Page 30 - Important Chinese Art Sothebys March 2019

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A FINE PAIR OF FAMILLE-VERTE WINE CUPS small elegant cups of this type tend to be decorated with
KANGXI MARKS AND PERIOD scholarly themes. For example, see a closely related pair of
wine cups of the same form and palette, from the edward
each finely potted, of U-form, the gently rounded sides t. Chow Collection and the t.Y. Chao Collection, depicting
rising steeply from a recessed base, the exterior beautifully two of the famous ‘eight Drunken Immortals’, Li Bai and
enameled with a continuous scene depicting inspirational Zhizhang, which sold twice in our hong Kong rooms, 25th
scholarly themes; one in a wintry landscape with the tang november 1980, lot 149 and again, 18th november 1986,
dynasty poet meng haoran in heavy robes, riding a donkey lot 119, and more recently at Christie’s hong Kong, 1st June
followed by an attendant carrying a large prunus branch, the 2011, lot 3586. a cup of more conical shape, but decorated
other, an animated portrayal of two scholars on horseback, with the same scene of meng haoren, with an apocryphal
each holding a riding crop to encourage their mounts Chenghua mark, from the Jie rui tang Collection sold in
onward, followed by attendants on foot carrying various these rooms, 20th march 2018, lot 336. Kangxi mark and
scholarly accoutrements, the base with a six-character mark period examples of this form and subject matter were made
in underglaze blue, wood stands (4) in other palettes: a doucai cup depicting su Jin sold three
Diameter 2⅜ in., 6 cm times in our hong Kong rooms, 15th november 1983, lot
296, 15th may 1990, lot 280 and recently on 3rd april 2018,
this pair of cups is an outstanding example of the high
level of skill of porcelain artists working at Jingdezhen in lot 3612; and two blue and white examples are in the palace
the Kangxi period. Despite the small surface of the cups, museum, Beijing and illustrated in Chen rumin ed., Gugong
Bowuguan Cang Qingdai ciqi leixuan, Qing Shunzhi Kangxi
the craftsman has successfully captured the drama of
the scenes, which are likely taken from woodblock print chao qinghuaci [Qing porcelains from the palace museum
illustrations and translated into a famille-verte palette. Collection selected by type. Blue and white porcelain of the
a sense of dynamism is captured through the use of shunzhi and Kangxi reigns of the Qing], vol. I, Beijing, 2005,
pls 155 and 156.
outlines which have been drawn in swift yet fine strokes
complimenting the bold colors of the brilliant enameling.
$ 80,000-120,000
清康熙 五彩人物故事圖小盃一對
《大清康熙年製》款

28 SOTHEBY’S Important ChInese art