Seven 1960's British Quad film posters, Young Savages, Tall Story, Days of Wine and Robes, Fail Safe, Reprieve, Women in Love and Lord Jim, rolled / folded, 30 x 40 inches (7). Condition Report: Young Savages - overall light creasing, several small pin holes to corners, top r.h. corner torn (with loss) a clean edge tear and small hole to top centre edge fold.Tall Story - some staining and creasing, several pin holes to corners, lower l.h. corner edge torn (with loss) and another tear (with loss) to lower centre centre fold edge, with creasing to top edge.Fail Safe - overall light creasing, heavier creasing and small edge chips to lower edge, several small pin holes to corners and centre fold edges, some light marks and light foxing.Days of Wine - creasing to lower edge and folds, small pin holes to corners.Reprieve - creasing to lower edge, light creasing marks overall, several pin holes to corners, two clean edge tears to l.h. and centre edge and lower r.h. edge, some toning and light foxing. larger clean edge tears to r.h edge (approx. 8.5cm) and l.h. edge (approx. 6cm).Lord Jim - creasing to edges, several pin holes to corners, with a faint signature in blue ink to lower left.Women in Love - overall creasing which is heavier to top and lower edges and folds, a circular hole top centre (no loss) and a clean edge tear (approx 5.5cm) to l.h. centre edge.
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A RARE CARVED COCONUT TONKOTSU WITH KIKUJIDO AND ATTENDANTUnsignedJapan, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)An unusual tonkotsu constructed from the shell of a coconut in several panels joined with a band and fixed with metal pegs. To the front Kikujido (the chrysanthemum boy) is seated at the writing desk, next to a Chinese wine ewer which contains the nectar for eternal youth and immortality, about to write the following line from the Lotus Sutra: “The sunflower-looking plant is in fact chrysanthemums (kiku); the dew drops from chrysanthemums became an elixir nectar for immortality.” To the rear, his attendant is reading the completed sutra. The lid is neatly incised with clouds, the top with a quatrefoil floral band above a Chinese fan.HEIGHT 7 cm, LENGTH 6.5 cmCondition: Good condition with minor wear and few natural age cracks and tiny losses typical for the material.Provenance: British private collection.
A Chinese blue and white ewer, Chongzhen (1628-1644), the pear-shaped body rising from an everted circular foot to a flared rim, with a loop handle and scroll spout attached to the neck, painted with a literatus, possibly Li Bai, lying in a rocky landscape, the reverse with an attendant holding a wine jar, 18cm high 明崇祯 青花李白醉酒图执壶Condition ReportSpout, handle and mouth fully restored.
WHITE-GLAZED 'ANHUA' WINE CUP QING DYNASTY, YONGZHENG MARK, 18TH CENTURY 清 雍正款 白釉暗花五爪龍紋小酒杯 the delicately potted cup with deep sides rising from a narrow straight foot to a slightly everted rim, the sides exquisitely incised with two five-clawed dragons, the base inscribed with a six-character Yongzheng mark in underglaze blue in double squareDimensions:6.2cm diameter
BLUE AND WHITE TRIPOD 'DRUNKEN SCHOLAR' INCENSE BURNER, TONGLU MING DYNASTY, CHONGZHEN PERIOD 明崇禎 青花高士醉酒三足筒爐 the straight sides finely painted with a drunken scholar reclining and napping on a cloth mat with an overthrown cup aside, together with an attendant fanning a wine ewer on the stove, all within a bamboo grove amidst the clouds, with a fitted wooden stand and bespoke coverDimensions:10.1cm diameterProvenance:Provenance: Private Scottish collection, acquired by Lawrence Edward Coleman O.B.E., thence by descent.Lawrence Edward Coleman, awarded O.B.E on 1st January 1943 for his service to the Fire Brigade, was the Great Uncle of the current owner. He was a senior fire officer stationed in Penang, Malaysia during the 1920s/30s, returned to Britain pre-1939 and brought the collection back then.The vendor of this collection has provided a document issued by Penang Municipal Fire Brigade, George Town, Penang, to Lawrence Edward Coleman Esqr. for his “departure on retirement after 11 years of meritorious service with the Brigade”, illustrated below.Note: Note: both the wooden cover and the base have an old paper sticker reading '155/ 一字 (Yi Zi)'
BLUE AND WHITE PLATE QING DYNASTY, KANGXI MARK AND OF THE PERIOD 清康熙款及年代 青花人物圖盤 the interior delicately painted with a lady offering a cup of wine to a male visitor in a pavilion, accompanied by two attendants holding wine ewers, the base inscribed with a six-character Kangxi mark in double-circleDimensions:26.5cm diameter
FAMILLE ROSE 'WINE AND TEA DRINKING' BRUSH POT QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG MARK, 18TH-19TH CENTURY 清 乾隆款 粉彩庭園人物圖詩文筆筒詩文：玉硯瑩然出尚方，九重親賜米元章。不因啖吐珠璣力，安得瑤池到玉堂。 of broad cylindrical form with straight sides, painted around the exterior with a continuous scene taken after an episode of the Dongpo shihua, depicting the Song dynasty poet Su Dongpo seated at a rock desk with an inkstone in front, next to an open scroll with a wood brush pot containing further scrolls and a pile of books on the table, serviced by two attendants carrying a wine ewer and a cup, the poet and calligrapher Mi Fu standing aside, dressed in a long greyish-blue robe near a young attendant fanning a cooking kettle, all set in a garden scene with tall gnarled pines and plum blossoms, the reverse inscribed with a five-column poem by Su Dongpo, the base inscribed with six-character Qianlong mark on a turquoise groundDimensions:20.2cm diameter
FAMILLE ROSE 'WINE MERCHANT' INSCRIBED TABLE SCREEN QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY 清 玉溪款 粉彩飲中八仙詩文硯屏 the porcelain plaque of rectangular form, painted finely with wine merchant peddling wine placed on a cart to a crowned man accompanied by his attendant in a landscape setting, inscribed with a poem titled 'Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup' written by Tang-dynasty poet Du Fu, signed 'Yu Xi' and with red seal mark, with a fitted wooden standDimensions:14cm x 9.5cm
PAIR OF FAMILLE ROSE HAT STANDS 20TH CENTURY 二十世紀 粉彩加官晉爵帽筒一對 each of cylindrical form, the body painted with an officer offered by a Daoist immortal with a wine cup jue symbolising promotion in his rank, and also offered by the Shoulao God of Longevity with a peach symbolising long life, the base inscribed with a 'Yu Yao Guan Zao' (Made by the Imperial kiln) mark in iron-redDimensions:30.1cm high each
EXPORT FAMILLE ROSE PUNCH BOWL QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD 清乾隆 外銷粉彩描金人物故事紋大碗 thinly potted, exquisitely painted with a family in courtyard arranged with fruits, wine, and tea on tables in a main cartouche, the reverse with adults leaning on a table with books, surrounded by a boy at play, intermittent by two smaller cartouches further decorated with narrative figures, all against a diaper ground, the centre in the interior with fruits and flowers below a floral bandDimensions:34.7cm diameterProvenance:Provenance: Formerly at Letterfourie, Morayshire, North Scotland, and by descent, through the Gordon family
CHINESE SCHOOL, LOTUS POND SCENE LATE QING TO REPUBLIC PERIOD, 19TH-20TH CENTURY 清末民初 外銷畫荷塘碧筒暢飲圖 紙本水粉 鏡框 gouache on paper, framed, depicting a family alongside a lotus pond with crane, a seated male figure drinking from the end of a lotus leaf stem, a lady pouring wine on the leaf, the table with lotus roots and red fruits from the adjacent treeDimensions:30.2cm x 41cmProvenance:Provenance: Private London collection
EXCALIBUR (1981) - Perceval's (Paul Geoffrey) Screen-matched Holy GrailA screen-matched Holy Grail from John Boorman's fantasy epic Excalibur. After the ailing King Arthur (Nigel Terry) dispatched his knights to search for the Holy Grail, it was eventually found by Perceval (Paul Geoffrey) and brought to Camelot. The unique hand-etched scale pattern around its rim screen-matches the Grail to the one Perceval handed Arthur to drink from.While designing the Grail, Boorman and art director Robert Pratt visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London for inspiration, and decided upon a goblet with a highly reflective surface. The Grail is made of hand-beaten aluminium, and its individual beating marks are visible inside the cup. Its exterior, meanwhile, features exquisite hand-etched details around the base and rim. The Grail has tarnished over time, and the interior - which held a liquid resembling red wine during filming - has darkened further. Dimensions: 18 cm x 18 cm x 20 cm (7" x 7" x 8")This lot comes directly from the personal collection of director Sir John Boorman and is accompanied by a letter from him confirming its authenticity. Estimate: £8,000 - 12,000 Ω This lot will be auctioned on Thursday, November 3rd. The auction will begin at 3:00PM GMT and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast at propstore.com on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Friday, November 4th; Saturday, November 5th; or Sunday, November 6th.
Four bottles of red Bordeaux comprising two Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac, 1999, 13% vol, Connetable Talbot, 2000, 12,5% vol and Chateau Giscours, Margaux, 1999, 13% vol, together with two other bottles of red wine; La Croix Des Grives, 2000, Cotes du Rhone, 13.5% vol and Evolution du Serret Cabernet Sauvignon no. 11020, 13% vol, all 750ml (6)
A RARE ARCHAIC BRONZE GOURD-SHAPED VASE AND COVER, HUEastern Zhou DynastyThe bulbous flask-shaped body supported on a simulated rope-twist foot, rising to a straight neck slightly curved on one side, intricately cast with two registers around the body and another below the mouth rim decorated with the 'coiling snake' panhui motifs, set on one side with a bar handle in the form of a snake attached to the body with two rope-twist rings and with a loose interlinked chain secured to the tail of the bird-shaped cover, the cover naturalistically cast as a bird with well detailed wing feathers bordered with archaistic scrolls, the sharp beak opening to form the aperture of the vessel, the bird grasping two serpents in its claws. 33cm (13in) high. (2).Footnotes:東周 蟠虺紋匏壺Provenance: Mark Dineley (1901-1975)Peter Dineley (1938-2018), and thence by descent來源：Mark Dineley（1901-1975年）舊藏Peter Dineley（1938-2018年）舊藏，並由後人保存迄今Mark Dineley and his son Peter Cleverly Dineley collected antique arms and armour, Chinese, Tibetan and Nepalese art amongst other interests. The collections were displayed in the former family home, Aubrey House, located in Holland Park, London - a stately 18th century house. The house came into the Dineley family when it was acquired in 1873 by William Cleverly Alexander (1840-1916) from whom Mark and Peter were descended. W.C. Alexander was a banker and a great connoisseur and patron of the artist James McNeill Whistler, as well as a renowned collector of Chinese ceramics, jade and Japanese art, much of which is now in the British Museum, London, including the celebrated Northern Song Alexander bowl. He was amongst the lenders to exhibitions held at the Burlington Fine Arts Club in 1895, 1896 and 1910 and to the City of Manchester Art Gallery's Exhibition of Chinese Applied Art in 1913, and to exhibitions held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. In May 1931 his collection of Chinese ceramics, including 355 lots, was sold over two days and Sir Percival David acquired a significant part, now in the British Museum.Gourd-shaped vessels resembling this vessel have been excavated in Henan, Shanxi and Shaanxi Provinces, which were among the territories ruled by the Jin and Wei. Such vessels were used for containing wine and it is notable that the design is rare compared with more common wine-vessel forms such as gu. Excavations in early Warring States tombs have only revealed one such vessel within a large burial, suggesting that such vessels reflected the noble status of the deceased.Compare with a similar gourd-shaped vessel and cover, Warring States, decorated with three registers of panhui motifs around the body, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, (acc.no.GuTong000024N000000000); and another excavated in 1988 at Jinshen village, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, now in the Shanxi Museum, see Zhongguo meishu fenlei quanji. Zhongguo qingtong tongqi quanji 8. Dongzhou 2, Beijing, 1995, pp.73-74, nos.81-83. See also other similar excavated examples in the Shaanxi Museum of History and the Sackler Gallery of Art illustrated in ibid., pp.75-76, nos.84-85. For an example of this rare type in the Arthur Sackler collection, see Jenny So, Eastern Zhou Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur M. Sackler Collection, Washington D.C., 1995, pp.236-239, no.39. The author suggests that this type of vessel was a 'short-lived type which appeared toward the end of the eighth century BC and disappeared by the early fifth century BC, and illustrates a closely related example formerly in the collection of Mrs. Otto H. Kahn, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc.no.1949.135.9), illustrated ibid., p.238, fig.39.1.Following the trend for archaism in the 18th century, and especially during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, vessels such as the present lot became the model for other gourd-shaped vessels in various other media such as jade and cloisonné enamel. See for example, a cloisonné enamel vase of similar form to the present lot, Qianlong, in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (acc.no.B6OP286).For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A VERY RARE GOLD AND SILVER-INLAID BRONZE TAPIR-SHAPED VESSEL, XIZUNYuan/Ming DynastyFinely cast after the archaic bronze wine vessel zun in the form of a tapir, the beast standing foursquare with head facing forward with an upturned snout, cast in relief with bulging gold-inlaid eyes below curved brows, the face and pricked ears further decorated with archaistic motifs inlaid with gold and silver, the neck encircled with a collar, the taut muscular body inlaid in silver with broad spirals on either side, the densely inlaid tail pointed downwards, the hollow body fitted with a small leaf-shaped hinged cover, the bronze with an enhanced greenish-brown patina with patches of malachite-green encrustation.17cm (6 11/18in) long.Footnotes:元/明 銅錯金銀犧尊Provenance: Mark Dineley (1901-1975)Peter Dineley (1938-2018), and thence by descent來源：Mark Dineley（1901-1975年）舊藏Peter Dineley（1938-2018年）舊藏，並由後人保存迄今Mark Dineley and his son Peter Cleverly Dineley collected antique arms and armour, Chinese, Tibetan and Nepalese art amongst other interests. The collections were displayed in the former family home, Aubrey House, located in Holland Park, London - a stately 18th century house. The house came into the Dineley family when it was acquired in 1873 by William Cleverly Alexander (1840-1916) from whom Mark and Peter were descended. Alexander was a banker and a great connoisseur and patron of the artist James McNeill Whistler, as well as a renowned collector of Chinese ceramics, jade and Japanese art, much of which is now in the British Museum, London, including the celebrated Northern Song Alexander bowl. He was amongst the lenders to exhibitions held at the Burlington Fine Arts Club in 1895, 1896 and 1910 and to the City of Manchester Art Gallery's Exhibition of Chinese Applied Art in 1913, and to exhibitions held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. In May 1931 his collection of Chinese ceramics, including 355 lots, was sold over two days and Sir Percival David acquired a significant part, now in the British Museum.This rare zoomorphic vessel illustrates the scholar's interest in antiquity and especially in ancient bronzes. Bronze vessels of this form with inlaid silver and gold decoration are based on ancient prototypes which originated as early as the Western Zhou dynasty. Tapir-form bronze vessels of this type began to appear in greater numbers in the Eastern Zhou dynasty, see for example a tapir-form vessel featuring intricate inlay, Spring and Autumn or Warring States period, illustrated in Masterworks of Chinese Bronze in the National Palace Museum, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1969, pl.25. The examples from the Bronze Age appear to have found favour with the Northern Song Emperor Huizong (reigned 1100-1126), who was a very keen antiquarian and who instigated the publication of illustrated catalogues of the items in his collection. One of these - the Xuanhe Bogu tulu (Xuanhe Illustrated Collection of Antiques)- included an illustration of such an early bronze vessel. While the original edition would not have been readily available to later craftsmen, it was reprinted on a number of occasions, and the illustration of this zoomorphic vessel appears, for example, in the 1528 edition, known as the Bogu tulu.The popularity of these zoomorphic vessels continued into the Yuan and Ming periods. See a related bronze 'tapir' vessel inlaid with gold and silver, Yuan dynasty, in the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis (acc.no.273:1919), illustrated by P.K.Hu, Later Chinese Bronzes: The Saint Louis Art Museum and Robert E. Kresko Collections, St. Louis, 2008, p.45, fig.3, and another Ming dynasty example, similarly inlaid in gold and silver, in the collection of the Cernuschi Museum, Paris, acc.no.M.C.583.A related gold and silver-inlaid bronze tapir-form vessel, Yuan/Ming dynasty, was sold at Christie's New York, 25 September 2020, lot 1538.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE AND IMPORTANT GOLD GEM-INSET FIGURE OF AN 'ABLE MINISTER'QianlongSuperbly modelled, seated with the right hand raised as if to hold an implement, the left resting on his lap, dressed in multiple loose robes opened at the chest and tied with a double knot, finely incised with floral designs at the hem and decorated with intricate filigree designs of ruyi and clouds inset with tourmaline, pearls and turquoise, wearing a billowing scarf around the shoulders, the well-defined face with a serene expression defined by a gentle smile framed by neatly adorned hair gathered up in a high chignon, fitted box. 13cm (5in) high, overall 560g, tested for high gold purity. (2).Footnotes:清乾隆 金嵌寶七珍「主藏臣寳」像Provenance: Sir Michael Oppenheimer (3rd Baronet, 1924-2020) and Lady Helen Oppenheimer DD (1926-2022), and thence by descent來源：Michael Oppenheimer 爵士（三代從男爵，1924-2020年）與Helen Oppenheimer爵士夫人（1926-2022年）舊藏，並由後人保存迄今The collection belonged to Sir Michael and Lady Oppenheimer DD (3rd Baronet, 1924-2020). Sir Michael's maternal grandparents were Sir Robert Grenville Harvey, 2nd Baronet (1856-1931) and Lady Emily Blanche Harvey (1872-1935) of Langley Park, Buckinghamshire. The Chinese art collection can be, at least in part, traced back to Langley Park, Buckinghamshire, home to the Harvey Baronets from 1788 until 1945, as demonstrated in a pre-1945 photograph showing Lot 122, the cloisonné enamel tripod 'elephant' incense burner, Qianlong.Sir Michael Oppenheimer's paternal family was the well-known South African mining family. The baronetcy was created in 1921 for Bernard Oppenheimer, Chairman of the South African Diamond Corporation for setting up diamond sorting factories to employ wounded ex-servicemen after the First World War. The family has been involved with De Beers over many decades. Lady Oppenheimer DD (1926-2022) was a distinguished moral and philosophical theologian, with a particular interest in the ethics pertaining to personal relationships.The present figure, made of gold of exceptionally high purity, is exceedingly rare and notable for the impeccable casting, the high-quality gilding, the meticulous filigree work and the setting of semi-precious stones adorning the garments, and generous use of the precious metal. Works displaying such a high-level of workmanship were undoubtedly produced by the Imperial workshops at the time and destined for use at the Imperial Court.This gold figure was part of a set of 'The Seven Royal Treasures', which would have been placed on an altar. See a related jade and semi-precious stone-inlaid set of the 'Seven Royal Treasures' on sandalwood stands, and a similar figure of an 'Able Minister', 18th century, in the Qing Court Collection, the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated by E.Rawski and J.Rawson, China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795, London, 2005, p.140, no.45. The set includes a Golden Wheel, Swift Horse, White Elephant, Loyal General, Able Minister of the Treasury, Jewels of Omen, and Divine Pearls. The present lot can therefore be identified as 'Able Minister of the Treasury' similar to the one in the jade set in the Palace Museum, Beijing. See also a related altar quintet of the 'Eight Auspicious Treasures' in jewel-inlaid gold-filigree, Yongzheng, illustrated in Harmony and Integrity: The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times, 2009, Taipei, p.143.According to the Indian myth, only the 'Wheel-turning Sage King' (Sanskrit: cakravarti-raja) possessed the 'Seven Treasures', which would aid him in ruling his domain. Later, the 'Seven Royal Treasures' were inherited by Buddhism and taken as offerings presented to Shakyamuni Buddha. Besides, the association of the 'Seven Treasures' with the Sage Kings, with whom the Chinese emperors often liked to identify themselves, made the symbols a highly auspicious motif for decoration in the Imperial palace. The Qing Court funnelled immense resources into their religious projects through the Imperial Household Department (Neiwu fu) and the Ministry of Rites. The Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors alone established dozens of temples in Beijing, most of them dedicated to Tibetan Buddhism and the Confucian rituals of the state. But daily records of the Court also show that they promoted many other religious activities, especially shrines for their own Manchu spirits, for the Chinese war god Guandi, and for the beloved bodhisattva of compassion, Guanyin. They personally performed Daoist-inspired acts of abject penitence before local dragon-gods during years of drought, and patronised such popular Daoist figures. The use of semi-precious stones insets, such as tourmaline, pearls and turquoise, on gold, appears to be a revival of a Ming dynasty practice which can be seen on vessels dating to the fifteenth century. The early Ming emperors were expansionist and outward-looking, and following Admiral Zheng He's seven voyages across the 'Western Oceans', gems from Southeast Asia, India and Sri Lanka, started to be imported into China along with gold, spices and exotic animals; see for instance a gold ewer, Ming dynasty, decorated with dragons and inset with similar stones as the present lot, illustrated in Art of China. Highlights from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, 2018, p.97, and a rectangular gem-inset gold 'dragon' plaque, early Ming dynasty, illustrated in Ming: Fifty Years that changed China, London, 2014, pp.108-109, fig.98. For Qing dynasty examples of goldwork and inlay, see a gold gourd-shaped ewer for wine, inlaid with pearls, rubies, coral, and other semi-precious stones, Qianlong, illustrated in Splendors of China's Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, New York, 2004, p.193, no.235.Goldwork in the Qing dynasty is extremely rare and usually would have been commissioned by the Imperial Court. See for example, two gold cups 'of Eternal Stability', circa 1739-1740 and 1740-1741, commissioned by the Qianlong emperor to drink a special herbal drink during ceremonies relating to the Chinese New Year, in the Wallace Collection, London (acc.nos.W113 and W112). Originally a set of four, the other two are in the Palace Museums in Beijing and Taipei. This shows the close connection between goldwork and the Imperial Court.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 PALE GREEN AND RUSSET JADE IMPERIALLY-INSCRIBED 'CHRYSANTHEMUM' MOONFLASK, BIANHUQianlongThe vessel finely carved with a flattened circular shape supported on a rectangular foot, with a bulbuous neck flanked by a pair of arched leaf-scroll handles, decorated to the exterior with a large circular panel to each side framed by a leiwen border, one depicting blossoming chrysanthemums issuing from Taihu rocks, the reverse inscribed with an Imperial poem about chrysanthemums, the stone of pale green tone with some russet inclusions, box. 14cm (5 1/2in) high. (2).Footnotes:清乾隆 青玉菊石圖御題詩文抱月小瓶Provenance: an English private collection來源：英國私人收藏The poem inscribed on the present vessel is entitled 'Chrysanthemums, Imperially Inscribed'. It reads: 周書惟載有黃華，後世侵尋五色誇。自是椎輪生大輅，濫觴寧獨傲霜花。御製題菊Which may be translated as: 'The book of Zhou only records the yellow flower,Later generations searched and boasted of the five colours. Naturally, the petals verticillate like a large carriage wheel, Originally it prefers tranquil solitude and scorns frost'. The poem is included in Qing Gaozong Yuzhi Shiwen Quanji ('Anthology of Imperial Qianlong poems and text', Yuzhi Shi San Ji ('Imperial poetry'), vol.3, vol.39, p.6. Chrysanthemums are one of the 'Four Gentlemen' flowers along with bamboo, orchid and prunus. They are also associated with a joyful retirement. They were the favourite flowers of Tao Qian, or Tao Yuanming (365-427), a poet living during a turbulent period in China who retired in midlife to a small estate to live out his days in rustic obscurity, drinking wine and writing poetry; see S.Nelson, 'Revisiting the Eastern Fence: Tao Qian's Chrysanthemums', The Art Bulletin, 2001, vol.83, no.3, pp.437-460. It is probable therefore, that the Qianlong emperor wrote this poem on chrysanthemums in his later years as his thoughts also turned to retirement.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'SAAGATA' SLEEVE VASEChongzhenThe tall elegantly potted cylindrical vessel brilliantly painted around the exterior in vibrant tones of cobalt-blue with a continuous scene of an Arhat in cascading robes holding a staff with concerned expression beneath long eyebrows and wrinkled brow, gazing at a boy-attendant carrying a meditation mat through a pole, both facing an elderly woman carrying a large jar with cracked-ice glaze, all amidst plantain, craggy rocks and billowing clouds, all between finely incised scroll borders at the foot and shoulder, pendant plantain-leaves beneath the mouth. 47cm (18 1/2in) high.Footnotes:明崇禎 青花「莎伽陀」筒瓶Provenance: William James, prior to 1905 (a photograph of circa 1905 illustrated in Country Life).Christie's South Kensington, 15 December 2016, lot 120Published and Illustrated: C.Aslet, 'West Dean Park, Sussex - II', Country Life, 29 October 1981, p.1462, fig.1.來源：William James, 1905年前入藏（《Country Life》雜志刊有一約攝于1905年的舊照）佳士得肯辛頓，2016年12月15日，拍品120Saagata is the Tibetan name of the Arhat Shajiatuo (莎伽陀). Numbered 239 out of the 500 arhats, he was known for his fondness for liquor. However, before inebriation he was said to be powerful enough to subdue a dragon. His story is documented in the Upasakasilasutra 'Sutra of the Upasaka Precepts' (優婆塞戒經) no.5, the fifth precept prohibiting intoxication through alcohol. According to the legend, after subduing a dragon, the people were grateful to Saagata and a poor woman who respected him greatly offered him wine. Saagata became drunk and fell to the ground near the gate of the temple. Buddha and Ananda walked by and noticed Saagata on the floor, and thereupon forbade all Buddhist disciples from consuming alcohol.In the context of late Ming culture, when 'passion' (qing 情) and 'obsession' (pi 癖): unswerving commitment and genuine fondness towards something was celebrated, the depiction of Sagataa's fondness for alcohol would have been less a genuine condemnation, and more a tacit nod of his affable humanity. Late Ming attitudes towards Saagata therefore, would not be unlike an Elizabethan audience's attitudes to Shakespeare's larger-than life character Falstaff: a rogue, yet loved by all. The literati's approval of certain elegant 'vices' can be seen in the famous late Ming scholar Zhang Dai's 張岱 (1599-1684) writings:'One cannot befriend a man without obsessions, for he lacks deep emotion, nor can one befriend a man without faults, for he lacks integrity'.Indeed, late Ming culture celebrated another Monk known for his love of alcohol - Lu Zhishen - from the novel Outlaws of the Marsh (水滸傳) published in the 16th century. Lu's love of alcohol, and enormous consumption of it, also gets him into trouble, yet in the novel he is a loveable character that attains enlightenment. Seen within this context, Saagata would have been well-received by Ming dynasty literati.Stylistically as well, the depiction of the Arhat on the present lot tallies with paintings of Arhats by Wu Bin (c.1573-1620) and Ding Yunpeng (1547-1621). Ding Yunpeng excelled in painting religious figures which were meticulously executed with fine 'iron-wire' lines. Wu Bin too in his Five Hundred Arhats depicted an enormous number of Arhats in a variety of postures and gestures. Their facial expressions are also almost comical such as in the present lot. Ding and Wu's work were both reproduced in woodblock printed books such as the Lidai minggong huapu (歷代名公畫譜), published in the Wanli period, and it is primarily through printed matter that they influenced porcelain painters. See Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting, New Haven and London, 1997, pp.236-238. See a related blue and white sleeve vase, dated to 1641, in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, illustrated by R.S.Kilburn, Transitional Wares and Their Forerunners, Hong Kong, 1981, p.35. Compare with a related blue and white sleeve vase, Chongzhen, but decorated with horsemen, which was sold at which was sold at Christie's New York, An Era of Inspiration: 17th Century Chinese Porcelains from the Collection of Julia and John Curtis, 16 March 2015, lot 3532.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A WUCAI 'RISE IN OFFICIAL RANK' JAR AND COVERShunzhiBrightly enamelled around the exterior with a continuous scene of a dignitary seated on a horseshoe-back chair with tiger-skin, surrounded by court retinue with sword and standard bearers, kneeling before the dignitary a gentlemen in black robes proffers a boot, with further guardsmen carrying swords and halberds watching, all amidst a balustraded court setting leading to rocks and trees with swirling clouds, all beneath a ruyi-head border at the neck, the domed cover surmounted by a lotus-bud finial and decorated with cartouches containing landscapes. 33cm (13in) high. (2).Footnotes:清順治 五彩「加官進爵」蓋罐Provenance: Richard Marchant Ltd. Chinese and Japanese Works of Art, London, 14 December 1994來源：倫敦古董商 Richard Marchant Ltd. Chinese and Japanese Works of Art，1994年12月14日'Rise in official rank' was a popular motif but usually shows three scholars offering a wine ewer, wine cup and boot. The boot is part of official attire while the wine cup or jue was an archaic ritual vessel that conveyed rising in official rank. See Folklore in Ming and Qing Porcelain, Hong Kong, 2019, pp.166-167. However, the present lot shows no ewer or wine cup. The other possibility is that the figure in black kneeling is the powerful eunuch and politician Gao Lishi holding the drunken poet Li Bai's boots. According to Stories to Caution the World (警世通言), Li Bai, the renowned poet in the Tang dynasty who refused to take the civil service examination was berated by the powerful officials Yang Guozhong and Gao Lishi as an an unlearned scholar that was only worthy of holding an inkstone and removing footwear for them. Later, however, the Balhae Kingdom sent an ambassador with a letter, which only Li Bai could read. The emperor directed Li Bai to reply to the letter and granted the drunk Li's request to have Yang Guozhong hold his inkstone and Gao Lishi take of his boots; see ibid., pp.16-17.The scene could also relate to the story of 'Chancellor Ku Zhun Venturing into the Cellar Without his Boots on', which tells the story of the chancellor pursuing General Yan Linlang, treading softly in his socks, but fails to catch him and has to report failure to the eight princes. See Shunzhi Porcelain: Treasures from and Unknown Reign, Alexandria, 2002, p.216, no.70.See a related wucai jar, Shunzhi, with similar design, from the Butler Family collection and illustrated in Shunzhi Porcelain: Treasures from an Unknown Reign, Alexandria, 2002, pp.216-217, no.70.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
A RARE BLUE AND WHITE DOCUMENTARY 'KUI XING' VESSELDated to the Jiawu year, corresponding to 1654 and of the periodSuperbly potted with gently curving walls rising to a flat lipped rim, painted around the exterior in underglaze blue with Kui Xing holding a brush and silver ingot riding a cloud above swirling waves, his scarves billowing in the wind, the north-star constellation in the sky along with a square dou measure, calligraphic inscription. 22.1cm (8 3/4in) diam.Footnotes:甲午年（公元1654年) 青花魁星圖盌Provenance: Berwald Oriental Art, London, 4 November 2014來源：倫敦古董商 Berwald Oriental Art，2014年11月4日Identified 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 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 floating above the waves. 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.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 (zhangyuan), 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.The other side is with a calligraphic inscription in three lines: 北極之象，太陰之精鍾英毓秀，翼我文明甲午春日寫於花前解貂Which may be translated as:The image of the polestarand the essence of the MoonConcentrate what's special, nurture what's refinedand advance the brilliance of literary cultureWritten on a Spring day in the Jiawu year (1654) before flowers and undoing fur.Of particular interest is the last line: 'before flowers and undoing fur', encapsulating the changing season from winter to spring when one sheds warmer clothes for lighter ones. It hints at the Jin dynasty official Ruan Fu, who is said to have exchanged his expensive furs for cheap wine. He was impeached by officials but was pardoned by the emperor. The term 'exchanging gold and fur for wine' became a metaphor for unfettered pleasure and individuality, characteristics admired by late Ming literati.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 BLUE AND WHITE 'ODE TO RED CLIFFS' BRUSHPOT, BITONGKangxiThe tall cylindrical vessel finely potted with slightly curved sides, painted around the exterior in vibrant tones of cobalt-blue with two large stylised Shou characters each containing two large cartouches containing calligraphic inscriptions of Su Dongpo's poem 'Ode to Red Cliffs', with seals, one reading 'Dragon West', and signed Yun Wan ('Cloud Play'). 14cm (5 1/2in) high.Footnotes:清康熙 青花赤壁賦筆筒Provenance: John R. Berwald Oriental Ceramics & Works Art, London, 18 April 1995Published and Illustrated: S.Marsh, Brushpots: A Collector's View, Hong Kong, 2020, pp.146-147來源：倫敦古董商 John R. Berwald Oriental Ceramics & Works Art，1995年4月18日展覽及錄著：S.Marsh, 《Brushpots: A Collector's View》，香港，2020，頁146-147When the Song dynasty litterateur Su Dongpo (1037-1101) was first sent to Huangzhou in exile for opposing reformist policies at court, he passed by the supposed site of the naval battle of the Red Cliffs (AD208). Su wrote the two poems on the Red Cliffs commemorating the valour and bravery of the historical heroes that fought in the battle long past, while also voicing his own sense of nostalgia, loss and receding into the pages of history. His poems have since entered into the Chinese literary canon and are a continuously popular motif for artists and poets. See R.Egan, Word, Image, and Deed in the Life of Su Shi, Cambridge MA, 1994, pp.221-228. The present lot has extracts from Su's poems. The inscription reads:五百年前續此遊，水光依舊接天浮，徘徊今夜東山月，恍惚當年王戌秋。雲玩Which may be translated as:'Continuing the journey from five hundred years ago, the scenery of old with water stretching to the horizon, tonight the moon lingers by the Eastern Mountain, as if it were the same autumn moon that shone on the battle.Yun Wan.'The second reads:有客得魚臨赤壁，無人載酒出黃州，吟成一浦千山寂，孤鶴橫江涼小舟。Which may be translated as: 'A visitor arrives at the Red Cliff with freshly caught fish, yet no one brought wine from Huangzhou, our poetry contrasts the silence that fills the riverbank and the thousand mountains a lonely crane crosses the river and passes over our boat.'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
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