Page 100 - Bonhams May 16, 2019 London Asian Art

Thomas Torrance (1871–1959) in Chengdu

The Property of a Lady 女士藏品 Thomas Torrance, born in Shotts, Scotland, was a Protestant
missionary who went to China in 1895. He was first sent to Chengdu
104 by the China Inland Mission (CIM) and stayed in Western Sichuan from
A RARE BLUE AND WHITE AND YELLOW AND 1896 to 1910. He left for Scotland in 1910 but returned to Sichuan
GREEN-ENAMELLED ‘FLORAL’ BOWL with the American Bible Society shortly after. He married Annie
Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period Elizabeth Sharp (1883–1980) of the CIM in 1911. Whilst travelling
The deep rounded sides rising from a short spreading foot to a lipped deep into Sichuan and the foothills of the Himalayas, he came across
rim, painted in vibrant tones of blue on a bright yellow enamelled the Qiang people, about whom he wrote extensively and whom he
ground, the interior with a medallion of peony, all below a green believed to belong to the Lost Tribes of Israel; see the Selected Works
enamelled classic-scroll border at the rim, the exterior decorated with of Thomas Torrance, Chengdu, 2016, p.234. He was also instrumental
a composite floral scroll of rose, lotus, camellias and other blossoms, in establishing the West China Union University Archaeological
between a green enamelled classic scroll around the foot and a band Museum. He finally left China in 1934 to return to Scotland.
of keyfret at the rim.
23.5cm (9 1/4 in) diam. The present lot is extremely rare, encapsulating the high level of artistry
and innovation achieved during the Yongzheng period, reflected in
£8,000 - 10,000 the pale green bands bordering the inner and outer rims. The cobalt-
CNY70,000 - 88,000 blue decoration and the application of the yellow enamel required
meticulous precision. In his Taocheng jishi, ‘Account of Porcelain
清雍正 黃地青花纏枝蓮紋盌 Achievement’, compiled in 1735, Tang Ying includes a list of fifty-seven
青花「大清雍正年製」楷書款 types of wares supplied to the court, one of which was described
as ‘Xuande-style design on yellow ground’, and noted to be a newly
Provenance: Thomas Torrance (1871–1959), and thence by descent developed category of the period. A very similar underglaze-blue and
yellow-enamelled bowl with composite floral scroll, Yongzheng six-
來源：陶然士（1871-1959）收藏，並由後人保存迄今 character mark and of the period, is illustrated by J.Ayers, Chinese
Ceramics in the Baur Collection, vol.2, Geneva, 1999, p.91, no.210.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
98 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.