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A pair of Chinese hanging scrolls,19th-20th century, each painted with a lady, one standing on a boat in the spring, the other seated by a window in a garden in the autumn, inscribed with the signature and an artist's seal of Pan Yasheng (1852-1921), ink and colour on paper,34 x 6cm (2)Provenance: Purchased in Beijing in the early 1980s.潘雅声款 仕女图 设色纸本 立轴 一对Condition ReportBoth mountings tired and cockled with small tears to edges.Foxing and staining marks in various locations. The Autumn painting with a pin hole to the upper left corner.

A Chinese calligraphy couplet, 20th century, in seal script, with a dedication and signature of Huang Binghong (1865-1955) with three artist's seals, ink on paper, each 169 x 29.5cm (2)Condition ReportPaper with creasing and cockling, small tears to edges, foxing, staining and dirt marks in various locations.

A Chinese calligraphy, 20th century, of a quotation from Chairman Mao in running script, with the signature of Guo Moruo (1892-1978) and an artist's seal, ink on paper, 47.5 x 79.5cmCondition ReportPaper with creasing and cockling, small tears to edges, foxing and staining marks in various locations.

AN IVORY SEAL-TYPE (INGYO) NETSUKE OF A SHISHI, ATTRIBUTED TO ANRAKUAttributed to Shukosai Anraku, unsignedJapan, Osaka, second half of the 19th centuryFinely carved, the seal-type netsuke with a male lion posed on the top of a waisted Chinese alter table with a key-fret (rinzu) border and tapering legs. The lion posed dynamically with its head turned back over his shoulder, placing one hand on a ball, with an elaborately incised mane and tail. Natural himotoshi between the table legs. The ivory finely stained in the manner characteristic of the artist Anraku.HEIGHT 4.6 cmCondition: Good condition with minor wear and a small loss to the apron of the alter table.Provenance: Duval Gallery, Brussels, 30 May 1945. Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, acquired from the above, and thence by descent within the same family. Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Université Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France's post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Asian art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Japanese and Chinese works of art. In 1938, they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976).Auction comparison:Compare a closely related netsuke of a shishi with a ball on a table, signed Anraku, sold at Sotheby's, A Collection of Netsuke, Inro and Lacquer Wares, 16 November 1983, London, lot 1 (sold for GBP 495).Trade Certificate: The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been grantedThis item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.

HOSAI MASAHIRO: A FINE ANABORI IVORY NETSUKE REFERENCING THE LEGEND OF CHORYO AND KOSEKIKOBy Hosai Masahiro, signed Masahiro 正廣 with seal Hosai 芳齋Japan, Tokyo, c. 1860A remarkable and intricately carved ivory netsuke, the manju-type netsuke fitted with a 'faux lid' carved in relief with a ferocious sinuous dragon forming a circle, one side pierce-carved in anabori with a design of Choryo handing back the shoe to Kosekiko after having defeated the water dragon. Two himotoshi and signed MASAHIRO with red seal HOSAI underneath. The artist was known for his meticulous anabori carvings and was a pupil of Adachi Masanobu.DIAMETER 3.7 cmCondition: Very good condition with few natural age cracks.Provenance: Sold at Sotheby's, 13 March 1987, London, lot 39. German private collection, acquired from the above.Zhang Liang (known as Choryo in Japanese) was a Chinese military strategist and politician who lived in the early Western Han dynasty. The present netsuke depicts the legend of when Choryo met the old man Kosekiko (Huang Shigong) on a bridge. The old man began to teach the art of war to Choryo and one day Kosekiko wanted to test Choryo and threw a shoe into the river where a powerful water dragon lived. The dragon seized the shoe and Choryo defeated it and gave the shoe back to Kosekiko. The present netsuke shows exactly this scene – the proud Choryo, with one foot on the dragon's head, is presenting the shoe to Kosekiko who is mounted on a horse atop a bridge. According to legend, Choryo used the teachings of Kosekiko as a military adviser to Liu Bang, the founder of the Han dynasty.Trade Certificate: The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number DE-K-230523-303). This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.

OZAKI KOKUSAI: A RARE ANTLER KISERUZUTSU WITH COINSBy Ozaki Kokusai (1835-1892), sealed Koku 谷Japan, Shiba, Tokyo, c. 1860-1880The wari-zutsu pipe case carved with three old coins pierced through the center. The uppermost coin finely carved with the relief seal script characters Daquan wushi ['large coin, fifty'], the script of one coin of the Wang Man interregnum, and the second bears the characters Buquan ['spade coin'], an auspicious coin which was believed to grant women a son in childbirth if they wore it on their sash. The cord attachment is a playful rendition on an old Chinese coin carved in sunken relief within rounded-corner borders with a central aperture. The lowest square coin bears the artists signature KOKU. The unusually dark antler is of a deep red color with fine natural spongiform inclusions.LENGTH 20.1 cmCondition: Good condition with minor wear, natural flaws, and a chip to the upper rim.A wari-zutsu pipe case is slit at the sides, leaving two flexible leaves. Bamboo and wood are the usual materials, because of the need for flexibility, although occasionally antler is utilized. See Stratos, Milton (Spring 2016) Kiseruzutsu, the Other Sagemono. A Modest Appreciation, International Netsuke Society Journal, Vol. 36, No. 1, p. 19.Literature comparison:Compare two related antler otoshizutsu pipe cases with closely related antique coins, signed Kokusai, illustrated in in Moss, Sydney L. (2016) Kokusai The Genius: and Stag-antler Carving in Japan, vol. II, p. 352-353.

KOKUSAI: A FINE ANTLER RYUSA MANJU NETSUKE WITH PRUNUS BLOSSOMBy Ozaki Kokusai (1835-1892), sealed Koku 谷Japan, Shiba, Tokyo, c. 1860-1880Published: Sydney L. Moss Ltd. (2016) Kokusai The Genius and Stag-antler Carving in Japan, pp. 130-131. no. 141.A clever and visually pleasing antler ryusa netsuke carved in openwork within a simple triple ring outline with the design of a stylized five-petalled prunus blossom, most likely sakura (cherry), sitting above five stylized and neatly incised leaves. The reverse with the looped cord attachment, the seal signature KOKU, and a single kanji character kimi 君, which means, especially in a Chinese poetic-Confucian context, “the gentleman”; or in aristocratic circles is used as an honorific form of address; “you”, indicating this was likely a commission for an important and distinguished individual. The antler bearing a beautiful caramel tone.DIAMETER 3.9 cmCondition: Excellent condition with typical 'flaws' to the material.Provenance: Ex-collection Raymond Bushell. Christie's, The Raymond and Frances Bushell Collection of Netsuke Part II, 18 Ocxtober 1988, New York, lot 141. Ex-collection John and Donnie Hawley, Texas, USA, acquired from the above. Interestingly, the reverse of the five petals in combination with the Koku seal form a stylized outline of a dancer, the Koku seal forming the face, which was a stylistic element frequently used by this genius carver. See for example Sydney L. Moss Ltd. (2016) Kokusai the Genius: and Stag-antler Carving in Japan, vol. II, no. 225.Literature comparison:Compare a closely related antler manju by Kokusai of similar construction with a ring outline and a looped cord attachment illustrated in Sydney L. Moss Ltd. (2016) Kokusai the Genius: and Stag-antler Carving in Japan, vol. II, pp. 126-127, no. 138.

A Chinese Bronze Seal, surmounted by a lion dog, six character mark to the matrix, 4cm high, together with a Continental silver mounted oval tortoiseshell snuff box and a pressed glass model of a French Bulldog (3)

SOAPSTONE SQUARE SEAL 壽山石雕梅樹紋方章 帶透雕竹林靈芝紋木蓋盒印文：雪堂羅振玉印 each side finely carved in low relief with a continuous scene of a large prunus tree issuing from mountain rock, the seal front reading 'Xuetang Luozhenyu Yin', with a fitted hardwood box carved with bamboo groves and lingzhi fungus in openwork Dimensions:the seal: 6.3cm high; the box with stand: 8.8cm high Note: Note: Luo Zhenyu (1866 - 1940), was a Chinese classical scholar, philologist, epigrapher, antiquarian and Qing loyalist. He was one of the first scholars to decipher the oracle bone script, and produced many important scholarly works researching the bronzeware script. He helped publish Liu E's Tieyun Canggui (鐵雲藏龜), the first collection of oracle bones, and Sun Yirang's Qiwen Juli (契文舉例), the first work of decipherment of the oracle bone script.

FINE PAIR OF INSCRIBED BLUE AND WHITE TEA TRAYS QING DYNASTY, JIAQING MARK AND OF THE PERIOD 清嘉慶 青花「大清嘉慶年製」六字篆書款 青花開光御製詩海棠式茶托 each with shallow lobed sides of quatrefoil section, supported on four short bracket feet, the interior inscribed with an imperial poem pertaining to the preparation of tea and dated to the dingsi year of the Jiaqing reign (corresponding to 1797), surrounded by a band of scrolling lotus and florets repeated on the interior and exterior walls with a variation on the central bloom, the base inscribed with a six-character Jiaqing seal mark in underglaze blue and surrounded by spur-marks, with fitted wooden stand Dimensions:16.1cm wide each Provenance:Provenance: Private Scottish collection; inherited from the family who worked and travelled extensively in Asia during the 1920s-1940s. Note: Note: The poem on these small dishes, composed by the Jiaqing Emperor, praises the pleasure of drinking tea and appears on tea trays and teapots of different palettes. S.W. Bushell translates the poem in Oriental Ceramic Art, London, 1981, p. 239, as: 'Finest tribute tea of the first picking. And a bright full moon prompts a line of verse. A lively fire glows in the bamboo stove, The water is boiling in the stone griddle, Small bubbles rise like ears of fish or crab. Of rare Chi'i-ch'iang tea, rolled into tiny balls, One cup is enough to lighten the heart, And dissipate the early winter chill.' A similar blue and white tray is illustrated by H.A. Van Oort, Chinese Porcelain of the 19th and 20th Centuries, The Netherlands, 1977, p. 19, pl. 2. Closely comparable pairs of dishes of this pattern and date were sold at Christie's London,15 May 2012, lot 395 and Sotheby's Hong Kong, 9 October 2012, lot 3081.

DEHUA CENSER QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD 清康熙 德化白瓷梅紋簋式爐 of archaic gui form setting on a high everted foot, decorated with prunus in relief, crabstock handles, the base with an illegible impressed seal-mark Dimensions:19.5cm wide Provenance:Provenance: Robert McPherson Antiques, 21 October 2019, with a printed receipt and associated label on base. Previously in the collection of Francesco Maria, Marchese Taliani de Marchio 1887-1968), Grand Officer of the Italian Crown, Commander of the Order of St Maurice and Lazarus, and Commander of the Order of Pius IX (Ordine Piano), and his wife Archduchess Margaretha d'Austria Toscana, Marchesa Taliani de Marchio (1894-1986). According to the collection inventory list, acquired from Tung Koo Tsar Chinese Curios & Arts Co., Shanghai, 22 March 1942.Dr. Kenneth P. Lawley's inventory number: Cer.171. Note: Please note this lot will be offered with no reserve. 本拍品不設底價

A ROCK-CRYSTAL INSIDE-PAINTED 'THREE KINGDOMS' GLASS SNUFF BOTTLEYe Zhongsan (1875-1945) and cyclically dated to the Dingwei year corresponding to 1907 and of the period Finely painted with a snowy landscape depicting a gentleman, possibly Huang Chengyan, seated atop a horse crossing a bridge with his attendant, all beneath a long poem, the reverse with Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu conversing beside Zhang Fei with horse and groom, all in front of a fence, signature and seal of the artist, jadeite stopper. 6.2cm (2 1/2in) high. (2).Footnotes:1907年（丁未年） 葉仲三（1875-1945） 玻璃內畫三顧茅廬圖鼻煙壺Provenance: Count Kurt Graf Blücher von Wahlstatt (1901-1975)Hugh M. Moss Ltd., Hong Kong, April 1969An English private collection, and thence by descentPublished and Illustrated: Hugh M. Moss, Snuff Bottles of China, London, 1971, p.143, no.378.來源：Kurt Graf Blücher von Wahlstatt伯爵 (1901-1975)香港古董商Hugh M. Moss，1969年4月英國私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今著錄：H. M. Moss，《Snuff Bottles of China》，倫敦，1971年，第143頁，編號378The poem is from the 37th chapter of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and is purportedly sung by Liu Bei, leader of the Shu-Han kingdom. Liu Bei, scion of the fallen Han dynasty wished to reunite China again together with his sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. They needed the help of the reclusive scholar-strategist Zhuge Liang however, and made several visits to solicit his help. Others suggest the figure on horseback might be Huang Chengyan. Huang first appeared in chapter 37 of the novel when Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were visiting Zhuge Liang's house; see Ka Bo Tsang, 'Who is the Rider on the Donkey? Some New Observations,' ICSBS Journal, Summer 1994, pp.5-7.Another rock-crystal example by Ye Zhongsan, formerly in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art with identical scenes and dated to 1925 is illustrated by B.C.Stevens, The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles, New York and Tokyo, 1976, pp.244-245, no.902. Another similar snuff bottle with the same scene by Ye Zhongsan, 1905, is illustrated in The Baur Collection: Chinese Snuff Bottles, Geneva, 2007, p.253. See also a smoky quartz bottle depicting the same subject, which was sold at Christie's New York, The Ruth and Carl Barron Collection, Part V, 13 September 2017, lot 203.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

A RARE FAMILLE ROSE PINK-GROUND SGRAFFIATO 'MEDALLION' BOWLDaoguang seal mark and of the periodExquisitely potted with deep rounded sides rising to a slightly everted rim, the exterior decorated with four roundels enclosing various flowers, trees, and rockwork, divided by stylised lotus sprays, all reserved on a pastel-pink sgraffiato ground, the interior painted in underglaze blue with a central medallion enclosing a rabbit in a landscape, surrounded by four detached flower sprays around the cavetto. 14.8cm (5 7/8in) diam.Footnotes:清道光 粉地軋道粉彩開光花卉圖盌青花「大清道光年製」篆書款Provenance: an Irish private collection and thence by descent來源：愛爾蘭私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今A very similar famille rose pink-ground bowl, Daoguang seal mark and period, is illustrated in Encompassing Precious Beauty: The Songzhutang Collection of Imperial Chinese Ceramics, Hong Kong, 2016, pp.214-215, no.83. One of a pair of very similar pink-ground medallion bowls, Daoguang seal mark and period, is also illustrated in Imperial Porcelain of the Late Qing from the Kwan Collection, Hong Kong, 1983, no.37.Compare with a similar pair of pink-ground famille rose 'medallion' bowls, Daoguang seal marks and of the period, which were sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 3 December 2021, lot 2923. Another very similar bowl was also sold at Sotheby's New York, 20 March 2019, lot 772. See also a similar bowl, which was sold at Bonhams, London, 15 May 2014, lot 90.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 BLACK LACQUER AND MOTHER-OF-PEARL-INLAID DOCUMENTARY PIPA17th centuryThe musical instrument of elongated tear-drop shape, the finely-grained wooden belly decorated in gilt with a pair of birds and gnarled branches of prunus and bamboo, rising to a long shaft with four strings leading to four tuning pegs on the sides of the bent-back pegbox inlaid in mother-of-pearl with a rooster on a rock with crashing waves, the reverse of the body lacquered black and decorated in mother-of-pearl with two figures gazing at three tall rocks across the sea, a large cartouche with long calligraphic inscription below, Japanese wood box and cover. 91cm (36in) long. (3).Footnotes:十七世紀 黑漆嵌螺鈿花鳥人物紋詩文琵琶Provenance: R.H.van Gulik (1910-1967), and thence by descent來源：高羅佩（1910-1967）舊藏，並由後人保存迄今Robert Hans van Gulik (1910-1967), also known as Gao Luopei (高罗佩) was a famous Dutch diplomat, musician, writer and sinologist. He was a great admirer of traditional Chinese literati culture and apart from practicing Chinese calligraphy everyday, he also learnt to play the guqin. The guqin was often played by van Gulik at diplomatic events, helping him to forge close ties with China's elite; and his book The Lore of the Lute was the first academic study of the instrument and its role in Chinese culture, introducing it to a Western audience for the first time. Van Gulik was one of the rare and great sinologists at the time who embodied the literati ideal and through his rigorous study and translations of classical Chinese texts allowed Chinese culture to speak for itself, acting as a bridge of understanding between East and West.Van Gulik was born in Zutphen in the Netherlands, but from the age of three he lived in Jakarta, with his father who was a medical officer in the Dutch East Indies. While there, he learned Indonesian and Chinese as well as other languages. In 1935, van Gulik earned his PhD from Utrecht University with a dissertation on Hayagriva, the Mantrayanic aspect of Horse-cult in China and Japan. His linguistic skills allowed him to have a position in the Dutch Foreign Service from 1935 where he was largely based in Japan and China. During the Second World War he was with the Dutch mission in Chongqing. While in Chongqing, he married Shui Shifang (1912-2005), the daughter of a Qing dynasty official.Van Gulik was a polymath with broad interests and expertise. Aside from his interests in the guqin and traditional Chinese culture, van Gulik was a writer of Detective fiction. His 'Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee' (first published in Tokyo in 1949, with illustrations by himself) was based on the 7th century statesman and detective Di Renjie. Based on this, his earned a reputation as an expert on Imperial Chinese jurisprudence. His other pioneering scholarly works were in sexuality and his Sexual Life in Ancient China and Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Period are still major reference works in the field. Van Gulik was also an enthusiast of gibbons and kept them as pets as well as writing a study of them: The Gibbon in China.Although van Gulik is most well known as a musician of the guqin, he was interested in Chinese music and musical instruments in general. The pipa, or Chinese lute, was introduced from Central Asia during the Han dynasty, and gradually evolved within different areas of China since the Tang dynasty. The term 'pipa' describes two original playing motions of the plectrum held in the performer's right hand: pi is 'to play forwards' (towards the left), and pa, 'to play backwards' (towards the right). The pipa was originally held horizontally, and its twisted silk strings were plucked with a large triangular plectrum until the end of the Tang dynasty when musicians began using their fingernails to perform the more exuberant music; see for example, the painting The Night Revels of Minister Han Xizai, attributed to Gu Hongzhong (10th century), in the Palace Museum, Beijing, which shows a lady holding the instrument horizontally with a plectrum. To make it easier to use fingers, the instrument began to be held in an upright position which slowly became the beipa (northern pipa).However, the concept of early horizontally-held pipa was preserved in Nanyin music. Nanyin, also Nanguan, literally 'southern pipe' music, is popular in the Minnan area (southern Fujian Province) from whence it spread to Taiwan and other Southeast Asian countries. Minnan musicians are tempted to assign the origins of Nanyin music to the Tang and Song dynasties, which to a certain degree can be supported by the the survival of many archaic features, such as the tradition of horizontally held pipa. The music today is seen by academics as primarily part of an amateur tradition with ancient historical roots, that is played both for the musicians' own entertainment and occasionally for ritual practice and storytelling. the present lot's relatively small size may indicate that it is a Nanyin pipa. Pipa is the leading instrument in Nanyin music, accompanied by pai (wood clapper), erxian (two-stringed fiddle), sanxian (three-stringed lute), and xiao (vertical flute, also called dongxiao). Although a Nanyin pipa preserves some features of types of pipa from the Tang dynasty, its modern form appears to have been finalised no later than the Ming dynasty. Compare with a pipa in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, late 16th/early 17th century, illustrated by J.K.Moore, J.K.Dobney and B.Strauchen-Scherer, Musical Instruments: Highlights of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2015, pp.48-49, fig.II. The backs of pipa are usually plain since it is unseen by an audience, but the extraordinary pipa in this lot is decorated and has an inscription, which reads as:予家小築小溪灣，漁父村西指顧間。竹槿編篱依綠水，柴荊成戶對青山。有時□釣歸明月，盡□看雲坐翠鬟。倘肯杖藜過曲徑，新茶堪煮荀堪刪。吳趨陳衷並書Which may be translated as:My little hut is built on the bay of the creek, the fishermen live only a stone-throw away to the west. The bamboo and hibiscus woven into the fence is by the green waters, the gate formed by firewood trees faces the green hills. Occasionally, I come back from fishing accompanied by the moon, and watch the clouds curling up on the verdant hills like ladies' hair buns. If you could walk through the winding road on a crutch (to my home), the fresh tea could be boiled, and bamboo sprouts could be chopped for you.Written by Chen Zhong of the land of WuThe seal reads: 字能坦, 'Courtesy name Nengtan.'Chen Zhong (陳衷), courtesy name Nengtan (能坦), was a scholar active in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Very little is known about him. However, the inscription alludes to many of the eremitic ideals of the literati including a life away from the perils of the Court and dedicated to fishing, tea, and meeting with friends.Compare with a related black lacquer and mother-of-pearl-inlaid pipa, late Ming/early Qing dynasty, which was sold at China Guardian, Beijing, 7 June 2021, lot 5184.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 FAMILLE ROSE PINK-GROUND SGRAFFIATO 'MEDALLION' BOWLDaoguang seal mark and of the periodExquisitely potted with deep rounded sides rising to a slightly everted rim, the exterior decorated with four roundels enclosing various flowers, trees, and rockwork, divided by stylised lotus sprays, all reserved on a pastel-pink sgraffiato ground, the interior painted in underglaze blue with a central medallion enclosing a rabbit in a landscape, surrounded by four detached flower sprays around the cavetto. 14.8cm (5 7/8in) diam. Footnotes:清道光 粉彩軋道粉地開光花卉圖盌青花「大清道光年製」篆書款Provenance: an Irish private collection, and thence by descent來源：愛爾蘭私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今Notable for the exquisite enamelling with flower medallions on an ornately decorated pink ground, this bowl is based on elaborate designs pioneered by eighteenth century artists working during the Qianlong period. The sophistication of the present bowl was achieved through the combination of underglaze blue decoration on the interior, which was applied in Jingdezhen, the intricate sgraffiato ground and finally the fusion of Western painting techniques with traditional Chinese motifs. The flowers and leaves adorning the pink ground, masterfully rendered in various tones and hues to create a three-dimensional effect, recall the techniques introduced in China by the Jesuit painters during the eighteenth century. This complicated and laborious technique, known as jinshang tianhua ('adding decorative pattern onto brocades'), involved needle-point etching the design onto a monochrome enamel ground.A very similar famille rose pink-ground bowl, Daoguang seal mark and period, is illustrated in Encompassing Precious Beauty: The Songzhutang Collection of Imperial Chinese Ceramics, Hong Kong, 2016, pp.214-215, no.83. One of a pair of very similar pink-ground medallion bowls, Daoguang seal mark and period, is also illustrated in Imperial Porcelain of the Late Qing from the Kwan Collection, Hong Kong, 1983, no.37.Compare with a similar pair of pink-ground famille rose 'medallion' bowls, Daoguang seal marks and of the period, which were sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 3 December 2021, lot 2923. Another very similar bowl was also sold at Sotheby's New York, 20 March 2019, lot 772. See also a similar bowl, which was sold at Bonhams, London, 15 May 2014, lot 90.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 DOUBLE-OVERALY GLASS 'EIGHT HORSES OF MUWANG' SNUFF BOTTLEYangzhou Seal school, 1850-1940Expertly formed of flattened globular shape surmounted by a narrow cylindrical neck, with a double overlay of cinnabar red on emerald green on pale café-au-lait ground, carved in high relief with the Eight Horse of Muwang beneath a pine tree, grazing and frolicking amidst pine trees and beneath the sun and the moon on the other side, jadeite stopper, ivory spoon. 6cm (2 1/4in) high. (2).Footnotes:The item within this lot containing ivory has been registered in accordance with the Ivory Act (Section 10). Ref.1N8BZBRQ該批次中含有象牙的物品已根據《象牙法案》（章節10）註冊Ref.1N8BZBRQ1850-1940 揚州派製米黃地套彩料駿馬圖鼻煙壺Provenance: Count Kurt Graf Blücher von Wahlstatt (1901-1975)Hugh M. Moss Ltd., Hong Kong, April 1969An English private collection, and thence by descentPublished and Illustrated: Hugh M. Moss, Snuff Bottles of China, London, 1971, p.115, no.235.來源：Kurt Graf Blücher von Wahlstatt伯爵 (1901-1975)香港古董商Hugh M. Moss Ltd.，1969年4月英國私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今著錄：Hugh M. Moss，《Snuff Bottles of China》，倫敦，1971，第115頁，編號235The 'Eight Horses of Muwang' or King Mu of the Zhou Dynasty, alludes to a folktale when the King dreamed of being an Immortal. According to the story, the King was determined to visit the heavenly paradise and taste the peaches of Immortality. A brave charioteer named Zaofu used his chariot to carry the King to his destination. During these travels the King's chariot was pulled by eight horses named after the colour of their hair. In other accounts, the horses' names reflected their unusual talents such as 'horse that gallops without touching the ground'.A closely related Yangzhou glass snuff bottle of similar colour scheme, but decorated with Buddhist lions, is illustrated by H.Moss, V.Graham and K.B.Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol. 5, Hong Kong, 2002, no.1013.See a related snuff bottle but with three sheep, 19th century, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 28 November 2019, lot 507.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: Y ФY Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the UK, see clause 13.Ф This lot contains or is made of ivory and cannot be imported into the USA or any country within the EU.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

A RARE PAIR OF FAMILLE VERTE 'POETIC INSCRIPTION' SAUCER-DISHESKangxiOne dish decorated with a scholar clasping a guqin engaged in conversation with another scholar seated beside a rocky ledge, all beneath various gnarled trees, a poetic couplet flanked by a gilt leaf and seal, the other dish decorated with a scholar gazing out from a large pavilion beside a lake, also with poetic inscription between a gilt leaf and seal. Each 15.8cm (6 1/4in) diam. (2).Footnotes:清康熙 青花五彩山水人物圖詩文盤一對Provenance: Mrs Joan C.P. Barrow (d.1987)Bluett and Sons Ltd., LondonA European private collection, acquired from the above circa 1988-1989, and thence by descentPublished and Illustrated: M.Medley, 'Patterns of Chinese Taste in Porcelain', Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol.52, 1987-1988, p.79, colour plate C (upper; showing one of the pair). 來源：Joan C.P. Barrow 夫人（1987年去世）倫敦古董商 Bluett and Sons Ltd.歐洲私人收藏，約1988-1989年從上處購得，並由後人保存迄今著錄：M.Medley，《中國品味的陶瓷圖案》，《東方陶瓷學會會刊》，第52期，1987-1988年，第79頁，圖版C （上部；該拍品中的一個）Joan Barrow was a client of Bluett's, London and an active collector from the late 1960s to the mid 1980s; for more information see R.Davids and D.Jellinek, Provenance, Oxford, 2011, p.62.One dish with the scholar in the pavilion is inscribed with the last two lines of the poem 'I Show These Two Odes to My Younger Brother Returning to Lantian to Greet His New Wife' by Tang dynasty poet Du Fu (712-770): 此時同一醉應在仲宣樓卉庵Which may be translated as:At this moment similarly intoxicated,One should be in the Zhong Xuan pavilion.Hui'anThe inscription on the other dish is also from a poem 'To Release the Boat' by Du Fu reading:江流大自在坐穩興悠哉Which may be translated as:Carefree by the flowing riverSitting down and enjoying oneself!The poems are preceded with a leaf-shaped seal and ended by a seal of whose characters are illegible. This format was created by artisans in the 17th century to cater to literati tastes. The combination of Tang poetry, scenes of idle scholars and distinctive seals make this pair of dishes ideal scholarly-themed wares. The signature Hui'an often appears on porcelains of the Kangxi period. Compare with a related famille verte plate, Kangxi, with similar Hui'an signature, illustrated in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Shanghai, 1998, no.107. See also a pair of famille verte dishes with the same signature Hui'an in the collection of The British Museum, London, (acc.no.1947,0712.301.a-b).A similar but larger famille verte dish with the same Hui'an signature, Kangxi period, was sold at Christie's New York, 25 September 2020, lot 1580.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

A RARE 'CRANE-CRY AUTUMN MOON' STYLE LACQUERED 'HUNDRED-PATCH' GUQINMing DynastySuperbly constructed with the top section made of patches of wutong wood cut hexagonally imitating Buddhist patchwork vestments, the lower section of zimu, the flat elongated body with waisted bulbous central section, the top with thirteen inlaid mother-of-pearl studs (hui), seven strings threaded through tasseled wood pegs (qinzhen) running over the top and tied to either of the two button-like 'goose-feet' (yanzu) on the back, with two rectangular openings, the large one termed 'dragon pool' (longchi), with a seal, and the smaller 'phoenix pond' (fengzhao), all covered in mottled red and black lacquer, metal case and packets of strings. 122.5cm (48 1/4in) long. (3).Footnotes:明 鶴鳴秋月式百衲琴Provenance: Cecilia Lindqvist (1932-2021), Stockholm, acquired in Beijing in 1962Published and Illustrated: C.Lindqvist, Qin, Beijing, 2017, p.33來源：林西莉（1932-2021），斯德哥爾摩，在1962年獲得於北京著錄：林西莉，《古琴》，北京，2017年，第33頁Cecilia Lindqvist was a famous Swedish sinologist and musician of the guqin. She was born in Lund, Sweden, in 1932, and had long held a fascination with China and its ancient history. She first visited China when she was 28 with letters of recommendation including one from the King of Sweden. It was there that she learnt to play the guqin in 'Beijing Guqin Research Association' (北京古琴研究會) under the tutelage of Wang Di. She wrote in the preface to her book Qin:In the early spring of 1961 I saw a Chinese qin at close quarters for the first time. It was lying in front of me on a wooden table in a bare classroom at the University of Peking. Seven strings of tightly twisted silk stretched over a sound box made of black lacquered wood. After a certain amount of difficulty I had managed to get hold of a Chinese student who had promised to try to teach me the basics of playing the qin, and we were due to have our first lesson. He had brought his instrument with him. It dated from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and had been passed down through his family since that time.When I touched one of the strings, the tone that was released made the whole room vibrate. It was as clear as silver, but remarkably it also had a kind of metallic dullness, as if the instrument were made not of wood, but of bronze. During the years which followed it was precisely the tone of the instrument that captivated me the most, from the finest bell-like tones or fanyin, 'the floating sounds' as they are called in Chinese – delicate as the sound of the tiny temple bells right on the edge of the roof timbers when the wind gently stirs them – to the vibrating depths of the thick bass strings.The present lot was given to her by the 'Beijing Guqin Research Association' as a gift, which was of great significance to her career as a musician and sinologist. In her own words, 'this qin, and the people that I met in the Beijing Guqin Research Association are the important reasons why I write this book (Qin)'. She included the present lot in her monograph on qin as an example of the 'hundred-patch' qin (百衲琴) that is made of many hexagonal wutong wood sections and requires a high level of adhesive technique to enable an impeccable sound. See Cecilia Lindqvist, Qin, Beijing, 2017, pp.30-33. Apart from the rare 'hundred-patch' construction, its rare shape is known as 'Crane-cry Autumn Moon' (鶴鳴秋月), as it was said to resemble a crane with its wings tucked and standing upright. Compare with a related 'crane-cry Autumn Moon' style guqin, Ming dynasty, in the Hunan Provincial Museum, cited in 'Hunan sheng bowuguan guancang guqin zhi kaobian yu yanjiu (zai xu), Hunan sheng bowuguan guankan, 4, 2007, pp.424-428. See a 'Confucius-style' huanghuali and zitan 'hundred-patch' guqin, Ming dynasty, which was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 1 December 2020, lot 13.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 WOODBLOCK PRINT OF LADIES AND BOYCirca 1750-1800 Ink and colours on paper, depicting a boy carrying a blue vase issuing a cloud with five bats, behind him an elegant lady sits beside a table, her sleeves decorated with orchids, her left hand raised, behind her another elegant lady stands before a table with vases and antique vessels, collector's seal of van Gulik. 96cm (37 3/4in) long x 46.5cm (13 1/2in) wide.Footnotes:約1750-1800，版畫美人嬰戲圖Provenance: R.H.van Gulik (1910-1967), acquired in 1936, and thence by descent來源：高羅佩（1910-1967）獲得於1936年，並由後人保存迄今Robert Hans van Gulik (1910-1967), also known as Gao Luopei (高罗佩) was a famous Dutch diplomat, musician, writer and sinologist. He was a great admirer of traditional Chinese literati culture and apart from practicing Chinese calligraphy everyday (the cover of the box on the present lot was written by him), he also learnt to play the guqin, of which, the present lot was said to be his favourite instrument. The guqin was often played by van Gulik at diplomatic events, helping him to forge close ties with China's elite; and his book The Lore of the Lute was the first academic study of the instrument and its role in Chinese culture, introducing it to a Western audience for the first time. Van Gulik was one of the rare and great sinologists at the time who embodied the literati ideal and through his rigorous study and translations of classical Chinese texts allowed Chinese culture to speak for itself, acting as a bridge of understanding between East and West.Van Gulik was born in Zutphen in the Netherlands, but from the age of three he lived in Jakarta, with his father who was a medical officer in the Dutch East Indies. While there, he learned Indonesian and Chinese as well as other languages. In 1935, van Gulik earned his PhD from Utrecht University with a dissertation on Hayagriva, the Mantrayanic aspect of Horse-cult in China and Japan. His linguistic skills allowed him to have a position in the Dutch Foreign Service from 1935 where he was largely based in Japan and China. During the Second World War he was with the Dutch mission in Chongqing. While in Chongqing, he married Shui Shifang (1912-2005), the daughter of a Qing dynasty official.Van Gulik was a polymath with broad interests and expertise. Aside from his interests in the guqin and traditional Chinese culture, van Gulik was a writer of Detective fiction. His 'Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee' (first published in Tokyo in 1949, with illustrations by himself) was based on the 7th century statesman and detective Di Renjie. Based on this, his earned a reputation as an expert on Imperial Chinese jurisprudence. His other pioneering scholarly works were in sexuality and his Sexual Life in Ancient China and Erotic Colour Prints of the Ming Period are still major reference works in the field. Van Gulik was also an enthusiast of gibbons and kept them as pets as well as writing a study of them: The Gibbon in China.Compare with two rare Suzhou prints of ladies with children, 18th century, which were sold at Bonhams New York, 10 September 2018, lot 216. See also a rare set of three Suzhou prints, Qianlong, by Guan Ruiyu, which were sold at Bonhams London, 5 November 2020, lot 128.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 PEACHBLOOM-GLAZED SEAL-PASTE BOX AND COVER, YINSE HEKangxi six-character mark and of the periodOf compressed circular form set over a tapered foot, the exterior finely covered in a crushed raspberry-red glaze, some areas mottled with fine black flecks, the interior and base glazed white, the latter with a six-character mark in underglaze blue. 6.7cm (2 5/8in) diam. (2).Footnotes:清康熙 豇豆紅釉印盒帶蓋青花「大清康熙年製」楷書款Provenance: Yamanaka & Co.Inc, New YorkParke-Bernet Galleries. Inc, 24-27 May 1944, lot 299Hans (1888-1966) and Ludmilla Arnhold (1894-1976) acquired from the above (according to the collector's index card)A European private collection來源：紐約山中商會Parke-Bernet Galleries. Inc，1944年5月24-27日，拍品編號299Hans (1888-1966)和Ludmilla Arnhold (1894-1976)伉儷獲得於上處（據藏家索引卡片）歐洲私人收藏Peachbloom-glazed vessels rank amongst the most highly-regarded of Kangxi porcelains. Known as 'vermilion box' (yinse he), the present box is one of eight forms of vessels coated in peachbloom glaze, which were made for the scholar's desk. The glaze also referred to as 'apple red,' 'bean red', or 'drunken beauty,' required the utmost technical precision. To achieve such a glaze, a copper-lime pigment was blown through a bamboo tube onto a layer of clear glaze; then the surface was covered with another layer of clear glaze: this resulted in the variegated pink and occasional green tones, depending on the firing conditions. Compare with three similar peachbloom seal paste boxes, Kangxi marks and period: the first in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated by S.Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989, fig.237; the second, illustrated in Kangxi. Yongzheng. Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1989, pl.124; and the third, in The Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in K'ang-hsi, Yung-cheng and Ch'ien-lung Porcelain Ware from the Ch'ing Dynasty, Taipei, 1986, no.11. A similar peachbloom box and cover, Kangxi mark and period, was sold at Christie's New York, 15 September 2016, lot 917.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 PAIR OF YELLOW-GLAZED INCISED 'MEDALLION' BOWLSQianlong seal marks and of the periodEach under a rich glossy eggyolk-yellow glaze, the centre of the interior incised with a single flower head, the exterior with four similar five-petalled flower heads at the compass points divided by wispy cloud clusters above a band of formal lappets, wood stands. 12cm (4 3/4in) diam. (4).Footnotes:清乾隆 黃釉暗刻花卉紋碗一對青花「大清乾隆年製」篆書款Provenance: a European private collection來源：歐洲私人收藏The present pair of bowls were based on a prototype from the Kangxi period. See two incised yellow-glazed bowls, Kangxi marks and of the period, one in the Sir Percival David Collection, in The British Museum, London, in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ming and Qing Monochrome Wares, London, 1989, no.A.599; the other by R.Krahl and C.von Spee, Chinese Ceramics from the Gulexuan Collection, Lunen, 2003, no.97.Compare with a similar incised yellow-glazed bowl, Qianlong seal mark and period, which was sold at Bonhams London, 5 November 2019, lot 159, and a further example which was sold at Christie's London, 12 May 2017, lot 51.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 IMPERIAL WHITE-GLAZED BOWL WITH CUT-OUT DECORATIONQianlong seal mark and of the periodUnusually and very delicately decorated, carved through the very thin body with an elaborate continuous design comprising seven profile flower heads, each within a continuous scrolling meander, the empty spaces pierced in the body only filled with the almost clear glaze. 13.5cm (5 1/4in) diam.Footnotes:清乾隆 白釉玲瓏瓷纏枝蓮紋碗青花「大清乾隆年製」篆書款Provenance: Garland collection, by reputeA European private collection來源：Garland舊藏（據傳）歐洲私人收藏James Garland (1840-1900) was born in Philadelphia. He was the Vice-President of the First National Bank of New York. He was also a co-founder of the Northern Pacific Railroad and towards the end of his life he moved to London as a partner with J.P. Morgan. He was a serious collector of tapestries, oriental jades and Chinese porcelain. The James A. Garland Collection was one of the largest and most comprehensive in the United States. The collection was on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York until 1902 when the heirs sold it to the Duveen Brothers, who had then sold it to J.P. Morgan. The present lot is notable for its exquisite lace-like decoration, which was made by piercing the body with a delicate openwork design of small perforations that were subsequently filled with a clear glaze. An innovation of the Qianlong period, this decoration is known in the West as 'grains-de-riz' (rice grain), because the tiny perforations resembled small grains of rice.Compare with a related bowl, illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong: Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, pl.147; another in the Palace Museum, Taipei, is published by J.Ayers and S.Masahiko, eds, Ceramic Art of the World, vol.15, Tokyo, 1983, pl.280; one with a more elaborate motif is illustrated by R.Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol.2, London, 1994, pl.793, and later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 October 2012, lot 3; a pair from the Alfred F. Pillsbury collection in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, included in the exhibition Chinese Ceramics from the Prehistoric Period through Ch'ien-Lung, Los Angeles, 1952, no.320; another slightly smaller pair in the Zhuyuetang Collection, is illustrated by L.Schwartz-Arenales, eds, Mille ans de Monochromes, Geneva, 2018, p.372, no.197a-b.See also a similar white glazed 'cut-out' decoration bowl and cover, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, which was sold at Christie's New York, 21-22 March 2013, lot 1501. A similar pair of bowls, Qianlong seal marks and of the period, was sold at Sotheby's London, 6 November 2019, lot 7. Another very similar white-glazed 'cut through' lotus bowl, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, was also sold at Bonhams London, 5 November 2020, lot 29.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

TSUISHU YOZEI XX (1880-1952)A Finely Carved Red-Lacquer Circular Kogo (Box for Incense) Meiji era (1868-1912), 1902The red lacquer carved in deep relief with Rihaku (the Chinese poet Li Bai) accompanied by an attendant in a rocky Chinese landscape, standing beneath a spreading pine and pausing to admire a waterfall, the sides of the lid and box carved with stylised foliage, the inside of the lid and box plain black lacquer, signed on the base Yozei with a kao (cursive monogram); with a wood tomobako storage box inscribed outside Rihaku no zu tsuishu kogo (Carved red lacquer box for incense with a picture of Li Bai), with a collector's signature and seal; dated and signed on the reverse of the lid Mizunoe-tora chushu, Yozei (Yozei, August 1902) and sealed Nijusei Yozei (Yozei XX). 2.1cm x 6.5cm (13/16in x 2½in). (3).Footnotes:Born in Kyoto the second son of Tsuishu Yozei (Yosei), eighteenth master of a craft dynasty specialising in carved red lacquer in Chinese style, Tsuishu Yozei XX, then only sixteen years old, succeeded to the family leadership in 1896 following the premature death of his older brother, Yozei XIX. After studying lacquer, carving, and painting under the leading masters of the day, respectively Shirayama Shosai (1853-1923), Ishikawa Komei (1852-1913), and Satake Eiko (1836-1909), Yozei XX rapidly brought a fresh vision to the art of carved lacquer, as this extraordinarily fine early masterpiece amply demonstrates. He would go on to an illustrious career, showing his work at the Bunten national exhibition and its successors eighteen times from 1927 until 1951, and would surely have been awarded the title of Living National Treasure had he still been living when the honour was introduced in 1955.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

MIYAO EISUKE COMPANY OF YOKOHAMAA Gilt-Bronze Figure of a Warrior Meiji era (1868-1912), late 19th/early 20th centuryPossibly representing one of the 47 Ronin, the warrior standing, holding the pommel of his detachable tachi (slung sword) in one hand, the other hand grasping a flag (partially detachable) decorated with clouds and a sasarindo mon (Japanese gentian crest), a tanto tucked in his sash, bedecked in armour and brocade robes and wearing a jingasa with a hanabishi mon (diamond-shaped floral crest), fixed to a typical Miyao-style wood stand decorated in gold takamaki-e with a ho-o bird and karakusa ('Chinese grasses'); signed in a gilt rectangular reserve Miyao with seal Ei. 47cm (18½in) high including stand. (3).For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com

KOMAI OTOJIRO (1842-1917) OF KYOTOAn Inlaid Iron Cylindrical Box and Cover Meiji era (1868-1912), late 19th/early 20th century Worked in the typical Komai style of silver and gold overlay, the cover with a pair of geese beside flowering stalks of fuyo (cotton rosemallow) and susuki (plume grasses) encircled by a narrow band of tightly clustered flowerheads, the body with assorted butterflies of different sizes, the interior lined in gold and engraved, the inside of the cover decorated with a pair of cranes flying past Mount Fuji, the inside of the box with two small birds flying above a clump of hozuki (Chinese lantern); signed on the base Nihonkoku Kyoto no ju Komai sei within a square seal beneath a dragonfly. 5.6cm x 7cm (2 3/8in x 2¾in). (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 FINE FAMILLE VERTE 'KUI XING' BRUSHPOT, BITONGKangxiThe cylindrical vessel with straight sides finely enamelled around the exterior with a continuous scene of Kui Xing holding a brush and a musical chime riding the mythical ao (fish-dragon) amidst crashing waves and rocks, his scarves billowing in the wind, along with a square dou measure, the reverse with a sixteen-character inscription and red and gilt seal reading 'Mu Shiju'. 14cm (5 1/2in) high.Footnotes:清康熙 五彩魁星點斗詩文筆筒「木石居」款Provenance: a Danish private collectionS.Marchant & Son, London, 9 May 2014Published and Illustrated: S.Marsh, Brushpots: A Collector's View, Hong Kong, 2020, pp.242-243, fig.PB 96. 來源：丹麥私人收藏倫敦古董商S.Marchant & Son，2014年5月9日展覽著錄：S.Marsh，《筆筒淵鑒：收藏家的隨心所悟》，香港，2020年，第242-243，插圖PB 96Identified by the writing brush held in his raised hand and his iconic 'back-kick' posture, Kui Xing 魁星 ('Chief Star') is a Daoist deity worshipped to obtain academic success. It would therefore, have been extremely auspicious for a scholar to have his items decorated with this figure, to inspire him in his writing and achieve examination success. The ladle or 'dipper' (as Kui Xing is also associated with the North Star) is depicted on the present lot in the form of a square vessel. Kui Xing is often portrayed with a demonic appearance, a hideous face, a horn-like protuberance on his head, and a sinewy body. According to legend, he was once a mortal scholar with outstanding literary skills but was repeatedly failed in the civil service examinations due to his repulsive appearance. Out of frustration and humiliation, Kui Xing threw himself into a river, where he was saved by a mythical monster called an ao. He then ascended to the Big Dipper and became the stellar patron of the literati and the God of Literature. To dream of Kui Xing before an exam was considered very auspicious. The inscription reads:雲路那堪雙著腳，月殿爭看獨點頭。繡園Which could be translated as:The cloud road could not bear people who stand with two feet.People in the Moon Palace rushed to see the only person whose head was touched [by the brush of Kui Xing]. Xiu Yuan Compare with a very similar famille verte brushpot, early 18th century, in the Groninger Museum, Holland, illustrated by J.A.Jorg, Famille Verte Chinese Porcelain in Green Enamels, Lier, 2011, p.89, no.90.See also a related famille verte 'Kui Xing' brushpot, Kangxi, which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 20 March 2018, lot 371.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 GE-TYPE-GLAZED FOLIATE-RIM BOWLQianlong seal mark and of the periodElegantly potted with deep rounded sides rising to a foliate rim, covered overall in a thick glaze of soft greyish-beige tone suffused with a network of grey and iron crackles. 12cm (4 3/4 in) diam. Footnotes:清乾隆 仿哥釉葵口碗 青花「乾隆年製」篆書款Provenance: Adrian M.Joseph (d.2010), 28 October 1985來源：Adrian Joseph（2010年去世），1985年10月28日Ge wares have traditionally been greatly admired by connoisseurs, and known as one of the Five Great Wares of the Song dynasty, although the place of its manufacture remains as much a subject of debate as its precise dating. Often interchangeably known as Guan or official ware, it is agreed that they are pale, often greyish or yellowish in tone with a double crackle. The larger network of dark crackle lines are on the surface of the glaze, while a finer network of golden brown crackle appears deeper in the glaze. This feature is known in Chinese as jinsi tiexian ('gold thread and iron wire'). Ge type wares were revived in the Ming dynasty and again in the Qing dynasty, especially by the Qianlong Emperor who wished to revive the simple and elegant taste of the Song dynasty scholar. A pair of similar bowls with Qianlong seal marks and of the period, is illustrated in Selected Ceramics from the Collection of Mr. & Mrs. J.M.Hu, Shanghai, 1989, p.110, no.73. Another similar pair of bowls with Guan-type glaze, Qianlong seal mark and period, is illustrated in Qing Imperial Monochromes: The Zande Lou Collection, Shanghai, 2005, no.38.Compare with a related Ge-type petal-lobed bowl, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, which was sold at Christie's New York, 19 September 2014, lot 770.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 BRONZE INCENSE BURNER, GUIHu Wenming seal mark, late Ming Dynasty Expertly cast of archaistic form with a compressed globular body raised on a high foot cast with a band of lingzhi fungus growing on leafy tendrils, the body decorated with continuous foliate lotus scrolls and a band of the 'Eight Buddhist Emblems' bajixiang below the slightly everted rim, all on a diaper ground, flanked by a pair of loop handles with key-fret pattern issuing from dragon heads. 14.5cm (5 3/4in) wide.Footnotes:明晚期 八吉祥蓮花紋簋式爐「胡文明製」篆書刻款Hu Wenming is considered to be amongst the most accomplished bronze casters of the late Ming dynasty, however pieces with his name continued to be made well into the Qing dynasty. The shape of the incense burner is based on archaic prototypes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. See a similar bronze incense burner, with similar Hu Wenming mark, illustrated by Sydney L. Moss, Ltd., The Second Bronze Age: Later Chinese Metalwork, London, 1991, no.86.Compare with a related parcel-gilt bronze incense burner, Hu Wenming mark, 17th century, which was sold at Bonhams London, 11 May 2017, lot 121.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 DOUCAI PEAR-SHAPED 'KUI XING' VASEShi jin tang zhi four-character mark, ShunzhiFinely potted with pear-shaped body rising from a short foot to wide cylindrical neck, expertly painted and enamelled around the exterior with Kui Xing riding the back of the mythical ao or dragon-fish, his right arm raised holding a brush, the left clasping an ingot, clad in a loincloth and billowing scarves beside the North Star, the reverse with a poetic inscription and seal, all beneath the mouth rim with a band of triangles. 22cm (8 1/2in) high.Footnotes:清順治 鬥彩魁星點斗膽瓶青花「世錦堂製」楷書款Provenance: S.Marchant & Son, London, 23 July 2008Published and Illustrated: S.Marsh, Brushpots: A Collector's View, Hong Kong, 2020, p.205.來源：S.Marchant & Son，倫敦，2008年7月23日著錄：S.Marsh，《筆筒淵鑒：收藏家的隨心所悟》，香港，2020年，第205頁The four-character underglaze blue mark which reads: 世錦堂製 which may be translated as: 'Hall of Continuous Prosperity through Generations'. The couplet on the present lot reads: 北極之象，太陰之精。鍾英毓秀，翼我文明。Which may be translated as:The phenomenon of the Pole Star is the essence of the Great Yin, Concentrate the talents, nurture the refined, advance the brilliance of our culture.The references to talent and distinguished cultural environments are entirely in keeping with the decoration of the present vase. Identified by the writing brush held in his raised hand and his iconic 'back-kick' posture, Kui Xing 魁星 ('Chief Star') was a Daoist deity worshipped to obtain academic success. It would therefore, have been extremely auspicious for a scholar to own a vase decorated with him on it to inspire him in his writing and achieve examination success.The Chinese character Kui (魁) is composed of the ideograph for 'demon' (鬼) and the ideograph for 'ladle' (斗). The ladle or 'dipper' (as Kui Xing is also associated with the North Star) is depicted on the present lot in the form of a square vessel. Kui Xing is portrayed with a demonic appearance, a horn-like protuberance on his head, and a sinewy body. According to legend, he was once a mortal scholar with outstanding literary skills but was repeatedly failed in the Civil Service examinations due to his repulsive appearance. Out of frustration and humiliation, Kui Xing threw himself into a river, where he was saved by a mythical monster called an ao. He then ascended to the Big Dipper and became the stellar patron of the literati and the God of Literature.Dreaming of Kui Xing the night before the exams was considered an auspicious sign and the candidate who obtained the highest results, known as the First Scholar (zhuangyuan), would walk first on a staircase decorated with the ao mythical beast. Representations of Kui Xing and ao are thus a symbol of literary success and highest achievement at the Imperial examinations.Compare with a related pair of underglaze blue and polychrome enamel pear-shaped bottle-vases, with the same shi jin tang zhi mark, Shunzhi, but decorated with other Daoist deities, in the Butler Family Collection, illustrated by T.Canepa and K.Butler, Leaping the Dragon Gate: The Sir Michael Butler Collection of Seventeenth-Century Chinese Porcelain, London, 2021, p.334.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 CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER '108 SHOU CHARACTERS' BRUSHPOT, BITONGQianlong The cylindrical vessel crisply carved through layers of cinnabar lacquer around the exterior with continous rows of 108 shou characters in various styles of zhuanshu calligraphy, all on a diaper-pattern ground, the mouth rim with a key-fret border. 9.8cm (3 7/8in) high.Footnotes:清乾隆 剔紅「壽」字紋筆筒Provenance: Priestley & Ferraro Chinese Art Ltd., London, 1 February 2013來源：倫敦古董商Priestley & Ferraro Chinese Art Ltd.，2013年2月1日The present brushpot with continuous rows of 108 Shou ('longevity') characters in different forms of seal script, was probably made as a birthday gift. The number of characters is highly significant as it tallies with the number of beads in a Buddhist rosary. The present lot is thus laden with auspicious and religious meaning. A Buddhist rosary has 108 beads because there are said to be a total of 108 energy lines or chakras converging to the heart. One of them, sushumna, leads to the crown chakra, and is believed to lead to the path of self-realisation. The number 108 is also significant for other reasons. The Temple of Heaven in Beijing has 108 pillars in the base, and the first King of the Zhou dynasty called on 108 Gods to help his troops in his attack on the Shang dynasty. The various styles of zhuanshu or seal script calligraphy is also entirely keeping with scholarly and artistic trends of the time. The Qing emperors endorsed Han learning and scholarship, encouraging scholars to study ancient texts carefully and meticulously. This movement, known as the 'searching for evidence' movement (kaozheng 考證), reached its height in the Qianlong era. Numerous dictionaries were published and the new philology sparked a fascination for artistic archaism, with the ancient seal script calligraphy becoming in vogue. See for example, a carved cinnabar lacquer screen with similar 'shou' characters, Qianlong, illustrated in The Creation of Natural Immensity and Grandeur: The Yang Ming Shan Fang Collection of Lacquer from Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Beijing, 2020, no.66.Compare with a related Imperially inscribed cinnabar lacquer carved brushpot, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, which was sold at Bonhams London, 2 November 2021, lot 66.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 AND IMPORTANT INSCRIBED BLUE AND WHITE AND COPPER-RED 'VIRTUOUS OFFICIALS' BRUSHPOT, BITONGKangxi six-character mark and of the periodExpertly potted of cylindrical form with straight sides inscribed around the exterior in kaishu calligraphy with the prose-poem 'The Wise Emperor has Worthy Officials', a seal in underglaze copper-red reading Xi chao chuan gu, 'antique to be handed down from our glorious dynasty', the small recessed base with the mark in underglaze blue. 19.1cm (7 1/2in) diam.Footnotes:清康熙 青花釉裡紅「聖主得賢臣頌」筆筒青花「大清康熙年製」楷書款Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 30 April 1996, lot 457Published and Illustrated: S.Marsh, Brushpots: A Collector's View, Hong Kong, 2020, pp.126-127. 來源：香港蘇富比，1996年4月30日，拍品編號457著錄：S.Marsh，《筆筒淵鑒：收藏家的隨心所悟》，香港，2020年，第126-127頁The poem on the present lot is 'The Wise Emperor has Worthy Officials' (聖主得賢臣頌) by the Western Han dynasty poet Wang Bao (王褒, 84-53 BC) for the Han Emperor Xuan (74-48 BC). The Han dynasty under Emperor Xuan prospered economically and militarily to become a regional superpower. Emperor Xuan was considered a diligent and brilliant ruler by historians. Unusually, despite his noble birth as a prince, because his grandfather was framed for witchcraft against Emperor Wu and committed suicide after being forced into a failed uprising, the young Emperor Xuan survived the tumult and lived as a commoner after an amnesty from Emperor Wu in 87 BC. His understanding of life as a commoner made him more sympathetic and humane as a ruler, and he lowered taxes, and employed many capable officials. Wang Bao's prose-poem on the present brushpot, therefore, was not just the usual flattery offered to Royalty, but genuine praise. Some sections can be translated as follows:賢人君子，亦聖王之所以易海內也。是以嘔喻受之，開寬裕之路，以延天下之英俊也。夫竭智附賢者，必建仁策；索人求士者，必樹伯跡... 由此觀之，君人者勤於求賢而逸於得人。Sage and gentlemen are also a sharp tool for a wise emperor to govern the country. Therefore, to accept talented people with an open mind would only aid in the country's best interest. Knowing this truth, you should establish a strategy for recruiting talents. Recruiting talents from all over the country is a necessary procedure for becoming a hegemon... As a king, only by making painstaking visits to talents in advance can he enjoy the long-term peace and stability brought by talents.故世平主聖，俊乂將自至，若堯舜禹湯文武之君，獲稷契皋陶伊尹呂望之臣，明明在朝，穆穆列布，聚精會神，相得益章。When the world is peaceful and the emperor is sage, talented people will show up. Just like 'Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu' and 'Ji, Qi, Gaotao, Yiyin, and Lu Wang', the names of sage emperors and loyal ministers throughout the dynasties are too many to count. There is a diligent king above, and respectful ministers below. They work together and bring out the best in each other.故聖主必待賢臣而弘功業，俊士亦俟明主以顯其德。上下俱欲，懽然交欣，千載一會，論說無疑。Therefore, a wise ruler must rely on the help of virtuous ministers to expand his achievements, and the talents must rely on the appreciation of their wise master to fully unleash his potentials and virtues. Harmony between monarchs and ministers is rare in a thousand years. They trust each other and appreciate each other, like a feather following the wind, like a fish in water, how can it be possible to not let it happen? This harmonious ruling style will surely bring auspiciousness and far-reaching influence to all over the country, benefiting the people with its boundless effect.The Kangxi Emperor clearly thus wanted to link his reign - which began shakily with the Revolt of the Three Feudatories (1673-1681) - with invoking the glorious Han dynasty and the reign of the Emperor Xuan. This is significant because the Han dynasty, which lends its name to the Han Chinese ethnic group, was also a time of stability and prosperity giving rise to Han rhapsodies and grandiloquent prose-poems praising the emperors. The Kangxi Emperor, a Manchu, aware of his perceived 'foreignness', needed to show himself as the custodian of Han culture and civilisation and thus win over scholars and gentry still reluctant to support the Qing dynasty. There were scholars such as Zhang Dai who still looked back longingly to the Ming dynasty as late as 1684. The present lot therefore, with a Han prose-poem, not only exhibits the erudition of the Kangxi Emperor, but his role as custodian of Han civilisation, and his appreciation of Confucian scholars whom he needed to help administer the empire justly. In 1682, during his second pageantry tour to Manchuria, to make offerings to his ancestral tombs, the Kangxi Emperor often stressed his desire to search for talented officials:朕禦極以來，恆念山林藪澤必有隱伏沉淪之士，屢詔徵求，多方甄錄，用期野無遺佚，庶愜愛育人材之意Regarding the concealed and dejected scholars who must be hiding in forested mountains or marshes in the realm. Repeatedly I have issued edicts to recruit them, enlisting their services from all directions, with the intention that no talent will be left unappreciated in the fields.Written after the rebellion of the Three Feudatories (1673-1681) which was the last substantive threat to Manchu Qing rule, the Kangxi Emperor's reiteration of his daily intimacy with 'literature and ink' (俾日親文墨) and appeal to hidden talent in the marshes is a victor's gesture of benevolent reconciliation.See a very similar blue and white and copper-red brushpot, Kangxi, with the same inscription, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), Hong Kong, 2000, p.207. Another very similar brushpot with the same inscription, Kangxi six-character mark and of the period, in the Shanghai Museum, is illustrated in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1998, no.19. Another blue and white and copper-red brushpot with the same inscription, Kangxi six-character mark and of the period, is illustrated in A Loan Exhibition of Chinese Art of the Early Periods, Singapore Art Society, British Council Centre, Singapore, 1953, no.94. Another very similar blue and white and copper-red brushpot, with the same inscription, Kangxi mark, was donated by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks (1826-1897) to the British Museum, London (acc.no.Franks.146). Another very similar blue and white and copper red brushpot, with the same poem, Kangxi mark and of the period, is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Ceramics Gallery of the Palace Museum, Taipei, 2009, p.325, no.306. Compare also with a related blue and white brushpot inscribed with a different inscription, Kangxi, dated 1684, in the Art Gallery of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, illustrated in Qing Imperial Porcelain: of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, Hong Kong, 1995, no.14.A similar underglaze blue and copper-red brushpot with the same poem, Kangxi six-character mark and period, was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 November 1982, lot 170, and again in the same Rooms, from the collection of Sir Quo-Wei Lee, on 3 October 2018, lot 141.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 CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER 'LANÇA' STEM BOWLQianlong Expertly carved around the steep flaring exterior sides with eight lança letters enclosed within undulating lotus stems issuing stylised blossoms and acanthus leaves, the underside with a frieze of tightly-bound lotus lappets, all raised on a tall spreading stem decorated with a band of half-flowerheads and a raised rib above pendent interlinked tassels issuing from ruyi-heads. 15cm (5 3/4in) diam. Footnotes:清乾隆 剔紅梵文纏枝蓮紋銅裡碗Provenance: Heliot collection, Paris (label)Adrian M.Joseph, 1985來源：巴黎Heliot舊藏（標籤）Adrian M.Joseph，1985年Laurent Heliot (1848-1909) and his son Gaston Heliot (1879-1936) were important dealers in Chinese and Asian art based in Paris, first in 62 rue de Clichy and later 34 rue de Berlin. The present stem cup is inspired by Tibetan butter lamps or chang ming deng. The Qing emperors publicly supported Tibetan Buddhism which brought both political and (to varying extents) personal benefits, by ensuring solidarity with Mongolian and Tibetan allies and providing personal spiritual guidance. The Qianlong Emperor was particularly dedicated to the practice of Tibetan Buddhism and this is reflected in the many decorative arts produced for the Court and as Imperial gifts during his reign. Compare with a similar carved cinnabar lacquer stem cup, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, in the Linden Museum, Stuttgart, illustrated in Im Zeichen Des Drachen von der Schönheit Chinesischer Lacke, Munich, 2006, pl.86. Another cinnabar lacquer stem bowl, Qianlong, is in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Carved Lacquerware in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1985, pl.338.Such cups were also made for the Imperial Court in other materials, such as cloisonné enamel and blue and white as can be seen in Lots 37 and 38 in this sale. See a blue and white example, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, illustrated in Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, Tokyo, 1981, pl.13. For a cloisonné enamel stem cup, Qianlong mark and of the period, see Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels 2 Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pl.280.See a similar cinnabar lacquer stem cup, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2 June 2017, lot 662.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 'HUANSHA JI' SAUCER DISHChenghua six-character mark, KangxiFinely painted with a single lady clad in long flowing robes, the skirt with cloud-pattern in copper-red, her long sleeves and scarves trailing in the air, with high chignon bun above serene face gazing at a calligraphic inscription to the left with leaf and seal reading Mu shi ju, all supported on a channelled foot ring. 35.5cm (14in) diam.Footnotes:清康熙 青花釉裡紅「浣紗記」仕女圖盤青花「大明成化年製」楷書款 及「木石居」款Provenance: Robert McPherson Ltd., London來源：倫敦古董商Robert McPherson Ltd.The inscription reads:香馥馥風開繡裙香馥馥風開繡裙Which may be translated as:Fragrant aroma in the breeze that blows the embroidered skirt;Fragrant aroma in the breeze that blows the embroidered skirtIt is somewhat unusual that a poetic inscription includes a repeated line. Together with the dancing lady, the repeated line acts as a chorus. Indeed, many of those looking at the dish at the time would have known instantly the story and the music associated with the drama from which the lines are taken: Huansha ji (浣紗記) or 'Laundering the Silken Yarn'.Written by Liang Chenyu 梁辰魚 (b.1520), the play narrates the story of the femme fatale Xishi during the Warring States period (475-221 BC). The ancient state of Yue was defeated by Wu. Xishi, a legendary beauty, was laundering silken yarn in a stream, when she was taken to be presented to the victorious King of Wu, Fuchai as a ploy to distract him from affairs of state. The ploy succeeded with the King of Wu killing his best advisor Wu Zixu, for counselling against Xishi. The strength of Wu thus dwindled until Yue rose again and defeated King Fuchai, forcing him to commit suicide.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.Compare with a related blue and white and copper-red dish with a lady and child, Kangxi, which was sold at Bonhams London, 3 November 2022, lot 9.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 famille rose porcelain brush pot, late 19th century. Of cylindrical form and decorated with birds in flight, flowering branches, calligraphy and red seal, height 13.5cm, diameter 12cm.Two star hailrine cracks to body and one to base. gilt rub to top.

A Chinese blue and white porcelain censer, Qianlong seal mark. The cover surmounted by a dog of fo, above a bulbous body painted with dragons and scrolling tendrils, on three mask feet, height 17.5cm, width 16cm, depth 13cm. Maurice Jenkins (1933-2022). North Cornwall collector. Maurice was a lifetime collector and started in the 1950s. He opened a shop in Liskeard in the 1970s called Canon Hill Antiques. He visited a number of Middle Eastern countries in his lifetime including Egypt in the late 1970's when his interest in Islamic and Asian antiques began. He was a man with an eye for quality and a love of antiques, history and travel who purchased privately and at auction over the decades. Over a lifetime of purchasing privately and at auction, he created an eclectic ensemble of collections reflecting his interests. He died a few weeks before his 90th birthday and was still buying until that time. This piece has no restoration and the only damage noted are very minor chips to feet. See images

Three Chinese silver chatelaine attachments including a vinaigrette or scent box. Pierced to both sides with motifs, the side with a slide containing a Chinese wax seal, 4 x 3cm; together with a pair of Chinese silver scoops 37.4g.

A Chinese doucai porcelain bowl, Daoguang seal mark. The interior decorated with birds and foliage, the exterior with a blue and white band of dragons chasing the flaming birds, the body with birds and foliage, height 7.5cm, diameter 16cm..This bowl is in excellent, unrestored condition

A Chinese blue-glazed pottery planter. Of rectangular form, with pale blue interior, incised seal mark, height 6cm, width 40.5cm, depth 25cm.

A Chinese famille rose porcelain footed square bowl, 19th century. Decorated with floral sprays, birds and insects, red seal mark, height 7cm, width 15cm, depth 15cm. Maurice Jenkins (1933-2022). North Cornwall collector. Maurice was a lifetime collector and started in the 1950s. He opened a shop in Liskeard in the 1970s called Canon Hill Antiques. He visited a number of Middle Eastern countries in his lifetime including Egypt in the late 1970's when his interest in Islamic and Asian antiques began. He was a man with an eye for quality and a love of antiques, history and travel who purchased privately and at auction over the decades. Over a lifetime of purchasing privately and at auction, he created an eclectic ensemble of collections reflecting his interests. He died a few weeks before his 90th birthday and was still buying until that time. Two small scratches on the white interior. Please see extra images on our website www.davidlay.co.uk

A large pair of Chinese turquoise dogs of fo, circa 1900. Each with an impressed seal mark, height 29cm, width width 14cm, depth 20cm. (2) Maurice Jenkins (1933-2022). North Cornwall collector. Maurice was a lifetime collector and started in the 1950s. He opened a shop in Liskeard in the 1970s called Canon Hill Antiques. He visited a number of Middle Eastern countries in his lifetime including Egypt in the late 1970's when his interest in Islamic and Asian antiques began. He was a man with an eye for quality and a love of antiques, history and travel who purchased privately and at auction over the decades. Over a lifetime of purchasing privately and at auction, he created an eclectic ensemble of collections reflecting his interests. He died a few weeks before his 90th birthday and was still buying until that time. a chip to the ear of one dog. One chip to a corner of each base. .

A Chinese model of an immortal, early 20th century. With staff in right hand and holding a scroll in left hand and wearing a blue robe, impressed seal to base, height 22cm, width 12cm, depth 9cm.

A large Chinese porcelain charger, Daoguang mark. Decorated with mandarin ducks, a crane and insects, with iron red seal, diameter 45.5cm.

A Chinese millifleur porcelain brush pot, circa 1900. Qianlong seal mark, height 11cm, width 6cm, depth 6cm. A 5mm firing flaw to the rim of vase. Paint work in good order. Please see additional photos of firing flaw now on our website.

A Chinese cloisonne shallow bowl, 19th century. Decorated with dragons, four character seal mark to base, height 7.5cm, diameter 25cm.

A Chinese ink block, early 20th century. Impressed seal mark and calligraphy, 9.5 x 1.5cm.

A pair of Chinese paintings on silk, early 20th century. Depicting a river scene, each with calligraphy and red seal, frame 66 x 27.5cm. (2)

A Chinese porcelain bowl, 19th century. Seal mark to base. height 5.5cm, diameter 11.8cm. Maurice Jenkins (1933-2022). North Cornwall collector. Maurice was a lifetime collector and started in the 1950s. He opened a shop in Liskeard in the 1970s called Canon Hill Antiques. He visited a number of Middle Eastern countries in his lifetime including Egypt in the late 1970's when his interest in Islamic and Asian antiques began. He was a man with an eye for quality and a love of antiques, history and travel who purchased privately and at auction over the decades. Over a lifetime of purchasing privately and at auction, he created an eclectic ensemble of collections reflecting his interests. He died a few weeks before his 90th birthday and was still buying until that time. This vibrantly-painted bowl has one faint hairline crack of 5cm running vertically from the lip. Otherwise, in good condition.

A Chinese polished bronze plaque, 19th century. Character and seal mark, 21.5 x 30cm.

A Chinese silk embroidered picture, early-mid 20th century. 'One hundred boys', 63 x 33.5cm and a watercolour of Geisha girls, red seal mark, 38 x 43cm. (2)

A pair of Chinese carved Yixing vases, circa 1900-1920. With calligraphy and seal mark, height 16cm, width 9.5cm. (2)

A Chinese porcelain and white metal teapot, early 20th century. Seal mark to base, height 19cm, width 15cm, depth 11cm.

A Chinese crackle glazed figure, 20th century. Character and seal marks, height 29cm width 7cm, depth 5cm and two Chinese porcelain vases, 20th century, heights 15cm, widths 6.5cm. (3)one vase has hairlines. Other vase and figure are good.

A Chinese patinated bronze desk seal, in the form of 2 interlocking deer, height 11.5cm

A Chinese blue and white tea jar and cover with paper seal; a pair of Chinese glass snuff bottles, cased (3)

A Gilt bronzed metal Chinese dragon seal, with green and red cabochon eyes, approx 10cm x 7cm.

A Chinese carved Stone dagger tablet, in the Archaic taste, with curved blade, dragon handle, the blade back with foo dog, the stone with tones of green and brown16cm long, another brown, two seal stamped; carved frog etc (6)

A Chinese famille rose ‘thousand flower’ vase, Qianlong seal mark but Republic periodOf baluster form and decorated with an all-over pattern of dense flowers and foliage.33cm highCondition:Negligible signs of age.

A Chinese fengcai decorated vase, Qianlong seal markOf ovoid form and finely painted in colours with peach blossom and foliage on branches, with carved hardwood stand.9cm high (13.5cm on stand)Condition:Tiny glaze imperfection to seal mark.

A Chinese famille rose lozenge form jardiniere, Tongzhi seal mark and of the periodDecorated in falangcai colours with a brocade pattern of lotus flowers, peaches, bats and Shou symbols in shades of green and turquoise on a mid-blue ground, the rim with a pink lotus border, the interior turquoise.20cm wideCondition:Minuscule chip to rim edge at one corner.

A Chinese rhinoceros horn seal, Qing DynastyOf lozenge form and reading 'Hong Kong Shantou Lace Co., Ltd. Receipt Bank'.6.5cm wide, 42gCondition:Some signs of age and use but generally good.