Page 63 - Czerny's Auction Oct 2016

93
A RARE YELLOW SGRAFFITO GROUND FAMILLE ROSE
EGGSHELL PORCELAIN VASE JU REN TANG ZHI MARKED
China, Republic (1912-1949)
Fine, oblong shape; the foot is slightly flared, slim neck and narrow
mouth with ogeé border; decorated with three ovals finely decorated
with three scenes of birds among branches in bloom; on a yellow,
finely sgraffito ground are several famille rose flowers, featuring the
squared, seal, overglaze, red-iron Ju Ren Tang Zhi mark. A small
headline at the inside, on the border.

The Ju Ren Tang Zhi mark can be translated:“Hall where Benevolence Resides”.Yuan
Shikai (he auto-proclaimed himself Emperor Hongxian) decided to establish his
government in this hall, located in the Zhongnanhai (a building complex near the
Forbidden City). Jurentang was a Tussian-style welcome hall inside the Zhongnanhai,
bult by the Emperor Guangxu, named 'HoiYin Tang' and then renamed 'Ju Ren
Tang' byYuan Shikai. The identification of the porcelains during the Hongxian period
(01/01/1916 ' 22/03/1916) is still being verified. According to a theory, the porcelains
with the Ju Ren Tang Zhi mark arethe real, Imperial porcelains and the ones marked
Hongxian Nian Zhi, HongxianYu Chih or HongxianYuan Nian are a fake and
produced afterYuan Shikai fall in the Republic of China.
In 1916,Yuan Shikai ordered Guo Baochang, an antique dealer, to go to Jingdezhen
and supervise his new Imperial porcelain production: the object had to be of excellent
quality. The porcelain had to be very thin, the enamels were sent by the Imperial
Workshops and the mark they used was the red, seal 'Jurentang' mark. See Professor
Xiong Liao’s book 'A Directory of Antique Ceramics', 1993; ISBN: 957-622-112-1;
pag. 58 ' 59. This book is based on Zhao Ruzhen’s book Guwanzhinan 'A Guide to
Antiques'; Pechino, 1942, republished in 1992 and 1995, ISBN: 7-200-0181-X/Z.204.
See“Jurentang”in the Gotheborg glossary.A similar piece was sold at Christie’s,
SALE 2580 ' FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART PART I; 13-14
September 2012, NewYork, Rockefeller Plaza; lot. 1217.Another similar vase was sold
at Christie's, SALE 5497 ' CHINESE CERAMICS, WORKS OF ART AND TEXTILES;
14 May 2010, London, South Kensington, lot. 420.Another sgraffito vase, on lavender
ground, marked Jurentang, was sold at Christie's, SALE 2689 ' FINE CHINESE
CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART; 21-22 March 2013, NewYork, Rockefeller Plaza;
lot. 1576.

RARO VASO FAMIGLIA ROSA A FONDO GIALLO SGRAFFITO IN
PORCELLANA A“GUSCIO D’UOVO”
Cina, Repubblica Cinese (1912-1949)
Dalla bella forma col corpo oblungo, piede dolcemente scampanato,
collo slanciato e bocca stretta dal bordo a ogeé, il vaso è decorato con
tre riquadri ovali al cui interno sono finemente rappresentate tre scene
di uccelli tra rami fioriti; sul fondo giallo elegantemente sgraffito sono
presenti diversi fiori dipinti nei toni della famiglia rosa, al centro della
base reca il marchio sigillare quadrato sopra coperta in rosso ferro
Ju Ren Tang Zhi. Il vaso presenta una piccolissima filatura sul bordo
interno.

Conditions excellent
Height 26 cm.
€ 1.200/1.500

61