Page 110 - Bonham's Asian Art London November 12, 2015

THE PROPERTY OF AN ENGLISH FAMILY
英國家族藏品

118 The vase depicts a story set in the 12th/11th century BC, in which
A BLUE AND WHITE SLEEVE VASE, ROLWAGEN King Wen of Zhou sought the advice of the hermit scholar Jiang Ziya,
Chongzhen later known as Taigongwang.
Exquisitely painted to the cylindrical exterior in vivid shades of cobalt
blue, depicting a scholar accompanied by guards and disciples According to traditional Chinese historiography, the last king of the
holding banners and standards arriving at a lakeside terrace framed Shang dynasty was corrupt and cruel. Jiang Ziya had once served
by rocks and trees, humbly presenting offerings and greeted by a him, but was disillusioned and retired to spend the rest of his days
bearded dignitary, escorted by two servants beside a wheeled chair, fishing, waiting to serve a new and moral king. It is said that he used
all beneath descending stiff leaves to the slightly everted rim above the no hook at all, believing that the fish would come to him on their own,
elegantly recessed neck incised with a band of floral scrolls. echoing King Wen.
41.9cm (16 1/2in) high

£20,000 - 30,000 CNY190,000 - 290,000 King Wen of Zhou wished to overthrow the Shang, and so sought
HK$240,000 - 350,000 talented scholars versed in the arts of war and administration. When
King Wen met Jiang Ziya, he discovered that this white haired
明崇禎 青花渭濱訪賢圖筒瓶 fisherman was actually an astute political thinker and military strategist.
He thus appointed Jiang Ziya to be his prime minister and gave him
Provenance: an English private collection the title of ‘Taigongwang’ (Hope of the Duke of Zhou). With Jiang
By repute, acquired prior to the 1930s, and thence by descent Taigong’s help, the Shang was overthrown and the Zhou dynasty was
firmly established.
來源： 英國私人收藏； 傳得於1930年代前，後由家族繼承
Such legends from history, of scholars waiting to serve new more
morally upright regimes, would have resonated with the literati class
during the turbulent period of the late Ming to early Qing dynasties.

See also a sleeve vase decorated with a similar scene in the
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, inv.no.AK-NM-6669.

108 | BONHAMS