Page 45 - Bonham's Asian Art London November 2015

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A RARE TORTOISESHELL ETUI
19th century
The oval sectioned box and cover mounted with white-metal clasp, the
exterior carved in low relief with two scenes from St. Helena, entitled
‘Napoleon’s House’ and ‘Napoleon’s Tomb’ amongst typical scenes of
idyll.
13cm (5 1/8in) high
£800 - 1,200
CNY7,700 - 12,000
HK$9,400 - 14,000
Napoleon died on the South Atlantic island of St. Helena on May 5th,
1821. He was buried with full military honours there, in Geranium
Valley, but in a grave which was left un-marked. According to Frank
McLynn, Napoleon’s 1997 biographer, the grave was un-named as
a result of the dispute between Sir Hudson Lowe and the Comte
Montholon. Both these men, responsible for the Emperor’s resting
place, being unable to agree on the inscription that the gravestone
should carry. In 1840 Napoleon’s remains were exhumed and his coffin
opened, prior to being taken back to Paris for re-burial in Les Invalides.
Interestingly, the body was well preserved, a fact which may indicate
that Napoleon had suffered from arsenic poisoning.

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A FINE AND LARGE CHINESE EXPORT SILVER GOBLET
Stamped ‘LC’ mark, second-half of 19th century
The deep cup finely worked with a elaborate battle scene from
‘Outlaws of the Marsh’, with a plain shield-shaped cartouche to one
side, all raised on an openwork stem formed from a pair of coiled
dragons on a cloud embellished foot. 22cm (8 5/8in) high
£600 - 900
CNY5,800 - 8,700
HK$7,100 - 11,000
Leeching (designated by the stamped mark ‘LC’) was a prolific
silversmith with studios in Canton, Shanghai and Hong Kong in the
mid to late 19th century. His workshop had a good reputation for high
quality mugs and cups, such as the present lot. See a mug from the
same maker in A.J. Marlowe, Chinese Export Silver, London 1990, p.
53, no. 38.
The detailed battle scene on the present lot is likely to be from the epic
14th century novel 水滸傳 shuihuzhuan, ‘Outlaws of the Marsh’, given
the highly characterful, individuated warriors. The bearded, double
axe-wielding berserker is probably ‘Black Whirlwind’, a short-tempered
outcast who features heavily in the famous tale of corrupt government
and honourable thieves.

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