Page 90 - Christie's Hong Kong Important Chinese Works Of Art May 30 2022

A MONUMENTAL AND RARE

QIANLONG DOUCAI VASE

ROSEMARY SCOTT, INDEPENDENT SCHOLAR,
VISITING CERAMICS RESEARCH FELLOW, PALACE MUSEUM, BEIJING

This vase, which is being sold by the Munson-Williams-Proctor The Walters Art Museum website (see https://art.thewalters.org/
Arts Institute of Utica, New York in order to benefit the Helen detail/30829/pilgrim-bottle-with-the-character-shou-long-life/)
Munson Williams Acquisition Fund, is not only monumental in records that the flask was in the collection of William Thompson
size and exceptional in quality, it also has wonderfully documented Walters (1820-94) or that of his son Henry Walters (1848–1931) prior
provenance. The vase was purchased by Mrs J. Watson Williams to 1898 and that it was bequeathed to the Walters Art Museum in
th
(née Helen Elizabeth Munson, 1824-94) on 9 June 1883 from the 1931. The 1883 letter from the American Art Galleries, quoted above,
rd
American Art Galleries at Six East 23 Street South, Madison Square,
New York. An inventory dated 3 March 1888 notes that the vase was
rd
in Mrs Williams parlour on a pedestal, and a surviving photograph
shows it in place.
A letter from the American Art Galleries to Mrs Williams, dated
th
27 November 1883 begins:
‘Dear Madam
As promised we now give particulars as far we can, as to the vases
purchased June 9 last.
th
The large decorated vase is of the K’ien-Lung period about 1736-50.
Mr W. T. Walters of Baltimore who has the finest collection of Oriental
Art in the country owns a vase of the same period which we think is
the only one that will compare favorably with yours. It is of Pilgrim
bottle shape and was purchased from us.’
W.T. Walters’ pilgrim bottle (or moon flask) is now in the collection of Helen Munson Williams Receipt showing the purchase of
the doucai vase from American Art
the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore accession number 49.1685 (fig. 1). (1824-1894), c. 1885 Galleries, dated 9 June 1883
海倫∙孟森∙威廉斯
(1824-1894), 約1885年 本鬥彩大瓶1883年6月9日
自美國藝廊購得時之收據
鬥彩萬福慶壽雙螭龍耳大瓶

蘇玫瑰 獨立學者暨故宮陶瓷研究所客座研究員

本拍品源自紐約由提卡的蒙森-威廉姆斯-普羅克托藝術學院(Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute)，拍賣收益將用
於孟森威廉斯購藏基金。此瓶不僅體量碩大，做工妙至毫巔，出處亦翔實可徵。1883年6月9日，韋澤華夫人(J. Watson
Williams，原名Helen Elizabeth Munson，1824-94年) 在紐約麥迪遜廣場位於東二十三街南六號的美國藝廊(American Art
Galleries)購藏此瓶。根據一筆登錄於1888年3月3日的庫藏記錄，此瓶連底座原陳設於韋夫人起居室內，相關描述與一幀
現存照片符合。

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