Page 202 - Nov 29 2017 HK Important Chinese Ceramics

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A WUCAI ‘DRAGON’ OCTAGONAL BOX AND A Several examples of Wanli mark and period square, hexagonal, and
COVER fan-shaped boxes have been published, as well as those with lobed
rather than flat facets. For a hexagonal example, see the National
WANLI SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A Palace Museum, Taipei, Enamelled Ware of the Ming Dynasty, Book III,
DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1573-1619) Hong Kong, 1989, pls. 6-6c (fig. 1), and one sold at Christie’s New York,
Each rectangular vertical panel of this box is boldly decorated in 18-19 September 2014, lot 821 (fig. 2). A lobed hexagonal box attributed
various enamels with a striding dragon chasing the flaming pearl as a cricket box is found in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in
amongst ruyi-shaped cloud scrolls. The flat cover is surmounted by Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, The Complete
Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 35,
a finial shaped as a crouching squirrel and the surface is decorated no. 32; and in the Art Institute of Chicago, illustrated in Ming-Ch’ing,
with two confronting dragons amongst further ruyi-shaped clouds Chicago, 1964. A pair of blue and white fan-shaped ‘dragon’ box and
all enclosed within a keyfret border. covers from the Edward T. Chow Collection were sold at Sotheby’s
5 æ in. (14.5 cm.) wide, Japanese paulownia wood box Hong Kong, 25 November 1980, lot 14. A lobed pentafoil box without
a finial on the cover also decorated with dragons is found in the
HK$500,000-700,000 US$65,000-90,000 Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum, illustrated in The Prime Cultural
Relics Collected by Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum: The Chinaware
PROVENANCE Volume - The First Part, Shenyang, 2008, pp. 154-155.
Hirano Kotoken, circa 1970s
A Japanese private collection
明萬曆 五彩雲龍紋八棱盒 雙圈六字楷書款
Wucai octagonal jars of this design appear to be rather rare, with
the exception of an almost identical jar and cover in the Philadelphia 來源
Museum of Art from the Dr. Francis W. Lewis Collection, accession no. 平野古陶軒，東京，入藏1970年代；日本私人珍藏
1905-202,a, the only difference being that the finial of the current lot
remains intact. 萬曆五彩八方罐是罕有的瓷器品種，暫只知一件器型、紋飾均一樣的相
同例子，藏費城藝術博物館（館藏編號 1905-202, a）。另可參考兩件
萬曆五彩龍紋六方罐，一件藏台北國立故宮博物院，載於《故宮藏瓷：
明彩瓷三》，台北，1989 年，圖版 6-6c 號（圖一）；另一件 2014 年 9
月 18-19 日於紐約佳士得拍賣，拍品 821 號（圖二）。

fig. 1 Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei fig. 2 Christie’s New York, 18-19 September 2014, lot 821
圖一 國立故宮博物院藏品 圖二 紐約佳士得，2014 年 9 月 18-19 日，拍品 821 號

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