Page 40 - Sotheby's Part I Collection of Sir Joeseph Hotung Collection CHINESE ART , Oct. 9, 2022

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ɤ Ꮂ A MOULDED LONGQUAN CELADON 'PEACOCK'
̬ ݰ GARDEN STOOL,
Ї ڡ 14TH - EARLY 15TH CENTURY

ɤ ཊ in the form of a well-proportioned drum, sturdily potted, the top carved in relief with a large flower head, encircled by a continuous floral
ʞ Ι scroll, the bulging sides decorated with three peacocks in different poses - one standing proudly, another flying with grace, and a third
˰ ˆ combing its feathers - surrounded by peonies and plantain leaves in a garden setting completed with jaggy rockwork, beneath a classic
scroll band, all between borders of raised bosses and further floral scrolls, the unglazed footring burnt orange in the firing
ߏ ௚ h. 37 cm

ڋ ڀ PROVENANCE
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 29th October 1991. Ը๕j
ͩ Bluett & Sons Ltddࡐ౱d1991ϋ10˜29˚
७ HK$ 200,000-300,000
US$ 25,500-38,300
ᔐ
ᄧ Barrel-shaped garden stools, such as the present example, were
known as zuodun in Chinese, or xiudun ('embroidery seat') because
they were often covered with decorative brocaded cushions for
added comfort. The form simulates a drum with a nailed drumhead
skin on the top and its origin can be traced to as early as the Song
dynasty. While comparable Longquan examples can be found in
museum and private collections, the present example is remarkable
for its exceptional composition and workmanship of the relief
decoration.

A larger Longquan garden stool carved with mythical animals in relief
and supported on seven ruyi feet, attributed to the mid-late Ming
dynasty, is in the Palace Museum, Beijing, and exhibited in Longquan
of the World: Longquan Celadon and Globalization, vol. I: A History of
Thousands of Years, Beijing, 2019, cat. no. 174, and back cover. The
exhibition also included another footless drum-inspired stool of this
size, but decorated with bajixiang in relief, also in the Palace Museum,
Beijing, vol. II: cat. no. 172.

78 I FOR COMPLETE CATALOGUING ༉းྡ፽ʫ࢙ሗᓭᚎ SOTHEBYS.COM/HK1293 THE PERSONAL COLLECTION OF THE LATE SIR JOSEPH HOTUNG I 79