Page 118 - 2020 Nov 30 Christie's Hong Kong Important Chiense Works of Art

THE PROPERTY OF A LADY
3066

A FINE AND RARE WUCAI CRICKET JAR ᪺༒ᶑ ̪ྑ⩈ᗋ♄⹟⹕➭ Ǘ♪⢅ਖǘ㤎⩈ᢎ
AND COVER
ϝᬝ
KANGXI PERIOD(1662-1722) , SHAOWENTANG MARK
ᆌ໵፩Ⅷ⻦ᄮᾭ㫇᫈Գ㪏ᇙ⊇≢଍卿㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑ卿 ჺ
The cricket jar has barrel-shaped sides decorated in underglaze- ᝲ ᚚ卿ᐽ৅ ⽚
blue and overglaze green, yellow, black and iron-red enamels
with three peony sprays amidst scattered blooms and leaves, the
ൣ⿫
recessed cover is decorated with fruiting peach and pomegranate
צ೥ᇑ卿㫡ᱡ㨌㞒㇝ԋஇ㪃≢厍ᆌ໵፩Ⅷ⻦ཿ卿ٳᘹ卿
sprays amidst scattered leaves, the interior, underside of cover and
ჺ卿 ᝲ ᚚ卿எ‸ ⽚
the foot are unglazed, the hallmark is written in a line on the base,
Shaowentang, The Hall of Successive Reputation. ⏟ַ⎏ᄮᾭՆᆭᐙ៨Ɽ៧⡠ほぱ⧉जᬘ㖅ӳᱡࢷ⁒㱦⻦Ӭ׾卿ऱᝧ㬪Ɽ
5 ¡ in. (13.6 cm.) diam., box Ǹ⢆⪡లǹ᪪卿ዂݯ᪪ӳऔս⣔⶟㙸⹨卿㇦Ƕӳᱡࢷ⁒㱦⻦ᄮᾭ≢எ
㢙Ƿ卿 ჺ卿㲞ᳰ卿㮰 卿எ‸ 卻ॲː卼ǯǸ⢆⪡లǹἃ᱁
HK$700,000-900,000 US$91,000-120,000
リᙻᄮᾭ≢଍ӳ⎏లल᪪卿അ㇦ᙻほぱ⊇ݰӳ卿㇦ӳ㍍ᝧ卿㮰 ǯ
PROVENANCE
Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong Imperial Wares From the Robert
Chang Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 November
1999, lot 501

EXHIBITED
Christie’s London, An Exhibition of Important Chinese Ceramics
from the Robert Chang Collection, 2-14 June 1993, Catalogue,
no. 31
Cricket jars of this type are believed to have been used during the
summer months to contain fighting or singing crickets; it has been
suggested that the natural hollow gourd containers were used during
the winter months to house crickets, when there was less incentive to
keep them cool.
Compare a similar example enamelled with a single leaf over the
underglaze-blue three-character hallmark, illustrated in Kangxi
Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Woods, 1998,
p. 172, no. 114 (fig. 1). The author notes that the Shaowentang hallmark
is recorded in Palace archives as having been used on cricket jars and
other vessels used for crickets.

fig. 1 Collection of the Shanghai Museum
எӬ ӳᱡࢷ⁒㱦⻦৅

116