Page 22 - Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Christie's Hong Kong May 29, 2019

THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN
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A FINE AND VERY RARE BLUE AND WHITE 明萬曆 青花萬壽齊天龍紋雙耳小盃 雙圈六字楷書款
TWIN-HANDLED ‘DRAGON’ WINE CUP
WANLI SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A 是件萬曆小盃當屬晚明一件極為難得的精品。現僅見兩種紋飾，
DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1573-1619) 其一如是件拍品般飾以雙龍捧珠，內寫「萬壽齊天」四字，同
The cup is of archaistic form applied with twin chilong dragons 例僅有兩件在出版資料中。當中尺寸較小 ( 寬 9.6 公分 ) 的載於
with knobby spines and pointed horns forming the looped handles. 繭山龍泉堂，《龍泉集芳：創業七十週年紀念》，東京，上冊，
The dragons are flanked against the sides as if to pull themselves 1976 年，圖版 967 號，頁 324；而尺寸略大者 ( 寬 8.9 公分 ) 則
up towards the rim. The rounded sides are decorated with two 見於《敏求精舍三十週年紀年展》，1990 年，香港，圖版 138 號，
pairs of confronting dragons leaping above rocks and waves and 頁 306 至 307。此外，尚有器外滿飾牡丹者，但僅見一例於紐約
holding pearls enclosing the four characters wanshou qitian ‘wishing 佳士得，1987 年 1 月 13 日，拍品 552 號，其尺寸同為 9.6 公分寬。
you to live ten thousand years of life as long as the heaven’. All are
painted in vibrant shades of a bright inky blue tone within double
blue-line borders at the rim and foot. The centre of the interior is
decorared with a lotus spray medallion.
3 √ in. (10 cm.) wide across the handles, box

HK$800,000-1,000,000 US$110,000-130,000
This type of wine cup is extremely rare in both form and style
of decoration. It seems that only limited examples have been
recorded. One, slightly smaller in size (9.6 cm. wide), has
the same decoration and is illustrated in Mayuyama, Seventy
Years, Mayuyama & Co. Ltd., Tokyo, vol. 1, 1976, pl. 967, p. 324.
A second, also similarly decorated, is slightly larger in size (8.9
cm.) and is featured in Min Chiu Society, Thirtieth Anniversary
Exhibition: Selected Treasures of Chinese Art, 1990, no. 138,
pp. 306-307. A Wanli wine cup of this type but designed
on the exterior with flowering tree peonies below emblem
reserves and the interior with a shou (longevity) medallion
was sold at Christie’s New York, 13 January 1987, lot 552, and
appears to be the only example to have been on the market.

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