Page 92 - Sotheby's Chinese Art and Porcelain Auction New York September 12, 2018

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A FINELY PAINTED BLUE AND Garlic-mouth vases of this distinctive form Vases of this type can also be found painted
WHITE ‘DRAGON AND PHOENIX’ are outstanding among the larger Wanli wares in the wucai palette; see one formerly in the
GARLIC-MOUTH BOTTLE VASE and the treatment of their horizontal bands Lindley-Scott Collection and later sold in our
varies. Of this group of vases, the present type London rooms, 4th July 1945, lot 80, included
WANLI MARK AND PERIOD
is particularly rare for the undecorated band in Soame Jenyns, Ming Pottery and Porcelain,
at the mouth. Only one other closely related London, 1988, pl. 187; another in the Chang
sturdily potted, the pear-shaped body
example appears to be known, sold in these Foundation Collection published in James
supported on a short tapered foot, rising to a
rooms, 7th December 1983, lot 301, again in our Spencer, Selected Chinese Ceramics from Han
tall neck with a garlic-head mouth and upright
London rooms, 13th December 1988, lot 169, to Qing Dynasties, Taipei, 1990, pl. 110; and
mouth rim, the body boldly painted in deep
and a third time in our Hong Kong rooms, 2nd a third sold in our Los Angeles rooms, 2nd
tones of cobalt-blue with two sinuous Þ ve-
May 2000, lot 659. November 1981, lot 304.
clawed dragons each in pursuit of a ‘ß aming
pearl’ between two phoenix in ß ight, all amidst Two similar vases of slightly larger size, but The shape of this vase, with its bulbous
a composite ß oral scroll and above bands of with tasseled pendants encircling the mouth, head, appears to be based on archaic bronze
overlapping upright lappets and ruyi heads at were sold in our London rooms, the Þ rst, from versions, such as a pair attributed to the
the foot, and below a border of keyfrets at the the Hay Collection, 25th June 1946, lot 24, Western Han period (206 BC – AD 9), sold
shoulder, the slightly waisted neck painted and the second, 21st June 1983, lot 249; and twice in these rooms, 12th-13th March 1975, lot
with meandering ß oral scroll with ‘auspicious another was sold at Christie’s London, 27th 157, and again, 22nd March 2011, lot 191, from
emblems’, with bands of stylized pendent ruyi November 1967, lot 42. Compare also larger the collection of J.T. Tai & Co. Chenghua blue
and cloud scroll encircling the mouth, the six- vases decorated with the dragon and phoenix and white porcelain also served as inspiration;
character mark inscribed in a horizontal line design, but with a lotus scroll on the neck and for an example of which, see a pear-shaped
within a rectangular cartouche at the rim. bordered by various design bands, such as one vase rising to a lotus bud-shaped mouth with
Height 17⅛ in., 43.5 cm in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, illustrated raised overlapping layers of petals, the body
in Mingdai guanyao ciqi [Ming imperial painted with lotus blooms on meandering leafy
PROVENANCE
porcelain], Shanghai, 2007, pl. 1-74; two sold stems, sold in these rooms, 9th October 2007,
English Private Collection, acquired between in these rooms, one, with a reduced rim, from lot 1557.
1910-20. the collection of Dr. Hsi Hai Chang, Minister
S. Marchant & Son, London. Plenipotentiary of the Chinese Republic, 㖶叔㙮ġġġ曺剙䨧剙漵沛䲳呄柕䒞
23rd-24th May 1974, lot 352, and the other,
EXHIBITED ˪⣏㖶叔㙮⸜墥˫㫦
15th March 2015, lot 11; and a fourth vase sold
Recent Acquisitions, S. Marchant & Son, at Christie’s New York, 28th March 1996, lot Ը๕
London, 2005, cat. no. 6. 343, and published in Regina Krahl, Chinese
劙⚳䥩Ṣ㓞啷炻⼿㕤1910军1920⸜ᷳ攻
Ming Porcelain, S. Marchant & Son, London, Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 4, SįġMarchantġħġSon炻ΐ㔎
2009, cat. no. 33. pt. 1, London, 2010, pl. 1697.
࢝ᚎ
$ 200,000-300,000
˪RecentġAcquisitions˫炻SįġMarchantġħġ
Son炻ΐ㔎炻2005⸜炻䶐嘇6
˪MingġPorcelain˫炻SįġMarchantġħġSon炻
ΐ㔎炻2009⸜炻䶐嘇33

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