Page 408 - Sotheby's October 3 2017 Chinese Art

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PROPERTY OF A HONG KONG COLLECTOR These striking and rare cups display the great of H.M. Knight, included in the exhibition
artistic and technical advances made at the Oosterse Schatten. 4000 Jaar Aziatische Kunst,
A FINE AND RARE PAIR OF IRON- imperial kilns in Jingdezhen under the patronage Rijksmuseum Museum, Amsterdam, 1954, cat.
RED ‘DRAGON’ CUPS of the Yongzheng Emperor, which enabled no. 382, was sold in our London rooms, 12th
MARKS AND PERIOD OF craftsmen to produce small thinly potted wares May 1970, lot 101; and a single cup from the
YONGZHENG and decorate them with exquisitely detailed collections of R.F.A. Riesco and Beatrice and
designs. While cups of this design were made Henry Goldschmidt, was sold in our London
each finely potted with rounded sides rising from the late Ming dynasty, the decorative rooms, 11th December 1984, lot 372, and twice
steeply from a short foot to a slightly flared rim, potential of iron-red was only fully grasped during in these rooms, 13th November 1990, lot 30, and
the exterior enamelled in iron red with two five- the Yongzheng reign. By creating a thin, opaque 27th April 1999, lot 436.
clawed dragons grasping for flaming pearls with glaze craftsmen could render meticulous motifs,
outstretched talons, one with head turned back such as dragons, which could not be achieved For the prototype of this design, see a Jiajing
looking over its shoulder with the other striding with other thicker and glassier enamels. Vessels mark and period cup in the Huaihaitang
closely behind, all above turbulent waves cresting that combined iron red with underglaze blue, collection, included in the exhibition Enlightened
with foams, the mouth and foot with double-line such as the present, required two firings as iron Elegance. Imperial Porcelain of the Mid to Late
borders in underglaze blue, inscribed to the base red had to be fired at a lower temperature than Ming, Art Museum, The Chinese University
with a six-character reign mark within a double underglaze blue. This second firing, known as of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2012, cat. no. 76;
square ‘muffled firing’ or petit feu, unavoidably increased and a Longqing period example in the National
6.2 cm, 2⅜ in. the cost and risk of failure. Palace Museum, Taipei, published in Illustrated
Catalogue of Ming Dynasty Porcelain in the
PROVENANCE A closely related pair of cups, from the Paul and National Palace Museum, Tokyo, 1978, vol. III, pl.
Helen Bernat collection, now in the Museum 54.
Marchant, London. of Fine Arts, Boston, is illustrated in Oriental
Ceramics. The World Great Collection, 1980,
LITERATURE Tokyo, 1980, pl. 258; another from the collection

Marchant, Recent Acquisitions 2012. Important
Chinese Porcelain from Private Collections,
London, 2012, cat. no. 8.

HK$ 1,800,000-2,500,000
US$ 231,000-320,000

清雍正 白地礬紅雲龍戲珠紋盃一對
《大清雍正年製》款

來源：
Marchant，倫敦

出版：
Marchant，《Recent Acquisitions 2012.
Important Chinese Porcelain from Private
Collections》，倫敦，2012年，編號8

Marks

406 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比