Page 51 - important chinese art mar 22 2018

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A FINE BLUE AND WHITE ‘LANÇA Finely potted and elegantly decorated, this the Roemer-Museum, Hildesheim, is published in
CHARACTERS’ STEM BOWL stem bowl embodies two major interests of the Chinesisches Porzellan, Mainz am Rhein, 1981, pl.
Qianlong emperor (r. 1736-1795): his love of 59; and two were sold in our London rooms, 17th
QIANLONG SEAL MARK AND
antiquity and his devotion to Tibetan Buddhism. January 1999, lot 785, and the other, 20th June
PERIOD The emperor’s patronage of Buddhism directed 2001, lot 122.
the production of many sophisticated artifacts
supported on a splayed hollow stem foot angled For a smaller version of this vessel, see one in
referencing various sacred ritual objects. The
to the cup with steep sides rising from a ! at the National Palace Museum, Taipei, published in
present vessel appears to have been inspired by
base to a ! ared mouthrim, the exterior painted Illustrated Catalogue of Ch’ing Dynasty Porcelain
the metal butter lamp, a popular ritual item of
in bright cobalt tones with eight lança characters in the National Palace Museum. Republic of China.
Tibetan Buddhism symbolizing the wisdom of the
surrounded by an undulating stem of lotus issuing Ch’ien-lung Ware and Other Wares, vol. 2, Tokyo,
awakened mind. Although blue and white stem
large ! ower-heads and curled acanthus leaves, 1981, pl. 13; and another sold in our Hong Kong
bowls of this type were produced in porcelain
the underside with petal lappets above bands of rooms, 20th May 1981, lot 746, and again, 8th
from as early as the 15th century, this well-
halved ! orets divided by a raised rib picked out October 2013, lot 3024.
potted bowl, featuring steeper sides and a more
with arrowheads, the stem skirted by ruyi-heads
prominent splayed foot, demonstrates the ability
suspending interlinked tassels, the interior with $ 70,000-90,000
of craftsmen working at the imperial kilns to
a stylized peony medallion within a double-line
create a modern representation of a classic form. ૶৻ඤ ڡڀ૕˖ᚂ،೦ᇳ७৷ԑ䋘
border repeated at the rim, the interior of the foot
with a six-character seal mark in a horizontal line A closely related stem bowl, in the Asian Art ɽ૶৻ඤϋႡ‘ಛ
in underglaze blue Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, is
Height 5⅜ in., 13.6 cm illustrated in He Li, Chinese Ceramics. The New
Standard Guide, London, 1996, pl. 595; another in

IMPORTANT CHINESE ART 49