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Lot 46
A VERY RARE PAIR OF IMPERIAL INSCRIBED CINNABAR LACQUER CARVED TEA BOWLSQianlong seal marks and of the period, the inscription dated Bingyin year, corresponding to 1746Each vessel with deep rounded sides rising from a straight foot to a gently flaring rim, carved to the exterior through layers of cinnabar lacquer to a black diaper-pattern ground with an Imperial poem, 'Three-Purity Tea,' Sanqing Cha, dated to the Bingyin year (corresponding to 1746) followed by the seals Qian and Long, all between two borders of ruyi designs encircling the rim and foot, against matching leiwen grounds around the foot and rim, the red-lacquered base intaglio-carved with a six-character seal mark within a recessed square, the interior lacquered brown. Each 11cm (4 3/8in) diam. (2).Footnotes:清乾隆 御製剔紅御題詩三清茶盌一對 「大清乾隆年製」、「乾隆丙寅小春御題」款 「乾」、「隆」印Provenance:Parry Collection, London, and thence by descent來源：倫敦Parry家族收藏，並由後人保存迄今The present pair of tea bowls was part of a tea set used by the Qianlong Emperor at tea ceremonies held during New Year celebrations. The vessels are both inscribed with one of his favourite poems, Sanqing cha ('Three-Purity Tea'), which he wrote during the Bingyin year (1746), on the occasion of his 36th birthday while sipping tea in his studio on a cold winter's day. The poem refers to the tea made from plum blossoms, finger citron and pine nut kernels, which was offered to the Emperor during his visit to the sacred mountain Wutai. When brewed together in snow water, these three ingredients gave the tea a unique flavour and purity. The poem further describes the virtues of tea making and drinking, which reminded one of the Buddhist values of simplicity, austerity and purity. As a consummate connoisseur, The Qianlong Emperor combined art and tea at intimate gatherings within the Palace walls. A party hosted by the Emperor was a remarkable experience, an aesthetic convergence of artwork and tea leaf. The Qianlong Emperor brewed and tasted tea using the finest objects in the Palace Collection, a great treasure of implements and wares dating back to the eleventh century. During a gathering, the talk flowed from the age and glaze of a tea vessel to the specific number of buds and leaves plucked for a particular tea. Brewed and served, the tea itself was appreciated for its hue, scent and flavour, prompting a new yet leisurely stream of comments and observations. On the occasion of the New Year celebrations, the Emperor held a tea-drinking banquet in the Palace of Cherished Glory, Chonghua Gong, in the Forbidden City, where he asked his guests to compose poetry, and as a token of his appreciation, he rewarded the best poet with a 'Sanqingcha' bowl.The famous poem is recorded in the 'Anthology of Imperial Qianlong poems and prose' Qing gaozong yuzhi shiwen quanji, 'Imperial Poems' Yuzhi shiwen chuji, vol.1, chapter 36, p.17, and may be translated as:The plum blossom in appearance not ostentatious,The finger citron, scented and fresh, Pine nuts of most fragrant aroma,Three ingredients of outstanding purity.An infusion is brewed in a shallow tripod vessel,And the ingredients steeped in snow-water collected in a bamboo casket.After coming to a boil, bubbles like the eyes of fish or crabs can be seen in the surface of the water,Steam rises from the tripod appearing to alternate between Utpadanirodha birth and death. Teacups from the kilns of Yue sprinkled with Immortals' milk,The warmth of my yurt is agreeable to the joy of the mystic trance.The five Buddhist Skanda purify the greater part of all things,Spiritual awakening may occur but cannot be spoken of.The sweet smelling ingredients are dealt with and suitably delivered,Silky smooth the Immortals' wine, clear and limpid. Wo Quan's offering may be eaten.Lin Bu can admire the change of seasons.Nonchalantly the Koan of the Zhaozhou monk may be uttered,And the eccentricity of Yu Chuanzi laughed at heartily. On a cold night in winter, listening to the sound of the water clock,From the Guyue Studio I observe the moon, hanging in the sky like a jade archer's ring. I take advantage of what remains to drink my fill,And chant deliberately so that I might arise without exhaustion. Composed by the Emperor in the tenth lunar month of the Bingyin year [corresponding to 1746] during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. The poem contains numerous literary and Buddhist allusions. The Manchu Imperial family were followers of the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism but much of the terminology used - to fit with Chinese poetic practice - relates to Chan Buddhism. Wo Quan was a mythical being who lived in the mountains, where he collected herbs for his own sustenance. He was particularly fond of pine nuts and was said to have presented some as a gift to the legendary Emperor Yao. Yao, however, did not eat them, and so missed out on their long life-giving properties. The Qianlong Emperor implies in the poem that, unlike the legendary Emperor Yao, he would not have hesitated. Another reference in the poem is made to 'the Monk of Zhaozhou'. This was Congshen (778-897), a Tang dynasty Chan Buddhist monk. In Chan Buddhism, a koan is a question, story or statement which may appear contradictory but after greater meditation upon, can lead to enlightenment. The koan of the Monk of Zhaozhou refers to the following story: when two monks visited Congshen, he asked if they had visited this temple before. When the first said yes, Consghen invited him to drink tea; when the second said no, Congshen also invited him to drink tea. When asked by the head monk why he had asked this seemingly pointless question, Congshen also invited him to drink tea. The reference echoes the Qianlong Emperor's enlightened generosity in hosting tea parties with his ministers. Compare with a very similar carved lacquer bowl, with the same poem, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, in the Qing Court Collection in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Emperor's Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City, New Haven and London, 2011, no.57. For a similar pair of lacquer bowls also carved with the Qianlong Emperor's poem Sanqing cha ('Three Purity Tea'), see a pair in the Tianjin Municipal Art Museum, illustrated in The Complete Series of Chinese Lacquer Zhongguo qiqi quanji, vol.6, Fuzhou, 1993, pl.211; and see another example in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, which is illustrated by H.Garner, Chinese Lacquer, London, 1979, pl.93. Bowls inscribed with the Sanqing Cha poem were also produced in porcelain; see a blue and white bowl, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, illustrated in Special exhibition of K'ang-hsi, Yung-cheng and Ch'ien-lung Porcelain Ware from the Ch'ing Dynasty in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, no.142; see also an iron-red example, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, also in the National Palace Museum, illustrated in Empty Vessels, Replenished Minds: the Culture, Practice, and Art of Tea, Taipei, 2002, no.129. Two further iron-red bowls, Qianlong seal mark and period, are illustrated in Late Chinese Imperial Porcelain, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1980, no.1.See a single very similar lacquer tea bowl with the same poem, Qianlong seal mark and of the period, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 2 December 2015, lot 3163. See also a similar pair of Imperial inscribed cinnabar lacquer tea bowls, Qianlong mark and period, which were sold at Sotheby's Hong Ko... For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 279
Selection of decorative ceramics, including: Poole pottery limited edition 'May' calendar plate, designed by Tony Morris; Crown Devon Art Deco hand painted tea for one set; pair of modern Delft circular dishes; Beswick 'Nuthatch' figure; another bird figure; and a blue and white circular dish.
Lot 225
AN EP LATE VICTORIAN THREE PIECE TEA SERVICE SET WITH TRAY AND COSTUME JEWELLERY, the tea set comprising of a teapot, sugar bowl and milk jug, together with a matching circular tray, all pieces raised on three tapered feet, in the style of Christopher Dresser, makers marks for Henry Wilkinson & Co, stamped 7001, together with three boxed beaded flower necklaces one necklace fitted with carved quartz petals and imitation pearls, and two boxed flower beaded bracelets, also a British 'Butler & Wilson' paste encrusted brooch,
Lot 232
A BOX OF ASSORTED WHITE METAL WARE, to include a three piece EP tea service set comprising of a teapot, sugar bowl and a creamer, a 'Walker & Hall' white metal wine cooler, two other EP teapots, an EP coffee pot, a 'Walker & Hall' pot, together with a box of assorted white metal cutlery such as sugar tongs, napkin rings, butter and cheese knives, grape scissors, a letter opener fitted with a pocket knife handle, pickle fork, spoons fitted with carved shell bowls,
Lot 235
A BOX OF ASSORTED WHITE METAL WARE, to include a silver-plated dish, an oval white metal tray fitted with double handles, three EPNS berry spoons, a trident fork, to napkin rings, tea strainer, a silver-plated dish on a raised stem, a three-piece EPNS tea service set comprising of a teapot, sugar bowl and a creamer, also including a small burgundy box
Lot 238
A BOX OF ASSORTED WHITE METAL WARE, to include a boxed set of six placement fish knives and forks, a boxed set of six 'Arthur Price' EPNS coffee spoons, a boxed two piece 'Arthur Price' salad servers, a boxed set of six 'Arthur Price' cake forks, two boxed cake servers, two boxed 'Arthur price' bottle coasters, a boxed white metal thimble holder with thimble, a pewter tankard, a rose bowl, sugar caster, a four piece tea service set comprising of a teapot, coffee pot, sugar bowl with cover and a creamer, a large rectangular tray with double handles, an oval tray, a glass and white metal entree tray, a white metal openwork fruit bowl, and a white metal fold away three tier cake display etc
Lot 582
FIVE BOXES OF CERAMICS AND GLASS ETC, to include tea wares by Colclough, Royal Ascot, Tuscan, Royal Doulton 'Coniston' (seconds), Victorian ribbed tea set, Geishas tea wares, Aynsley Orchard Gold bud vase, Royal Doulton Collectors Club magazines, damaged Wedgwood blue jasper planter, etc (five boxes)
Lot 590
ROYAL ALBERT OLD COUNTRY ROSES CERAMICS to include covered storage jars, coffee pot, six cups and saucers, two milk jugs, sugar bowl, baluster vase, photo frames, floral bouquet gift wares, miniature tea set (sugar bowl handle broken), other assorted gift wares etc, together with three Fred Erill collectors plates and Primrose bed plate (over fifty pieces) (Condition report:- good overall condition, but one storage jar lid broken)
Lot 628
A GROUP OF CERAMICS AND GLASSWARES, to include a twenty one piece part tea set in Flamenco pattern by Paragon, comprising cake plate, milk jug, sugar bowl, six cups, six saucers and six tea plates, other ceramics to include a Colclough trio and a Royal Albert Lady Carlyle mug (second), cut glasswares including boxed Stuart Crystal Blenheim dish diameter 15cm and two 10cm dishes, other items by Stuart Crystal and other manufacturers to include vases, tallest 25cm, bowls, lidded jars, etc (Condition:- good) (Qty)
Lot 633
A GROUP OF CERAMICS, GLASSWARES AND ORNAMENTS, to include Royal Doulton Bunnykins 'Celebrate Your Christening' cup and plate, Royal Worcester Birthday Mugs, Thursday and Friday, Wedgwood Wild Strawberries miniature coffee pot, cup, saucer and tray, six Cardew designs miniature teapot ornaments, thirty seven pieces of a part tea set by Jaeger, Thomas & Co, Bavaria (s.d.), cut and pressed glass to include a boxed set of six whisky glasses (quantity)
Lot 656
A QUANTITY OF COLLECTORS PLATES, CERAMIC TEAWARES AND SIX BABYCHAM GLASSES, comprising forty seven collectors plates with themes to include birds, wildlife, fairytales, Victorian life, etc, with paperwork and boxes/packaging, a Royal Vale twenty piece part tea set decorated with yellow roses, a Colclough cream jug and sugar bowl and six Babycham glasses (Condition:- collectors plates appear to be in good condition, signs of light use and wear to tea wares) (Qty)
Lot 657
FOUR BOXES OF CERAMIC DINNERWARES, ETC, to include a small collection of antique jugs with metal lids, approximate height of tallest 24cm, Keeling & Co Ltd Losol Ware 'Rosslyn' meat plates, tureen, two soup tureens (one missing lid) and two tea plates, a part dressing table set decorated with printed violets, a Spode Christmas tree plate, other teawares to include Royal Albert, Aynsley, Copeland Spode, etc (sd) (4 boxes)
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