Important Chinese Art
Sotheby's New York
10 AM., March 21, 2018
Sale 9830
By Carter B. Horsley
This March 21, 2018 of Important Chinese Art at Sotheby's New York is highlighted by several exceptional small early works including a Tang Dynasty painted pottery of a court lady, a rock crystal Qing Dynasty seal of Empress Dowager Cixi, and some gold filigree "Phoenix" Qing Dynasty ornaments. There are also some impressive Shang and Early Western Zhou bronze wine vessels, a Song Dynasty pottery group of five monastic figures, a pair of Qing Dynasty hat stands, and a six-neck celadon vase with a Qianlong seal mark and period.
Lot 663
is a fabulous painted pottery figure of a court lady with winged
projections at the shoulders, ruffles on the upper arms, flame-like
sashes from either side of the front of her gown and clou-toe shoes
from the Tang Dynasty - a stunning and very elegant vision of feminine
pulchritrude. It is 15 1/4 inches high. It has an extremely modest estimate of $20,000 to $30,000.
Lot 551, Imperial rock crystal seal of the Empress Dowager Cixi, Qing Dynasty, 2 7/8 inches long
Lot 551
is a rare Imperial rock crystal 'Jiankong Hengping' seal from the Qing
Dynasty that is a seal of the Empress Dowager Cixi. It is
surmounted by a well-carved mythical beast croching on its
powerful claws. It was once in the collection of Gustav Detring
and Constantin von Hanneken. It is 2 7/8 inches long. It
has a modest estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $250,000.
Lot 581, front and back of Archaic bronze double-sided pole finial, Late Shang/Early Western Zhou Dynasty, 4 1/8 inches high
Lot 581 is fabulous bronze Archaic bronze, double-sided pole finial from the Late Shang/Early Western Zhou Dynasty. It is 4 1/8 inches high. It was once with Mathias Komor of New York.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"Related finials of this type include one of larger size and cast with a human face below the large animal mask, from the David David-Weill Collection, sold in our Paris rooms, 16th December 2015, lot 7. Another from the Pillsbury Collection is illustrated in Alan Priest, Chinese Bronzes of the Shang (1766-1122 B.C.) through the T'ang Dynasty (A.D. 618-906), New York, 1938, cat. no. 124. One in the British Museum, London, is published in William Watson, Handbook to the Collections of Early Chinese Antiquities, London, 1963, pl. 12. Two from the Avery Brundage Collection are shown in René-Yvon Levebvre d'Argencé, Bronze Vessels of Ancient China in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1977, pls. XXIV.b and c. One is illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji: Diaosu bian [The complete series on Chinese Art. Sculpture], Beijing, 1988, vol. 1, pl. 99. A further example was sold at Sotheby's London, 6th April 1976, lot, 12, and is now in the collection of the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, published in Giuseppe Eskenazi, A Dealer's Hand. The Chinese Art World through the Eyes of Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, 2012, pl. 7. Compare also a related finial with two circular apertures, sold in our London rooms, 14th November 2001, lot 11."
The lot has a modest estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It sold for $125,000.
Lots 552 and 553, gold filigree ornaments for concubine's hat, Qing Dynasty, 18th Century, 5 3/8 and 5 3/4 inches high
"The Qianlong emperor spared no expense in employing all art
forms to proclaim his rightful position as the Son of Heaven,
and appears to have taken particular delight in the development
of exquisite court attire for the countless daily rituals
and grand ceremonies. Adornments manufactured from the
finest materials available to the Qing empire were crafted into
individual works of art, particularly evident in these exquisite
phoenix finials produced for chaoguan (court hats) worn by the
empress or high-ranking concubines....Gold and pearl
chaoguan are extremely rare and this set, though incomplete,
appears to be the first to appear on the market.
"The earliest basic rules relating to the Qing imperial wardrobe
were set in 1636 by the Hong Taiji (r. 1626-1636) emperor,
father of the Shunzhi emperor (r. 1643-1661). His rules were
revised and augmented by the Qianlong Emperor in 1759,
and revised in 1767, and recorded in the Huangchao liqi tushi
(‘Illustrated Regulations for the Ceremonial Paraphernalia of
the Qing Dynasty’), an eighteen juan monumental manuscript
that includes thousands of illustrations and lengthy text, scrupulously
recording the ‘proper’ paraphernalia for the emperor
and his court. Costume and jewelry are well represented in
this manuscript for both men and women, starting with the
emperor down through all the ranks of the imperial clan and
the whole of the court and civil service.
"Significantly, the Huangchao liqi tushi always began its sections
with a description of the court hat, designating its indispensable
and foremost place of importance within the overall court
attire. At the beginning of the Qing dynasty different chaoguan
were worn in winter and summer, but by the reign of the Kangxi
emperor (r. 1662-1722) the winter style was adopted for use
throughout the year. Hats of this type were similar in shape to
the men’s winter hat, with a fur brim and crown covered in red
floss silk tassels, but with an additional back flap made of fur.
For summer, the hat brim and back flap were faced with black
satin or velvet. As ordained by the regulations, the finials of
the empress, empress dowager and first rank imperial consort
were composed of three tiers of golden phoenix and pearls surrounded
by seven elaborately ornamented gold phoenix, while
lesser-ranking imperial concubines wore two tiers of phoenix
with five additional phoenix (see Valery Garrett, Chinese Dress
from the Qing Dynasty to the Present, Singapore, 2008, p. 57).
"The Huangchao liqi tushi also notes the principal position of
importance of Eastern pearls. Harvested from the three main
rivers in Manchuria, the Yalu, Sungari and Amur, they were
treasured by the Manchu rulers for their association with their
homeland. Rules also specified that only the emperor and his
family members were allowed to wear this precious pearl that
was incorporated into accessories or sewn into imperial robes.
Each phoenix in the present set has been masterfully crafted
in the ancient filigree technique. A lattice formed of rows upon
rows of intricately twisted gold wire skilfully simulates the fine
and shimmering plumage of the mythological creature. The
extravagant use of Eastern pearls and dark semi-precious
stone at the top denote the owner of these pieces as an important
imperial concubine.
"Only one closely related finial, also set with a semi-precious
stone at the top, appears to have been published, in the
National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum’s
Exhibition of Ch’ing Dynasty Costume Accessories, Taipei, 1986,
cat. no. 7, together with a complete summer hat for a first-rank
imperial consort, as indicated by the three tiers of phoenix and
inclusion of cat’s-eyes stones, cat. no. 2. A related winter chaoguan
for the empress, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated
in Yang Boda, ‘Ancient Chinese Cultures of Gold Jewellery
and Ornamentation, Arts of Asia, vol. 38, no. 2, pl. 66; and another
of this type, but fashioned with silver phoenix encrusted with
pearls, from the Qing Court Collection and still in Beijing, is
published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace
Museum. Costumes and Accessories of the Qing Court, Hong
Kong, 2005, pl. 164. A related gold and pearl hat ornament, in
the Yurinkan Museum, Kyoto, is published in Yurinkan Seika,
Kyoto, 2003, pl. 75; two examples, one in the form of a male
phoenix (feng) and the other a female phoenix (huang), from
the Carl Kempe collection, included in the Exhibition of Chinese
Art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935, cat. nos 708 and
55, were sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 11th April 2008, lots
2304 and 2309 respectively. Another, but missing the pearls,
from the collections of Jay Leff and Lillian Schloss, and now in
the Rietberg Museum, Zurich, was sold twice in these rooms,
25th October 1975, lot 96, and 9th December 1987, lot 10, and
published in Pierre Uldry, Chinesisches Gold und Silber, Zurich,
1994, pl. 318.
"Ornaments in the form of a flying phoenix were popular from the Tang dynasty (618-907) as the bird is symbolic of the empress and comprises one of the Four Divine Animals, along with the dragon, tiger and turtle. Its five-colored tail symbolizes the five cardinal virtues of benevolence, righteousness, sincerity, knowledge and propriety. For an ornament attributed to the Tang dynasty, see one from the Pillsbury Collection in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, included in the exhibition Arts of the Tang, Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, 1957, cat. no. 299; and a hair accessory in the form of a female phoenix, illustrated in Zhang Linsheng, ‘Zhongguo gudai de jingjin gongyi’, The National Palace Museum Monthly of Chinese Art, no. 14, 1984, p. 25, fig. 26, together with a painting depicting Tang court ladies wearing in phoenix ornaments in their hair."
Lot 552 has an estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. It sold for $471,000.
Lot 553 has an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. It sold for $137,500.
Lot 583, Archaic bronze ritual wine vessel and cover, Shang Dynasty, Yinxu Period, 11 1/4 inches high
Lot 583 is a "extremely rare and important Archaic bronze ritual wine vessel from the Shang Dynasty, Yinxu Period. It is 11 1/4 inches high. It was once in the collection of J. T. Lai of New York.
It is the cover lot of the catalogue that has an essay entitled "Classic, yet individual: a remarkable Archaic Bronze You" that provides the following commentary:
"This finely and lavishly decorated bronze wine vessel is both in shape and decoration a perfect representative of the high and , mature ‘Anyang’ style that flourished from the mid-Shang period (c. 1600 – c. 1046 BC) in the then-capital of Yinxu in present-day Henan province. Although it displays the classic proportions of you of that period and exhibits the archetypal taotie design, it is very rare in its combination of these formal and decorative features, and it is diffcult to find close counterparts. The remarkable condition of the piece further adds to its importance in the surviving canon.
"You are believed to have been used as wine containers at ancestral rituals. The term, however, can be matched with this shape only since it was used for vessels of this form in the Northern Song (960-1127) catalogue Kaogutu (‘Illustrated antiques’), where eight you are illustrated and described. Wang Tao writes (Chinese Bronzes from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 2009, p. 62) that ‘in Shang oracle bone inscriptions and Western Zhou bronze inscriptions, we read that a vessel named you was employed as a bucket for aromatic wine used for sacrifice’. The character does, however, not occur in inscriptions on the archaic bronze vessels themselves, which may originally have been named differently.
"The shape was in use since the later Erligang period (c. 1600
– c. 1400 BC) and can vary a lot, being much taller, cylindrical,
square, bearing a long spout, or shaped like an animal with four
legs. According to Robert W. Bagley (Shang Ritual Bronzes in
the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington, D.C., 1987,
p. 374), the wine vessels found in the tomb of Fu Hao, consort
of King Wu Ding, the only undisturbed royal Shang tomb at
Anyang so far, which has been variously dated from 1250 to
c. 1200 BC, ‘do not include oval-bodied you, suggesting that the
type did not appear until after the first century of the Anyang
period’.
"The basic form of our vessel, of pointed oval section, which became popular in the 12th and early 11th centuries BC, was modified again in the Western Zhou period (c. 1046 – 771 BC), when its profile became more compact and its oval section more squared. Yet this Shang form itself could be adjusted in so many ways that the variety of forms is breath-taking: contemporary examples can differ in proportion, section and profile, the alignment and shape of the handle, the shape of the knob, and the existence and shape of flanges. In addition, there were of course endless possibilities how to decorate such vessels. Two basic types seem, however, to be prevalent, one with overall decoration, but differing from our you in many respects; the other only partly decorated, but otherwise more closely related.
"You with overall decoration are usually of broader, more exaggerated pear shape, the designs executed in higher relief, paired with more prominent " anges and wing-like hooks on either side of the cover. The handle is usually cast with animal heads in the round that hide the loops for attachment, and it may even be attached the opposite way, running from front to back. You of this type from the Sackler collection are illustrated in Bagley, op.cit., pls 64 and 65, with excavated and heirloom counterparts, Figs. 64.2, 64.3, 64.4 and 64.6.
"The more ovoid form of the present you and its linear decoration are closer to late Shang examples that are lacking the " anges and are decorated only with narrow bands of design around cover, shoulder and foot, leaving the main part of the body plain. On such you, the handle tends to have simple, openly visible loops without animal masks, seemingly similar to the present piece, although our you does bear masks on either side, albeit in miniature. Bagley also illustrates and discusses a range of such more sparsely decorated you of the late Shang period from the Sackler collection, op.cit., pls 68-70, and comparisons, mostly excavated, Figs 68.5, 70.2, 70.3, 71.2 and 71.3.
"The present you manifests a very rare combination of form and design. A comparable you that—like the present piece— combines features of both types, is illustrated in Higuchi Takayasu & Hayashi Minao, Fugendō Sakamoto Gorō Chūgoku seidōki seishō/Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Sakamoto Collection, Tokyo, 2002, pl. 73 (Fig. 1): it is similar in shape, has similar " anges and similar overall linear decoration, but a band of triangles around the cover and its handle is formed like twisted rope.
"Another related you, which is lacking its handle, is in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, illustrated in Haiwai yizhen: Tongqi, xu/Chinese Art in Overseas Collections: Bronze [sic] II, Taipei, 1988, p. 52 (Fig. 2): it also shows similar proportions and similarly shaped " anges with a central hook, and is very similarly decorated but in slight relief, again with triangles replacing the animal design around the cover. This you is also illustrated in Bagley, p. 398, Fig. 70.1, as comparison to the sparsely decorated variant, which he suggests must derive from this “fully decorated parent type”.
"Two further you may be mentioned as comparisons, with similar overall decoration in low relief on a plain ground, without leiwen background, one with rope-twist handle, from Shandong, illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Washington, D.C., 1990, p. 505, Fig. 70.3, but attributed to the Shang dynasty; the other from the collection Earl Morse, almost identical to the last, but having lost its handle, sold in our London rooms, 14th November 1972, lot 227.
"The large-scale taotie design on the present bronze displays the fully developed style of this motif, with C-shaped horns, pointed ears, and inward curved fangs. It extends into a body on either side of the central " ange, so that it can be interpreted either as a single mask facing the viewer or as two kui dragons in profile, facing each other. Vadime Elisseeff, who discusses the development of this design in ‘A Lei in the Musée Cernuschi Collection’, Orientations, August 1992, p. 48, illustrates a very similar taotie motif, but with outward bent fangs. Related taotie masks as well as similar dragon motifs as seen on the shoulder and cover of our you, with open jaws and with down-pointing snouts, can already be seen on bronzes from the tomb of Fu Hao, see Yinxu Fu Hao mu/Tomb of Lady Hao at Yinxu in Anyang, Beijing, 1980, passim, both executed in this distinctive " at linear style and with design elements raised in relief an unusual technique in common with our you. A you of more slender form but closely related design and structure excavated from tomb 1022 at Xibeigang, Anyang, and now in the collection of the Insitute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica and dated to the ! rst half of the Yinxu period is illustrated in King Wu Ding and Lady Hao, Art and Culture of the Late Shang Dynasty, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2013, pl.III-4. A ding tripod vessel with similar taotie and dragon designs in linear relief is illustrated in Christian Deydier, Les Bronzes Archaiques Chinois, op.cit., p. 85, and another similar taotie mask can be seen on a 12th century lei from the Sackler collection, Bagley, op.cit., pl. 8.
"The distinguished provenance of the present you can be traced back into the ! rst half of the last century. Huang Jun (1880-1952) was a Beijing art dealer, who in the 1930s and ‘40s published several bronze catalogues.
"Dr. Anton F. Philips (1874-1951) was co-founder of the Philips Group of companies that started in Eindhoven in The Netherlands as a light bulb factory. An observatory in his home town, which he donated, is still named after him, the Dr. A.F. Philips Sterrenwacht. The important collection of archaic Chinese bronzes and other works of art that he had assembled, was sold in our London rooms in 1978. Tai Jun Tse (J.T. Tai, 1910-1992) was one of the major Chinese art dealers of the 20th century, who started working at his uncle’s antiques shop in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, from around the late 1920s, opened his own shop in Shanghai in the 1930s and moved to New York in 1950 to open a gallery there. For decades he remained one of the major suppliers of America's great collectors, among them Avery Brundage and Arthur M. Sackler."
The lot has an estimate of $1,500,000 to $2,500,000. It sold for $1,935,000.
Lot 584, Archaic bronze ritual wine vessel and cover (you), Early Western Zhou Dynasty, 10th Century B.C., 7 1/2 inches high
Lot 584 is an "exceptional" Archaic bronze ritual wine vessel and cover (you) from the Early Western Zhou Dynasty, 10th Century B.C. It is 7 1/2 inches high.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"Outstanding for its remarkably preserved crisp decoration of crested birds over a leiwen ground, which complements the elegant pear-shape body, this you is characteristic of vessels made in the early Western Zhou dynasty, as seen in its slightly compressed form and the projecting triangles on the cover. Bronze you are sacrificial wine vessels that emerged as one of the major ritual receptacles in the late Shang dynasty and remained prominent until the middle Western Zhou dynasty."
The lot, which has a marvelous lustrous patina, has a modest estimate of $300,000 to $500,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 585, Water vessel, bronze, Late Western Zhou Dynasty, 8th Century B.C., 14 1/2 inches long
Lot
585 is a very nice bronze water vessel from the Late Western Zhou
Dynasty, 8th Century B.C. It is 14 1/2 inches long. It has
an estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 546, Hat stands, Qing Dynasty, Jiaqing/Daoguang Period, 11 1/2 inches high
Lot 513, pair of ivory and enamel figures of kneeling boys, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period, 8 1/8 inches high
A
great companion to Lot 586, is Lot 513, a rare pair of ivory and
painted enamel figures of kneeling boys from the Qing Dynasty, Qianlong
Period. They are 8 1/8 inches high. each enameled
metal body with carved ivory heads and hands, modeled kneeling in
mirror of the other, their bodies turned slightly to the side with arms
extended, vibrantly painted with gilt blue-ground robes above puce
trousers, the faces finely detailed with smiling expressions. the hair
gathered into two top knots, raised on fixed gilt-metal stands in
incised with lotus scroll (2).
Painted enamel and ivory figures of this type are rare and only one other closely related example is known, from the J.E.G. Kulkindis collection, offered at Bonhams London, 10th November 2016, lot 100. Compare also a pair of kneeling figures modeled in a related style, formed of a variety of materials including wooden bodies, enameled copper attributes, and ivory heads and hands, attributed to the eighteenth century, from the collections of H.M. Queen Mary and Mrs Rafi Y. Mottahedeh, included in the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935, cat. no. 688, and exhibited in Chinese Ivories from the Shang to the Qing, Sotheby’s, London, 1984, cat. no. 135, where it mentions that the set was probably made in Guangdong, which was ‘not only the main foreign trading port in the eighteenth century but also a centre of enamelled copper wares for the European market' (p. 115).
Lot 528, Ming-style blue and white ewer, Qianlong seal, mark and period, 10 1/4 inches high
Lot 528 is a very attractive Ming-style blue and white ewer with a Qianlong seal, mark and period. It is10 1/4 inches high.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"This
elegant ewer, with its well-proportioned shape and expertly painted
design, captures the essence of its Yongle (1403 -24) prototype. The
form originates from the Yuan dynasty, which was in turn inspired by
Middle Eastern metal-bodied wares. During the Qianlong period, early
porcelains celebrated for their unique form and superb craftsmanship
such as early-Ming blue and white wares were consciously emulated in
the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen, demonstrating the Qing craftsmen’s
ability to adapt classic designs into a contemporary aesthetic.
"A closely related ewer from the Qing Court Collection is preserved in
the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Geng Baochang, ed., Gugong Bowuyuan cang Ming chu qinghua ci [Early
Ming blue-and-white porcelain in the Palace Museum], Beijing, 2002,
vol. II, pl. 210, together with a Yongle prototype, vol. I, pl. 19, and
others attributed to the Xuande period, vol. I, pls 95 and 96; and
another in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch’ing Dynasty,
vol. 2, Tokyo, 1981, pl. 7. See also a ewer in the Topkapi Saray
Museum, Istanbul, together with two Yongle prototypes, illustrated in
John Ayers and Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum,
Istanbul, London, 1986, vol. III, pl. 2565, and vol. II, pl. 618; and
another from the Meiyintang Collection, published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection,
London, 1994-2010, vol. IV, pl. 1714, sold in our Hong Kong rooms,
26th October 1993, lot 179, and again, 4th April 2012, lot 28.
"For a reconstructed Yongle prototype that was excavated from the Ming imperial kiln sites, see one included in the exhibition Jingdezhen Zhushan chutu Yongle guanyao ciqi [Yongle Imperial porcelain excavated at Zhushan, Jingdezhen], Capital Museum, Beijing, 2007, cat. no. 66."
The lot has an estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 534, Six-necked vase, Qianlong Seal, mark and period, 9 5/8 inches high
Lot 534 is a rare, celadon-glazed, revolving, six-necked vase (Liukongping), Qialong seal, mark and period. It is 9 5/8 inches high.
The catalogue emtry provides the following commentary:
"The present vase is an exceptional example of this very rare type of multi-form vase. There appears to be no other known example with a freely-revolving central vase. The technical ability to produce a fully formed, glazed vase in such close proximity to the surrounding vases without adhering is remarkable. Additionally all other published examples of this form are plain glazed, lacking the slip decoration of the present vase.
"The form and glaze are most likely inspired by related multi-spouted vases made at the Longquan kilns during the Song dynasty (960-1279). This type of rare vase appears to have been made for imperial use during both the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods. Of the few known Qianlong period examples of this rare form, three have been previously sold at Sotheby's; one, in our Hong Kong rooms, 5th-6th November 1996, lot 862, and two in these rooms, 20th March 2012, lot 237 and another, 19th March 2013, lot 200. A similar example with a plain celadon glaze of slightly smaller dimension is illustrated in Chinese Porcelain, The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 149, and another example, from the Paul Baerwald Collection, and loaned from the Art Institute of Chicago was included in Exhibition of Chinese Ceramics, Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, 1952, cat. no. 366. A vase with a sky-blue glaze is illustrated in Treasures in the Royalty, The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, pl. 326. A similar vase with teadust glaze preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taipei is illustrated in Catalog of the Special Exhibition of K'ang-hsi, Yung-cheng and Ch'ien-lung Porcelain Ware from the Ch'ing Dynasty in the National Palace Museum, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, cat. no. 96.
"The present vase is accompanied by a fitted, intricately carved zitan wood stand. The base of the stand is incised with a single character, jia. This character was used by the Qing imperial household as an inventory mark for pieces in the imperial collection. For a similarly marked zitan stand see an archaistic jade cong with its inscribed stand included in the exhibition The All Complete Qianlong: the Aesthetic Tastes of the Qing Emperor Gaozong, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2013, cat. no. 11.2.7.
"This vase was formerly in the collection of Mr. Joe Yuey, a well-known patron of the arts in San Francisco. Born in Guangdong province in 1906, he immigrated to the United States in 1923. In 1939, at the Chinese Village at the Golden Gate International Exposition, he was introduced to Langdon Warner, curator of the Fogg Museum at Harvard University. Mr. Yuey later credited his friendship with Mr. Warner for encouraging and guiding his passion for collecting Chinese art. Joe Yuey was also a friend of Avery Brundage and instrumental in raising funds and donating works of art that formed the foundation for the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco."
The lot has an estimate of $150,000 to $250,000. It sold for $567,000.
Lot 541, Blue-ground famille rose Tibetan-style altar vase, Qianlong seal, mark and period, 10 1/4 inches high
Lot 541 is an "extremely rare" blue-ground famille rose Tibetan-style altar vase with Qianlong seal, mark and period. It is 10 1/4 inches high.
The catalogue provides the following commentary:
"Although
vases of this type are well known, it is exceptionally rare to find
examples with this attractive lavender-blue ground. In both form and
design, these ritual vases are steeped in Tibetan Buddhist practice and
teachings yet also represent the opulent Sino-Tibetan aesthetic
developed to suit the Qianlong emperor’s eclectic taste. A devout
follower and patron of Tibetan Buddhism, Qianlong commissioned the
building of numerous halls and shrines dedicated to the recitation of
Buddhist scriptures, including the Baoxiang lou (Tower of
Precious Forms), which was built around 1771 for his mother, Empress
Xiaosheng. These were lavishly furnished with Buddhist sculptures and
altar wares which were made to the highest standards, such as the
present vase.
"The form of this vase is modeled after Tibetan metal prototypes known as bumpa.
During rituals these vessels were used to hold sacred flowers or
peacock feathers as they are believed to have the power to cleanse the
heart of practitioners from evil. An emblem of Amitayus, these vases
were also used during longevity rituals whereby the vase was filled
with water that could be consecrated and transformed into an elixir of
immortality by practitioners who evoked the deity’s name. Bronze bumpa often appear on contemporary paintings and thangkas where they are covered in colorful brocaded cloths, which may have inspired the luxurious bajixiang ('Eight Buddhist Emblem') and lotus scroll design on this vase.
"The vivid enameling applied to the neck of the present vase
captures a pastel variation of the 'Five Principle Colors of Buddhism'
(known as panchavarna in Sanskrit, meaning 'The Five Pure
Lights'), comprised of blue, white, red, green and yellow. Each color
was symbolic of a virtue and a character and could be represented in
different tones but always as a set of five. Buddhist motifs are
traditionally colourful due to the notion of the ‘rainbow
body’; a concept in Tibetan Buddhism when everything begins to
transform into pure light, which is the highest state attainable in the
realm of samsara before the ‘clear light’ of Nirvana.
"Qianlong mark and period vases of this form are more commonly found
decorated with other color grounds; a yellow-ground example with the
reign mark in iron red is illustrated in Lu Minghua, Qingdai Yongzheng-Xuantong guanyao ciqi [Qing
dynasty official wares from the Yongzheng to the Xuantong reigns],
Shanghai, 2014, pl. 3-154; another, published in Julian Thompson, The Alan Chuang Collection of Chinese Porcelain,
Hong Kong, 2009, pl. 112, was sold twice in our Hong Kong rooms, and
again at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29th May 2007, lot 1507; a green-ground
vase, in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, is illustrated in Qian Zhenzong, Qingdai ciqi shangjian [Appreciation
of Qing dynasty porcelain], Shanghai, 1994, pl. 148; and a ruby-ground
version, lacking the drum-shaped section below the mouth, was published
in Treasures of Official Porcelain. Official Kiln Porcelain of the
Qing Dynasty Collected by Hangzhou Tu Huo Zhai Museum of Antique
Ceramics, Hangzhou, 2011, p. 133. Vases of this type were also produced
in other color schemes, such as a gilt-decorated example in the Palace
Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition The Life of Emperor Qianlong, Museu de Arte de Macau, Macao, 2002, pp. 308 and 309."
The lot has an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It sold for $225,000.
Lot 547 is an "extremely large and rare" blue and yellow "Nine Peach" charger with Chuxiugong mark, Guangxu Period. It is 28 3/8 inches high.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"Although
vases of this type are well known, it is exceptionally rare to find
examples with this attractive lavender-blue ground. In both form and
design, these ritual vases are steeped in Tibetan Buddhist practice and
teachings yet also represent the opulent Sino-Tibetan aesthetic
developed to suit the Qianlong emperor’s eclectic taste. A devout
follower and patron of Tibetan Buddhism, Qianlong commissioned the
building of numerous halls and shrines dedicated to the recitation of
Buddhist scriptures, including the Baoxiang lou (Tower of Precious
Forms), which was built around 1771 for his mother, Empress Xiaosheng.
These were lavishly furnished with Buddhist sculptures and altar wares
which were made to the highest standards, such as the present vase.
"The form of this vase is modeled after Tibetan metal prototypes known
as bumpa. During rituals these vessels were used to hold sacred flowers
or peacock feathers as they are believed to have the power to cleanse
the heart of practitioners from evil. An emblem of Amitayus, these
vases were also used during longevity rituals whereby the vase was
filled with water that could be consecrated and transformed into an
elixir of immortality by practitioners who evoked the deity’s name.
Bronze bumpa often appear on contemporary paintings and thangkas where
they are covered in colorful brocaded cloths, which may have inspired
the luxurious bajixiang ('Eight Buddhist Emblem') and lotus scroll
design on this vase.
"The vivid enameling applied to the neck of the present vase captures a
pastel variation of the 'Five Principle Colors of Buddhism' (known as
panchavarna in Sanskrit, meaning 'The Five Pure Lights'), comprised of
blue, white, red, green and yellow. Each color was symbolic of a virtue
and a character and could be represented in different tones but always
as a set of five. Buddhist motifs are traditionally colourful due to
the notion of the ‘rainbow body’; a concept in Tibetan Buddhism when
everything begins to transform into pure light, which is the highest
state attainable in the realm of samsara before the ‘clear light’ of
Nirvana.
"Qianlong mark and period vases of this form are more commonly found
decorated with other color grounds; a yellow-ground example with the
reign mark in iron red is illustrated in Lu Minghua, Qingdai
Yongzheng-Xuantong guanyao ciqi [Qing dynasty official wares from the
Yongzheng to the Xuantong reigns], Shanghai, 2014, pl. 3-154; another,
published in Julian Thompson, The Alan Chuang Collection of Chinese
Porcelain, Hong Kong, 2009, pl. 112, was sold twice in our Hong Kong
rooms, and again at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29th May 2007, lot 1507; a
green-ground vase, in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, is illustrated in
Qian Zhenzong, Qingdai ciqi shangjian [Appreciation of Qing dynasty
porcelain], Shanghai, 1994, pl. 148; and a ruby-ground version, lacking
the drum-shaped section below the mouth, was published in Treasures of
Official Porcelain. Official Kiln Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty
Collected by Hangzhou Tu Huo Zhai Museum of Antique Ceramics, Hangzhou,
2011, p. 133. Vases of this type were also produced in other color
schemes, such as a gilt-decorated example in the Palace Museum,
Beijing, included in the exhibition The Life of Emperor Qianlong, Museu
de Arte de Macau, Macao, 2002, pp. 308 and 309.ng."
The lot has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $262,500.
