Page 338 - Chinese Works of Art Chritie's Mar. 22-23 2018

Fred R. Sanford, circa 1950. Photographer unknown.

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COLLECTION
~994
A MAGNIFICENT PAIR OF WHITE JADE BOWLS
18TH CENTURY
Each bowl has deep rounded sides rising from the fnely fnished ring foot
to a slightly everted rim. The well-polished, semi-translucent stone is of an
even tone.
6¡ in. (16.2 cm.) diam., two hongmu stands and a double hongmu stand
$300,000-500,000

PROVENANCE
Tanihata Katsutaro, Kyoto, Japan, 1924.
Y. Tsuruki, Tokyo, Japan, 1959.
This pair of white jade bowls was passed down through the family from
the grandfather, Fred R. Sanford. Another piece from this distinguished
collection, a spectacular white jade teapot of 18th century date, was
previously sold at Christie’s New York, 21 March 2000, lot 136. This teapot,
along with the present pair of bowls, is illustrated on the original 1959 invoice
from Y. Tsuruki, Tokyo, Japan. (Fig. 1)
The current pair of bowls appears to have been carved from the same piece
of stone. For a pair of similar bowls, of smaller size (14.5 cm.), also dated 18th
century, and shown raised on equally elaborate wood stands, previously in
the collection of Ip Yee, and now in the Sir Joseph Hotung Collection, British
Museum, see J. Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London,
1995, p. 400, no. 29:13, where the author suggests that undecorated jade
vessels made in the shape of porcelain prototypes “probably represented
the highest quality of eating and drinking utensils.” And goes on to say that
“many such bowls were, indeed, probably made for the palace and the court.” Fig. 1. Invoice from Y. Tsuruki, Tokyo, Japan, 1959, illustrating the present
The undecorated surface of these pieces allowed for the full appreciation of pair of jade bowls, and a white jade teapot formerly in the Fred R. Sanford
the purity of the stone. Collection.

清十八世紀 白玉盌一對

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