Page 94 - Bonhams Chinese Works of Art December 2014
P. 94
2296 2300
A POLYCHROME ENAMELED PLAQUE A SET OF TEN BLUE AND WHITE ‘CRANE’ SAUCER DISHES
Of long rectangular section, depicting a wizened elder and his boy Jiajing marks, 17th century
attendant beneath a blooming prunus tree, the calligraphic inscription Each delicately painted in the central medallion with three cranes in
bearing a wuchen nian year and bearing a signature reading Dafan flight between three lotus blossoms on a continuous scroll reserved on
with seal reading kun (unframed). a blue ground, a double circle in underglaze blue beneath the rim, the
29 1/2in (75cm) high recessed bases each bearing the six-character mark in standard script
$2,000 - 3,000 within a double circle (rim frits); Japanese wood storage box.
3 1/2in (9cm) diameters
2297 $1,500 - 2,500
A POLYCHROME ENAMELED PLAQUE
Late Qing/Republic period 2301
The porcelain displaying a mottled ‘orange peel’ effect and enameled A GROUP OF FIVE SMALL BLUE AND WHITE DISHES
to depict the immortal Li Tieguai chasing a small iron-red bat Jiajing marks, Transitional to Kangxi period
beneath a gnarled tree, bearing a signature reading Li Zishang xie Likely made for the Japanese market, the floriform rims surrounding
and additional faint iron-red seals reading Li yin and Zishang, within a shallow wells centered by elaborate peony blossoms encircled by
sturdy hardwood frame (cracks to frame). numerous leaves, with similar decoration adorning the undersides
17 1/2 x 10 3/4in (44.5 x 27.4cm) approximate visual dimensions of encircling the foot rings and recessed bases bearing the standard-
porcelain exclusive of frame script six character mark within a double ring (kiln flaws).
$1,000 - 1,500 3 3/4in (9.5cm) diameter
$1,000 - 1,500
BLUE AND WHITE WARES
Stored in a five compartment Japanese storage box (tomobako)
PROPERTY FROM VARIOUS OWNERS inscribed Nankin sometsuke-zara.
2298 2302
A GROUP OF THREE ALTERED BLUE AND WHITE VASES A GROUP OF THREE BLUE AND WHITE CONTAINERS
Kangxi period Late Qing dynasty
Each originally of Phoenix Tail (fengmao) shape, the large trumpet neck The largest an ovoid jar with saw-tooth bands on the shoulder and the
removed to leave a body of inverted pear shape with a spreading foot above the foot framing a festival scene of villagers watching tightrope
above the set-in foot ring: two vases painted with a prunus flower and walkers, musicians, and tradesmen carrying their wares on poles
cracked ice pattern, the third with densely leaved composite flower (lacking cover, glaze abraded); the second a bowl-shaped censer of
stems (all with losses, old chips). compressed globular form with an iron-washed rim, the exterior walls
12 1/4 to 10 1/4in (31 to 26cm) high painted with the characters wan and fu separated by flaming pearls, the
$1,500 - 2,500 recessed base unglazed (glaze worn, soiling); the third a deep dish with
the Three Stars of Happiness and an attendant standing beneath a tree
2299 painted across the curving well, the reverse painted with four bats and
A GROUP OF SIX BLUE AND WHITE MINIATURE CONTAINERS the recessed base with wan yu in standard script (hairline crack).
18th and 19th centuries 11 1/2in (29.2cm) height of jar
Including a pair of soft-paste cups of inverted bell form with flared lips, $1,200 - 1,500
each painted with alternating butterfly and flower sprays, the base
bearing a four-character Chenghua mark (one with chip, second with PROPERTY FROM THE XANADU GALLERY, SAN FRANCISCO,
hairline crack); the third a small water coupe with flower-filled lappets CALIFORNIA
painted to the canted shoulder, classic lotus flower and leaf sprays
above a lotus petal band on the outer walls and a tiny bat-shaped 2303
mark on the recessed base; the fourth a globular jar with flared neck, A BLUE AND WHITE SQUARE DISH
painted with pine, bamboo and prunus branches on the curving walls, 17th century
the recessed base bearing a six-character Yongzheng mark (glaze Sturdily potted and likely made for the Japanese market, the flat
worn); and a pair of bottle vases with animal head and loop handles, mouth rim and central well adorned in densely composed stylized
each painted with pine, bamboo and prunus above a flared foot, the floral motifs, raised on a thick foot (notable kiln flaws).
recessed bases unglazed (one foot chipped). 6 1/2in (16.5cm) wide
1 5/8 to 4 1/4in (4 to 11cm) high $1,000 - 1,500
$1,000 - 1,500
For similar designs on a teapot published as circa 1600-1627, see the
Oriental Ceramics Society, Hong Kong, Transitional Wares and Their
Forerunners, 1981, p. 107, no. 55.
92 | BONHAMS
