Page 90 - Bonhams Chinese Art London May 2013

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A rare fahua garlic-head vase
17th century
The vase moulded around the body with two lively
qilin and a Buddhist lion amid flames, all beneath
a cloud collar enclosing a lotus blossom at the
shoulder, the long neck with two pairs of cranes in
the lower band, the central and upper band with
floral scrolls, the garlic-head terminal with two
further pairs of cranes amid clouds.
50.5cm (19 7/8in) high
£8,000 - 12,000
HK$94,000 - 140,000 CNY75,000 - 110,000

十七世紀 法華釉麒麟紋蒜頭瓶

Provenance: Pierre Saqué, Paris (label)

來源：巴黎Pierre Saqué (標籤)

Another example of a fahua garlic-head vase,
attributed to the Jiajing period but with a shorter
neck and decorated with Immortals, is illustrated
in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection,
Japan, 1987, no.691. Compare also a related
large fahua-type garlic head vase, attributed to
the Ming/Qing Dynasty, from the J.T.Tai & Co.
Collection, sold at Sotheby’s New York on 22
March 2011, lot 98.

The Property of a Nobleman 貴族藏品

60
A rare wucai ‘dragon and phoenix’ dish
Wanli six-character mark and of the period
Vividly painted and enamelled in the well with
one blue five-clawed dragon and one green, iron-
red, blue and yellow phoenix encircling a flaming
pearl amidst floral sprays and leaves, surrounded
by a blue and a red dragon alternating with two
phoenix under the rim, the exterior decorated with
a continuous foliate meander issuing alternate
iron-red and yellow blossoms.
33.5cm (13¼in) diam.
£10,000 - 15,000
HK$120,000 - 180,000 CNY94,000 - 140,000

明萬曆 五彩龍鳳紋盤 青花「大明萬曆年製」楷
書款

Provenance: a German noble private collection

來源：德國貴族私人收藏

The dragon and phoenix represent the Emperor
and Empress respectively, and for this reason were
popular motifs for Imperial porcelain. Related but
smaller dishes also with Wanli marks can be found
in the Tokyo National Museum, included in the
Illustrated Catalogues of Tokyo National Museum:
Chinese Ceramics (II), Tokyo, 1990, no.342. See
also another example with a dense foliate ground
and a lotus meander on the exterior in the Baur
Collection, illustrated by J.Ayers, Chinese Ceramics
in the Baur Collection, vol.1., Geneva, 1990,
no.97.

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