Page 70 - Bonhams Asian Art London November 5, 2020

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A PAIR OF RARE DELFT-STYLE FAMILLE
VERTE SILVER-SHAPED CANDLESTICKS
Kangxi
Each of square section with a stepped base rising
to a ribbed, flared base, fluted shaft and flared drip
tray, decorated in vibrant tones of purple, red and
green enamels and underglaze blue with floral scrolls
and acanthus leaves. Each 20.4cm (8in) high (2).
£10,000 - 18,000
CNY88,000 - 160,000
清康熙 五彩代兒夫特式燭臺一對

The form of the present lot is based on a French
silver shape known as ‘à la financière’ after Nicolas
Fouquet (1615-80), Finance Minister to Louis XIV;
see Dutch Delftware, Amsterdam 2005, p.16, for
a discussion of the form. Several variations of the
form are recorded in Dutch Delftware and silverware.
Compare with related blue and white Dutch Delft-
ware, 18th century, of the same form, in the Victoria
and Albert Museum, London (acc.no.45-1887).
See another blue and white candlestick, Kangxi, of
62 related stepped square-sectioned shape, for the
European market, in the Metropolitan Museum of
Art, New York (acc.no.1970.266.3).

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A LARGE FAMILLE VERTE ‘DRAGON BOAT’
ROULEAU VASE
19th century
The cylindrical body beneath a straight neck and
everted rim, finely decorated around the exterior with
a continuous scene of court ladies tugging a large
dragon-boat carrying the Sui emperor Yang along
a canal by a large palace with further ladies gazing
from the window, the shoulder with floral scroll, the
neck with various auspicious objects and Immortals.
79.5cm (31 3/8in) high.
£5,000 - 8,000
CNY44,000 - 70,000

十九世紀 五彩龍舟出行圖大棒槌瓶

Emperor Yang (AD569-618) of the short-lived Sui
dynasty (AD581-618), is perhaps best known for
having reunited China through military might and
completing the extraordinary engineering feat of
the Grand Canal. This canal, which still exists to
this day, connected the Huai river in the north with
the Qiantang river in the south and greatly helped
economic growth and prosperity.

Apart from his military and engineering
achievements, Emperor Yang is infamous for his
extravagant behaviour. According to some records,
when the canal was completed in AD609, Emperor
Yang floated 65 miles on the canal in a large,
expensive dragon boat pulled by hundreds of his
most beautiful palace ladies and followed by a flotilla
containing musicians and entertainers. It was said
that along the shore, sounds of merriment could
be heard for a hundred miles. See Y.Ma and J.Lau,
Traditional Chinese Stories: Themes and Variations,
Boston, 1986, p.313. See also V.Xiong, Emperor
Yang of the Sui Dynasty: His Life, Times, and
Legacy, New York, 2012, pp.75-94.
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For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
68 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.