Page 400 - CHRISTIE'S Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art 09/14 - 15 / 17

PROPERTY OF A LADY

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A TRANSFERWARE BOTTLE VASE, YUHUCHUNPING

DATED BY INSCRIPTION TO RENXU (1982), ‘DAFENGTANG’ SEAL
MARK WITHIN A SQUARE IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE
The elegant vase is decorated with a branch of blossoming prunus and a poem
referring to the scene, followed by a cyclical date renxu (1982), a signature,
Zhang Yuan, and two read seals, ‘Zhang Yuan’ and ‘Daqian fu’.
9 in. (22.8 cm.) high

$6,000-8,000

PROVENANCE

By repute, collection of Peter Chen (c.1939-2016), El Cerrito, California, son of
Chen Cheng (1897-1965), Vice President of the Republic of China (1954-1965).

The seal mark on the base of the vase, Dafengtang, was the hallmark
of Zhang Daqian (Chang Dai-chien, 1988-1983). Well-known for his
accomplishment in classic as well as modernist/expressionist Chinese ink
paintings, Zhang has become one of the most successful artist in the world.

This vase belonged to a group of identical vases made by the Taiwanese
potter Tsai Hsiao Fang (b. 1938) around 1982, under the commission of
Zhang as souvenirs to his families and close friends. A self-proclaimed
meichi, ‘an addict to prunus,’ Zhang’s penchant for prunus is evident from on
the giant boulder once placed in his garden inscribed with his own inscription
titled Meiqiu (Prunus hall) and the prunus trees surrounding it, as well as in
his paintings, such as the one shown on the present vase. The painting and
calligraphy on the body of the vase are by the artist’s hand and were then
transfer-printed to the surface of the vase.

An identical vase, previously in the Zande Lou Collection, and thence gifted
to the Chinese University of Hong Kong, is illustrated by P. Lam in Elegant
Vessels for the Lofty Pavilion, Hong Kong, 1993, no. 32.
壬戌年（1982） 梅紋玉壺春瓶 「大風堂」篆書款

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