Page 79 - Bonhams UK Marsh Collection Art for the Literati November 2, 2022

The anhua or 'hidden' design on the body is of
butterflies (hudie) and tree peonies (fuguihua), which
is a rebus for 'May you have an abundance of high
status and wealth' (Fu die fu gui).

The present lot is covered in a thin, transparent, pale
greenish, high-fired glaze. This glaze is very similar in
colour to Northern Song dynasty (960-1127) qingbai
glazes, which found favour at the Song Court for
their elegance and simplicity. Later generations too
admired qingbai glazes and the references to the
elegance of the Song dynasty.
However, while hinting at archaism, the present
lot also is very much of its period. The incised
borders are typical of 'Transitional' era vessels that
reflect scholar's tastes for scrolls and albums with
borders. Above and below the design are borders
bounded by double lines. The upper border is a
gently undulating floral vine and the bottom border
is a waves and foam pattern. These incised borders
were time-consuming to make as they required the
clay to be neither too hard nor too soft. Thus, by the
Kangxi period, they were replaced by a fashion for
painted borders. Compare the incised zigzag wave
border and dense foliate border on a blue and white
brushpot, Chongzhen, in the Shanghai Museum,
illustrated in Seventeenth Century Jingdezhen
Porcelain from the Shanghai Museum and the Butler
Collections, Shanghai, 2005, no.19.

See also a very rare white-glazed anhua decorated
bell, circa 1640, which was sold at Bonhams Hong
Kong, 1 December 2020, lot 16.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue. THE MARSH COLLECTION | 79