Page 111 - Chinese Art Bonhams San Francisco December 18, 2017

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Traditionally, individual artists remained anonymous on artworks
created in imperial China. With the exception of paintings and
calligraphy, the names of the artists gave way to the imperial reign
marks. But this custom began to change in the early nineteenth
century. Although the imperial reign marks and important hall marks
still represented unshakeable power and privilege, there was a growing
impulse for artists and craftsmen to sign their wares if they became
sufficiently well known among the patrons to warrant a personal
identification.

Wang Bingrong, believed to have been active during the Tongzhi and
Guangxu periods (1862-1908), was among the celebrated emerging
artists who gained fame as a talented porcelain carver. According
to Yinliuzhai Shuo Ci (Commentary on Porcelain from the Studio of
Drinking Streams) composed by Xu Zhiheng during the Qing dynasty,
Wang’s best-known work was scholar’s objects.

Dragons were among Wang’s popular designs. It was characteristic
that the eyes of the dragons in Wang’s works were usually enameled
in black. His dragons are executed in varying styles and positions,
suggesting that the designs were more likely achieved by hand
carving, not from a mold.

When comparing the present example to a Wang Bingrong-inscribed
porcelain snuff bottle from the Meriem Collection (refer to Christie’s sale
1934, New York, 19 September 2007, lot 670), one can easily spot
the similarities in the flow of the carving, the treatment of the carved
dragon, and the use of the space on the object.

Wang’s works are usually covered with pale monochrome enamels
and sometimes left in the raw biscuit state. For more carved porcelain
examples, some with Wang Bingrong signatures, refer to Elegance
in Relief, Carved Porcelain from Jingdezhen of the 19th to early 20th
Centuries, Tony Miller and Humphrey Hui, pp. 160-276. 986

FINE ASIAN WORKS OF ART | 109