very similar decoration, illustrated by T.Canepa and K.Butler, Leaping The Dragon Gate: The Sir Michael Butler Collection of Seventeenth-Century Chinese Porcelain, London, 2021, p.309, no.III3.60. See also a related blue and white ovoid jar and cover, Chongzhen, but decorated with flowers and antiques, illustrated in Seventeenth Century Jingdezhen Porcelain from the Shanghai Museum and the Butler Collections: Beauty's Enchantment, Shanghai, 2005, pp.90-91, no.13.See a related blue and white ovoid jar and cover, circa 1640-1650, similarly decorated with a lotus pond, which was sold at Christie's New York, An Era of Inspiration: 17th Century Chinese Porcelains from the Collection of Julia and John Curtis, 16 March 2015, lot 3513.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A LARGE BLUE AND WHITE AND COPPER-RED 'VIRTUOUS AUNT' DISHChenghua six-character mark, Early KangxiFinely potted with deep curving sides rising from a channelled foot ring to a slightly everted rim, the interior painted with an elegant lady with high chignon and clad in long flowing robes carrying a smiling boy on her back, the hem of her dress in underglaze red, all amidst craggy rocks, the underside with the mark in underglaze blue within a double circle. 36cm (14 1/4in) diam.Footnotes:清康熙早期 青花釉裏紅「鲁义姑姊」盤「大明成化年製」青花楷書款Provenance: an English private collectionRoger Keverne Ltd., London, 2013 Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Winter Exhibition, London, 2013, no.30.傳承：英國私人收藏倫敦古董商 Roger Keverne Ltd.，2013年展覽及錄著：Roger Keverne Ltd., 《Winter Exhibition》，2013年，編號30 Depictions of women and children are common themes on Chinese porcelain, upholding the Confucian values of filial piety towards one's parents but also the mother's duty to instruct her son and be a paragon of virtue. Such depictions on porcelain could relate to a specific scene in a novel or play, but it is difficult to attribute. The image on the present lot shows a woman carrying a boy on her back, her leg is high up, indicating she running or moving quickly, while looking back. It could therefore, relate to woodblock illustrations of the Lienu zhuan ('Biographies of Exemplary Women') and the story of 'The Virtuous Aunt'. The story recounts that when troops from the state of Qi entered Lu, they came upon a rural woman walking in the countryside, carrying her own son and leading her husband's elder brother's son by the hand. Fearing that she did not have the strength to rescue both children from the invaders, she flung her own son down, picked up her nephew and fled. Her son was captured by the Qi troops, and when they eventually reached her as well, the soldiers asked her why she had made the choice she did. She responded that her relationship to her son is private love, but her nephew is 'public duty':If I had turned my back on public duty and pursued private love, abandoning my brother's child to save my own child, even if by some good fortune I had escaped, still the Lord of Lu would not succour me, officials would not nourish me, and ordinary countrymen would have nothing to do with me. If I were to do this, then my body would nowhere be at ease, and my tired feet would have nowhere to step. Although it is painful to lose my son, what is the meaning of righteousness? Although I can bear to abandon my son and practice righteousness, I cannot bear to live in the state of Lu without righteousness. See Children in Chinese Art, Honolulu, 2002, p.99. The virtuous Aunt thus became a paragon of Confucian virtue for her dedication to public virtue over private love. In the early Kangxi period, when this dish was made, many would still remember the chaos and destruction from the Manchu invasion in 1644, and stories of invading soldiers and retreating women and children and issues of public service over private interests, would have tugged at the hearts of those living in the 17th and early 18th centuries. Stylistically, depictions of women on porcelain from this period appear to have been strongly influenced by Chen Hongshou (1598-1652). Chen painted his figures with relatively large heads with high chignon and thin graceful bodies. Chen was also extremely active within the printing industry, hence his designs often came to the attention of craftsmen who could copy them. See for example, the painting 'Flowers in His Hair' by Chen Hongshou, illustrated in Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting, New Haven and London, 1997, p.243.For a related example of a blue and white dish with a lady, Kangxi, see M.Butler, M.Medley and S.Little, Seventeenth-Century Chinese Porcelain from the Butler Family Collection, Alexandria, 1990, p.167, no.113; another related blue and white dish with a lady, Kangxi six-character mark and of the period, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Qing Shunzhi Kangxi Chao Qinghuaci, Beijing, 2005, p.123, no.61. See also a related blue and white dish, Kangxi, illustrated by H.Garner, Oriental Blue and White, London, 1970, p.46, pl.D.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A CHINESE PORCELAIN BOWL with underlaze blue painted decoration, the exterior with figures in garden setting, the interior a seated scholar, the everted rim with floral reserves within a diaper border, 21cm diameter, bearing six character Chenghua mark to base Condition Report : minor rim chips and two vertical hairlines - please refer to images Condition reports are offered as a guide only and we highly recommend inspecting (where possible) any lot to satisfy yourself as to its condition.
A CHINESE EXPORT PORCELAIN TANKARD polychrome enamelled with figures, naturalistic twig handle, 11.5cm high Condition Report : very good condition, some rubbing to gilding, nice old paper label to base Condition reports are offered as a guide only and we highly recommend inspecting (where possible) any lot to satisfy yourself as to its condition.
A PAIR OF CHINESE PORCELAIN BALUSTER SHAPED VASES with underglaze blue painted decoration, the reserves with three scholars in garden setting, four character kangxi mark to base, 31cm high, with an associated pair of lids Condition Report : one with cracks around collar - see photos. one lid with fritting Condition reports are offered as a guide only and we highly recommend inspecting (where possible) any lot to satisfy yourself as to its condition.
A set of three modern Chinese porcelain table lamps, the ovoid bodies decorated with peacocks within pine trees, height 38cm, each fitted with a cream shade.Buyer’s Premium 29.4% (including VAT @ 20%) of the hammer price. Lots purchased online via the-saleroom.com will attract an additional premium of 6% (including VAT @ 20%) of the hammer price.
A set of four 19th Century Chinese blue and white porcelain plates, the centre fields decorated with willow and fence pattern, 22.5 cm diameter, together with a set of three 19th Century Chinese blue and white plates, the centre fields decorated with figures, willow and fence pattern, 23 cm diameter CONDITION REPORTS The set of four - one has a chip to the rim. All have firing faults, surface scratches etc to include one having a firing fault to the rim and a hairline crack running through it. The set of three - all have chips variously throughout, one has a significantly larger chip with a hairline fracture running from it. All have firing faults, surface scratches etc - see images for more details
A Royal Worcester porcelain candle snuffer modelled as a ram, limited edition 55/750, boxed, further candle holder modelled as a plum, Chinese Year Of The Sheep figure, box and cover of pillar box form to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of her late majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and a Connoisseur Collection porcelain patch box and cover. (5)
A collection of four Chinese Qing Dynasty 18th/19th Century blanc de chine porcelain libation cups of typical form, the two larger examples set with deer and mythical beasts, the other two with flowering prunus branches, tallest 8 cm high, shortest 5.3 cm high CONDITION REPORTS The two larger examples both have chips to the rims. One has some other chips to the exterior rim as well as hairline fracture visible to the interior, the other has a section missing to one of the buds on the base. The smaller prunus decorated cup has chips to the rim both inside and out and has a chip to the base. The smaller circular cup has all over crazing, hairline fractures throughout and chips to the rim. All in need of a good clean. General wear and tear conducive with age and use - see images for more details
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