Page 130 - Sothebys Important Chinese Art London May 2018

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A RARE BLUE AND WHITE ‘PEONY’ BOWL Tokyo, 1987, pl. 636; and a fourth from the collection of Sir
XUANDE MARK AND PERIOD Percival and Lady David, included in the exhibition of Chinese
Art, Palazzo Ducale, Venice, 1954, cat. no. 639. A small number
the rounded sides rising from a concave foot, painted to the
of bowls have been o' ered at auction; one, from the collection
sides in inky washes of cobalt blue with peonies borne on
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of E.T. Chow, was sold twice in our Hong Kong rooms, 19 May
the same continuous scroll surrounded by ß eshy leaves and
rd
1981, lot 402, and 3 May 1994, lot 40; another, included in the
attendant buds, with a band of classic scroll and lappets at the
Ceramic Society of Japan’s Inaugural Exhibition, Hiroshima,
foot and a band of lotus scrolls at the rim, the underglaze blue
1954, lot 14, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2012,
th
six-character mark inscribed horizontally below the rim
lot 4056; and a third was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 2
nd
9.5 cm, 3¾ in.
May 2005, lot 508.
Perfectly formed in its ergonomical shape and delicately
Bowls of this type, but lacking the reign mark, include one,
painted with vibrant cobalt blue, this bowl is a charming
from the collection of Sir John Addis and now in the British
example of the outstanding imperial wares characteristic
Museum, London, published in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming
of Xuande porcelain. Bowls of this form are described in
Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 4.22;
Archibald Brankston, early Ming Wares of Chingtechen, Beijing,
another from the Fuller collection was sold at Christie’s
1938, p. 25, as jing shui wan (pure water bowl) which were Þ lled
th
London, 28 /29 June 1965, lot 147; and a third illustrated in
th
with water and used during prayers for puriÞ cation. The small
John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics. The Koger Collection, London,
size and rounded shape allowed it to be held comfortably in
1985, pl. 50.
one’s palms.
A similar bowl with Xuande mark and period, displayed on
A small number of closely related bowls can be found in
its wooden stand, is included in an extant handscroll of the
important museums and private collections; see one from
Yongzheng period, Guwantu (Pictures of Antiques), in the
the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, published in The
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, coll. no. E59-1911, dated
Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue
in accordance with 1729, which depicts works of art from the
and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Hong Kong,
Imperial collection.
2008, pl. 130, together with a Xuande mark and period stem
bowl that would have been used for a similar purpose, pl. 131; ಴ £ 80,000-120,000
one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the HK$ 885,000-1,330,000 US$ 113,000-169,000
Museum’s exhibition Ming Xuande ciqi fezhan mulu [Special
exhibition of Hsuan-te wares], 1980, cat. no. 20; another
׼܁ᅃ ڡڀ̬֙ڀ̓७˥ٚ
published in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection
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128 SOTHEBY’S