Lot 129. A pair of blue and white 'narcissus' wine cups, Tongzhi six-character marks in underglaze blue and of the period (1862-1874). Estimate HK$60,000 – HK$80,000 ($7,771 - $10,362). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016

Each thinly potted cup is painted on two sides, each side with a cluster of narcissus blossoms emerging from rocks, all between single-line borders encircling the mouth and foot. 2 1/4 in. (5.6 cm.) diam.

Provenance: A Japanese private collection, acquired in the early 20th century

Christie's. THE PAVILION SALE - CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 5 April 2016, Hong Kong

Lot 130. A pair of blue and white 'narcissus' wine cups, Tongzhi six-character marks in underglaze blue and of the period (1862-1874). Estimate HK$60,000 – HK$80,000 ($7,771 - $10,362). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016

Each thinly potted cup is painted on two sides, each side with a cluster of narcissus blossoms emerging from rocks, all between single-line borders encircling the mouth and foot. 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm.) diam.

Provenance: A Japanese private collection, acquired in the early 20th century

Christie's. THE PAVILION SALE - CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 5 April 2016, Hong Kong

PARIS.- Marty de Cambiaire is exhibiting for the second time at the prestigious Salon du Dessin. The fair is taking place in Paris from March 30 to April 4. On this occasion, a bilingual exhibition catalogue Paintings & Drawings has been published, and it is available at the exhibition booth 17. The drawings are being exhibited at the Salon whereas the paintings are on view at the Gallery. 

The gallery’s tenth catalogue is dedicated to a selection of 37 works, ranging from the 16th to the 19th century, most of which come from private collections. 

Among the selected works, a few deserve a particular mention. 

1/ The first is a recently rediscovered very large and impressive gouache on paper by Ambroise-Louis Garneray showing The Astrolabe caught in the Antarctic ice near Adélie Coast. This beautiful gouache illustrates one of the most dramatic and the most romantic moments of the expedition to the South Pole led by the great French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville with two ships: the Astrolabe, formerly named La Coquille and renamed in homage of one of the famous La Pérouse’s ships, and the Zélée. During this expedition, Dumont d'Urville and his men were confronted with an impenetrable ice barrier on at least two occasions: first in February 1838 and then in January 1840. This crusade in the ice labyrinth was described almost hour by hour in the later published accounts of the expedition. On each of the occasions the corvettes had utmost difficulties finding their way out of these “ice islands” that were forming “a frightening mass carved up by narrow and winding channels.” The Astrolabe and the Zélée, in constant danger of being crushed by the icebergs hemming the ships, were unable to advance with the wind dropped, but continued drifting forward and thus risked colliding with them. In the present gouache, Garneray likely depicted the second of these experiences: upon their arrival to the Antarctic in January 1840, the navigators reached unexplored lands below the Antarctic Circle, at a very small distance from the magnetic South Pole and from the Adélie Land that they were about to discover.  

Ambroise-Louis Garneray (Paris 1783 - 1857), L’Astrolabe prise dans les glaces de l’Antarctique près de la Terre-Adélie. Gouache sur papier marouflé sur toile, 666 x 896 mm (26 1/4 x 35 1/4 in.). Signé L. Garneray en bas à gauche.

2/ A special attention deserves the discovery of a very impressive painting by Luigi Miradori, called Il Genovesino (circa 1610-1657), which represents the Sacrifice of Isaac. Miradori seems to have retained from the lesson of Caravaggism the will to represent men above all else: insisting on the carnal, physical side of the scene, he chose realistic physiognomies without any idealisation, with which viewers could empathise. The craggy, bronzed, and rough face of the patriarch of the tribes of Israel, the curled up, dark, and stocky body of Isaac, the rotund feet of the angel with irregular toes, all evoke a tangible reality. 

This forced realism does not deprive the work of all poetry or a sense of mystery. Miradori stripped down the episode of almost all its accessories – the bush, fire, the cloud of smoke, the ram – to keep solely the protagonists, placed on a dark background. The angel wrapped his left arm around Abraham’s neck to stop the hand raised for the sacrifice, yet their eyes do not meet: Abraham's revelation is an inner reality and it is for the attention of the viewer, rather than the patriarch, that the angel extended his right hand pointing back at the ram, intended to substitute for Isaac although not represented in the canvas. 

The present painting has a particular visual strength. The attitude of Isaac, entirely at the mercy of fate; the face of Abraham, marked by stupor and shock; the suspended flight of the angel and the texture of his grey wing which is stretched above the scene like a stormy sky; and finally, the strangeness of the postures – all this with great force conveys the sense of the revelation which constitutes one of the major episodes of the Old Testament. 

Unknown until now among scholars and on the market, this work is an important addition to the artist’s work, which reveals a new fascinating aspect of this Baroque Italian painter. 

Luigi Miradori, called Il Genovesino (circa 1610-1657), Le sarifice d'Isaac. Huile sur toile, 149,3 x 112 cm. 

3-5/ Among others, the catalogue includes some interesting discoveries, such as, for example a large composition by the neoclassical artist Giovanni De Min (1786-1859) showing the Fight of Spartan Women, a preparatory drawing for a large composition kept in Villa Manzoni, near Belluno, Italy, or else a large gouache executed and dated “1803” by Saviero della Gatta which shows a View of the bay of Naples. The selection also includes a François Boucher (1703-1770), red chalk depicting the head of a woman, a very fine and moving drawing of the 18th-century French Master. 

Giovanni De Min (1786-1859), Concours de lutte entre femmes spartiates. Pume et encre brune, lavis brun, lavis gris. SignéGiovanni de Min en bas à droite, 566 x 686 mm. 

Saviero della Gatta (Actif à Naples entre 1777 et 1827), Vue de la baie de Naples. Gouache sur papier. Signé et datéSav° della Gatta 1803 en bas à droite, 379 x 669 mm.

François Boucher (1703-1770), Etude d'une jeune fille, de profil trois quart dos, les mains jointes. Sanguine et estompe, craie blanche, traces de pierre noire. Inscrit F. Boucher en haut à droite. Inscrit au verso 6820. dub , 312 x 229 mm.

Lot 126. A pair of underglaze-blue and iron-red decorated 'dragon' dishes, Daoguang gengxu cyclical date in iron red, corresponding to 1850 and of the period. Estimate HK$180,000 – HK$260,000 ($23,314 - $33,676). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016

Each dish is potted with shallow rounded sides, enamelled on the interior in iron red with a leaping five-clawed dragon embracing a flaming pearl amidst underglaze-blue clouds, the exterior similarly decorated with two red scaly dragons pursuing flaming pearls amidst cloud scrolls in blue. The base is inscribed in iron red with a six-character Daoguang gengxu date. 6 3/8 in. (16.1 cm.) diam.

Christie's. THE PAVILION SALE - CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 5 April 2016, Hong Kong

Lot 134. A famille rose 'butterfly' bottle vase, Xuantong six-character mark in iron red and of the period (1908-1911). Estimate HK$60,000 – HK$80,000 ($7,771 - $10,362). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016

The vase is finely enameled with a multitude of butterflies within decorative borders and with a band of lotus and Shou characters on the shoulder. 15 1/4 in. (38.8 cm.) high

Provenance: Sold at Sotheby's New York, 14 September 2011, lot 416

Christie's. THE PAVILION SALE - CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 5 April 2016, Hong Kong

Lot 64. Pieter Snyers (Anvers, 1681-1752), Fruits d’automne. Toile, 37 x 40,5 cm. Signée vers la gauche : P. Snyers. Estimation : 6 000 € / 8 000 €. Photo Tajan

Restaurations anciennes et petits soulèvements.

TAJAN, Tableaux Anciens, le 06 Avril 2016 à 15h00

Lot 60. École flamande du XVIIe siècle, entourage de Frans Snyders, Coupe de raisins sur un entablement avec une coupe Wanli remplie de fraises. Panneau de chêne, 74,5 x 54,5 cm. Estimation : 5 000 € / 7 000 €. Photo Tajan

deux planches, non parqueté Restaurations anciennes.

Notre tableau est la reprise de la composition de Frans Snyders conservée en Belgique dans une collection particulière (panneau, 73 x 62 cm). 

TAJAN, Tableaux Anciens, le 06 Avril 2016 à 15h00

Lot 25. An important and rare blue and white ‘Palace Bowl’, Mark and period of Chenghua. Estimate 50,000,000 — 70,000,000 HKD (5,847,154 - 8,186,015 EUR). Photo Sotheby's. 

exquisitely potted with smooth rounded sides, gracefully rising from a tapered foot to a slightly flared rim, finely painted in muted washes of cobalt-blue accented with sharp outlines of a deeper hue, the exterior with three large clusters of plump ripe melon vine, all differently rendered with seven or eight fruits, the thin curling tendrils counterbalanced by the thick broad leaves, framed by double-line borders at the rim and foot, the interior left undecorated, thinly veiled overall in a most sensual unctuous glaze, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark within a double circle - 15.4cm, 6 1/8 in.

Provenance: Collection of H.R.N. Norton (d. 1961/62), until 1936. 
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1936 (£35). 
Collection of Victor Rienaecker, from 1936 to 1937 (£52:10). 
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1937 (£52:10). 
Collection of F. Howard Paget (1866-1945), from 1937 to 1945 (£52:10). 
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1945 (£30). 
Collection of Herschel V. Johnson (1894-1966), from 1945 to 1967 (£52:10).
Sotheby's London, 21st February 1967, lot 38 (£5000). 
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1967 (£5000).
Collection of Roger Pilkington (1928-69), from 1967 (£5000).

Bibliography: Adrian Joseph, Ming Porcelains: Their Origins and Development, London, 1971, front cover and pl. 38.

The calm beauty radiating from a ‘palace bowl’ derives from an aesthetic excellence reached at the imperial kilns in the Chenghua reign (1465-87) that has never been equalled again to the present day. There can hardly be a more iconic piece of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain than a Chenghua ‘palace bowl’. Chenghua porcelains are the rarest Chinese imperial porcelains. The wares we today associate most intimately with the Chenghua reign  – ‘palace bowls’ and ‘chicken cups’ – represent only a short fleeting moment in the history of Chinese porcelain, yet they left an eternal legacy. ‘Palace bowls’ are the pride or else the desideratum of any museum or private collection of Chinese ceramics. Only one dozen ‘melon palace bowls’ appear to be preserved, including the present piece, but the present bowl represents an apparently unique version of the design, depicting twenty-two melons instead of the usual sixteen, and is painted in a very different style, with fruits and leaves more densely concentrated than on other examples. 

The term ‘palace bowl’ designates blue-and-white bowls, probably used at the imperial court for food, made for less than a decade around the 1480s, of unsurpassed material quality and workmanship, unrivalled tactility, unsurpassable proportions, and unobtrusive yet sophisticated designs executed in an irresistibly captivating, complex and yet free and easy painting manner.

Only some two dozen porcelains of Chenghua mark and period of any style or design have been recorded by Julian Thompson as remaining in private hands (The Emperor’s broken china. Reconstructing Chenghua porcelain, London, 1995, pp. 116-29). This rarity of surviving examples is mirrored by the relative scarcity of broken pieces discarded at the site of the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, despite a quality control more rigorous than in any other Ming reign (1368-1644). The volume of Chenghua fragments recovered there is less than half that unearthed from the stratum of the much shorter Xuande reign (1426-35). The largest number of surviving Chenghua porcelains is today preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, from the former imperial collection, but the Museum holds no example of the present design, nor does any such bowl seem to be remaining in the Palace Museum, Beijing, or any other museum in China.

The unique identity we appreciate in Chenghua porcelains, which differs from porcelains of earlier and later reigns, developed only in the last decade or so of the period, whereas the earlier production line continued much in the manner of the Xuande reign. Scholars are in agreement that the driving force behind the new and distinctive character of Chenghua porcelains was his principal concubine Wan Guifei (1430-1487), seventeen years the Emperor’s senior and a dominant influence throughout his life. The expenses incurred through the extraordinarily demanding production of fine porcelains in this period proved a heavy financial burden on the state, so challenging that in 1482 the Emperor was advised by a high official to abandon the practise of dispatching eunuchs to supervise the manufacture of imperial porcelains at Raozhou (Jingdezhen), and in 1485 it was finally stopped, after a further recommendation to halt the production.

The porcelain manufacture of the imperial kilns in the Chenghua reign was effectively directed and scrupulously controlled by the court. Although a large variety of bowl shapes had already been developed at Jingdezhen by the Xuande period, a new form again was devised for ‘palace bowls’. Eleven different ‘palace bowl’ designs were created, ten depicting floral motifs and only the present one showing fruit. Like all Chenghua porcelains, ‘palace bowls’ are at first glance rather quiet and unassuming in their appeal and need the eyes and hands of a connoisseur to be fully appreciated. They are not meant for display as only intimate inspection will reveal the perfection of their craftsmanship, the refinement and tactility of their materials, the subtlety of the tones of both the white porcelain and the cobalt-blue painting, and the unconventional composition of the designs.

Chenghua designs are remarkable for their idiosyncratic painting style that differs from the creations of the imperial kilns in most other reigns. Whereas the characteristic layout of imperial porcelains had to be precise and regular, that of Chenghua pieces tends to be slightly unpredictable and capricious. The three clusters of vines on these ‘melon palace bowls’, for example, which fill roughly the same space around the sides, are all differently composed. On all companion pieces, they seem invariably to bear six, six and four fruits, respectively (see fig. 1); the present bowl is the only one that differs from this rule, showing eight, seven and seven fruits on the three vines. Yet the fruits are so cleverly incorporated into the arrangement of leaves, that at first glance all vines seem to follow basically the same pattern and the overall appearance is perfectly balanced and homogenous. Several ‘palace bowl’ designs are known in two different versions, as recorded by Julian Thompson for the musk mallow, gardenia scroll and lily scroll designs (loc. cit., p. 119, nos B 24/25, 26/27 and 28/29), but not previously noted for the present pattern (B 31). 

Blue and white ‘Palace Bowl’ with design of melon vines, mark and period of Chenghua© The Trustees of the British Museum

Including the present bowl, twelve complete bowls of this melon design appear to be preserved; and a Chenghua ‘melon bowl’ reconstructed from sherds recovered from the waste heaps of the Ming imperial kiln site at Jingdezhen was included in the exhibition A Legacy of Chenghua. Imperial Porcelain of the Chenghua Reign Excavated from Zhushan, Jingdezhen, Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1993, cat. no. C 82.

A pair of such ‘melon palace bowls’ was originally in the collection of Sir Percival David, of which one is remaining in the collection and now on display in the British Museum, London, where another example is kept, from the Seligman collection; for the former see Regina Krahl and Jessica Harrison-Hall, Chinese Ceramics. Highlights from the Sir Percival David Collection, London, 2009, cat. no. 36, p. 72 left; for the latter, Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 6: 3. The second bowl from the David collection, included in the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935-6, cat. no. 1493, and sold in our London rooms, 15th October 1968, lot 97, later entered the Ataka collection and is now in the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, see Tōyō tōji no tenkai/Masterpieces of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 1999, pl. 47.

A bowl from the Nora Lundgren collection in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, Sweden, was included in the exhibition Mostra d’Arte Cinese/Exhibition of Chinese Art, Palazzo Ducale, Venice, 1954, cat. no. 656; an example from the Frederick M. Mayer collection, sold at Christie’s London, 24th June 1974, lot 98, is now in the Tianminlou collection, illustrated in Chinese Porcelain. The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 31; one from the Charles Russell collection, sold in our London rooms, 6th June 1935, lot 83, and in these rooms, 1st November 1994, lot 40, is published in R.L. Hobson, Bernard Rackham & William King, Chinese Ceramics in Private Collections, London, 1931, fig. 314, and in Sotheby’s. Thirty Years in Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 245; it is now in the Au Bak Ling Collection and was included in the exhibition 100 Masterpieces of Imperial Chinese Ceramics from the Au Bak Ling Collection, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1998.

A bowl from the collection of Major L.F. Hay was sold in our London rooms, 16th June 1939, lot 101; one from the collections of R.H.R. Palmer and K.S. Lo, illustrated in Soame Jenyns, Ming Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1953, pl. 63 A, and sold at Christie’s London, 14th June 1982, lot 79, is now in the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, Hong Kong, illustrated inEmerald-like Blue Hue Rises. Chinese Ceramics donated by the K.S. Lo Foundation, Flaggstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, Hong Kong, 1995, cat. no.24; one from the collection of T.T. Tsui, illustrated in The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1991, pl. 73, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 8th October 1990, lot 424; and one from the collections of Zie Soey Koo, Beijing, R. Wemyss Honeyman, Leandro and Cecilia Locsin, and the Meiyintang collection, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 2, no. 677, was sold as one of a pair at Thomas Love & Sons Ltd, Perth, 24th February 1970, and on its own in these rooms, 7th April 2011, lot 56.

The present bowl comes from the collection of F. Howard Paget (1886-1945). Paget, last proprietor of the Old Crown Derby China Works, also known as the King Street Factory of the city of Derby, U.K., which operated from 1849 to 1935, assembled a fine collection of some 250 pieces of Chinese porcelain, from 1923 until his death, mainly from Bluett & Sons, London. In 1936, after the death of his father and the closure of the porcelain works, he presented a collection of nearly 150 pieces of Western, mainly English, porcelain to the British Museum, London, and donated the 18th-century family estate, Elford Hall in Staffordshire to the city of Birmingham for public use (fig. 2). In 1945 he gave nineteen Ming porcelains to the British Museum, while the rest of his collection went back to Bluett & Sons upon his death.

Elford Hall, Straffordshire. Courtesy of the Tamworth Herald

Bluett & Sons then sold the bowl to Herschel Vespasian Johnson (1894-1966), a U.S. diplomat, U.S. Representative to the United Nations Security Council, and descendant of a Vice-Presidential nominee in the 1860 U.S. Presidential election of the same name (1812-1880), after whom Johnson County in Georgia is named. Part of his collection of Chinese ceramics was donated to the Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina. The present bowl was sold at Sotheby’s and went back to Bluett & Sons once more. It comes in a fitted Chinese box of amber-coloured cloth, as commissioned by Edward T. Chow for items he handled, and therefore may at one time also have been in his possession.

Sotheby's. The Pilkington Collection of Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 06 avr. 2016, 10:00 AM

AlmaKarina Studio, Chaumet cuff bracelet.

AlmaKarina Studio, Chanel necklace.

Alma Karina Studio, Van Cleef and Arpels necklace.

AlmaKarina Studio, Adler necklace.

AlmaKarina Studio, Giampiero Bodino necklace.

AlmaKarina Studio, Boucheron necklace.

Lot 27. An Imperial yellow-glazed dish, Mark and period of Hongzhi (1488-1505). Estimate 70,000 — 90,000 HKD (8,186 - 10,525 EUR). Photo Sotheby's.

with rounded sides resting on a tapered foot, applied overall with an even pale yellow glaze stopping neatly at the foot, the base glazed white and inscribed with a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue within a double circle - 21.5 cm, 8 1/2  in.

Provenance: Collection of Major Eustace Benyon Hoare (1899-1961) (one of a pair). 
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London.
Collection of Ashley Cowan, until 1958 (£37:10, one of a pair).
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1958 (£90).
Collection of Roger Pilkington (1928-69), from 1958 (£125).

Note: A Hongzhi mark and period dish of this type from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 39; another in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is published in Minji meihin zuroku [Illustrated catalogue of important Ming porcelain], Tokyo, 1977, vol. 2, pl. 78; and a third is illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, London, 1989, vol. 2, pl. 774. A further example, from the Hall Family collection, was sold in these rooms, 2nd May 2000, lot 503.

Sotheby's. The Pilkington Collection of Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 06 avr. 2016, 10:00 AM

Lot 28. A very rare blue and white ‘dragon’ dish, Mark and period of Hongzhi (1488-1505). Estimate 500,000 — 700,000 HKD (58,472 - 81,860 EUR). Photo Sotheby's.

with shallow rounded sides rising from a tapered foot to a flared rim, the interior deftly painted in vivid tones of cobalt blue with a central medallion enclosing a five-clawed dragon writhing amongst scrolling clouds, its sinuous scaly body with flame-like projections and muscular legs terminating in powerful sharp claws, the rim bordered by a classic-scroll band, similarly decorated to the exterior with five-clawed dragons striding amongst scrolling clouds in pursuit of flaming pearls, all within line borders, the base with a six-character reign mark within a double circle - 20.1 cm, 7 7/8  in.

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 3rd December 1963, lot 103 (£550). 
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1963 (£550).
Collection of Roger Pilkington (1928-69), from 1963 (£550).

Bibliography: Adrian Joseph, Ming Porcelains: Their Origins and Development, London, 1971, pl. 66.

Note: This dish is striking for its glossy glaze and vividly drawn five-clawed dragons, whose complex web of scales are rendered in great detail and a sense of vitality is achieved through the careful shading. In style and composition this dish follows the tradition established during the reign of the Hongzhi Emperor’s father, the Chenghua Emperor (r. 1465-87).

Hongzhi mark and period (1488-1505) dishes of this design are rare, although a very similar example in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in Minji meihin zuroku [Illustrated catalogue of Ming dynasty porcelain in the National Palace Museum], Tokyo, 1977, vol. 2, pl. 67; one in the British Museum, London is published in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 7:13, together with another, potted with straight sides, from the collection of Harry Oppenheim, pl. 7:14; and a third dish, from the collection of George Eumorfopoulos, was sold in our London rooms, 29th May 1940, lot 212. See also a fragment of a dish of this type, excavated at Zhushan, Jingdezhen, illustrated in Jingdezhen chutu Mingdai yuyao ciqi [Porcelains from the Ming imperial kilns excavated in Jingdezhen], Beijing, 2009, pl. 103.

For the prototype of this design, see a dish with a Chenghua mark and of the period, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum’s exhibition Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Ch’eng-hua Porcelain Ware, Taipei, 2003, cat. no. 13.

Sotheby's. The Pilkington Collection of Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 06 avr. 2016, 10:00 AM

Lot 29. A fine biscuit-decorated ‘dragon’ dish, Mark and period of Hongzhi (1488-1505). Estimate 400,000 — 600,000 HKD (46,777 - 70,166 EUR). Photo Sotheby's.

with shallow rounded sides rising from a short tapered foot, applied overall with a rich transparent glaze slightly tinged to bluish-green, save for a five-clawed dragon deftly incised on the interior writhing among clouds within a central medallion, its sinuous scaly body and three clouds reserved in the biscuit and fired to a pale orange, the claws and tongues of flame issuing from the dragon's flank incised beneath the glaze, the underside decorated with two further dragons similarly incised and reserved in the biscuit on a ground of lightly incised waves breaking on low pointed rocks, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double circle - 19.8 cm, 7 7/8  in.

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 19th February 1963, lot 26 (£920), illustrated as catalogue frontispiece. 
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1963 (£920).
Collection of Roger Pilkington (1928-69), from 1963 (£920).

Note: The present piece could have been turned into a ‘green dragon’ dish, such as lot 30 in this sale, if its biscuit-fired dragons had been filled with green enamel and undergone a second firing. ‘Green dragon’ dishes from the Hongzhi period are rare, and those with dragons left in the biscuit are rarer, yet are known in sufficient quantity to indicate that they were deliberately left in this state. For a fragment of a Hongzhi dish with biscuit-fired dragon design from the Ming imperial kiln site, see Porcelain from the Ming Dynasty Imperial Kilns at Jingdezhen, Beijing, 2009, pl. 102. For a counterpart with the dragons left in the biscuit and a ‘green dragon’ dish, both from the Zhengde period (1506-1521), see Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 2, London, 1994, pls. 692 and 694.

Sotheby's. The Pilkington Collection of Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 06 avr. 2016, 10:00 AM

Lot 30. A rare green-enamelled ‘dragon’ dish, Mark and period of Hongzhi (1488-1505). Estimate 300,000 — 400,000 HKD (35,083 - 46,777 EUR). Photo Sotheby's.

the deep rounded sides rising from a tapered foot to a flared rim, finely carved in the biscuit and enamelled in bright translucent green, the interior with a sinuous five-clawed dragon writhing amid scrolling clouds within a line border repeated at the rim, the exterior decorated with two further dragons striding on a ground of finely incised foaming waves between line borders, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark within a double circle, the green enamel on the fifth claw of each dragon effaced - 17.6 cm, 6 7/8  in.

Provenance: John Sparks Ltd, London, 1928.
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. R.H.R. Palmer (no. 173), from 1928 to 1962 (£10). 
Sotheby's London, 27th November 1962, lot 19 (£1700). 
John Sparks Ltd, London, 1962 (£ 1700).
Collection of Roger Pilkington (1928-69), from 1962 (£1700).

Exhibition: Polychrome Porcelain of the Ming and Manchu Dynasties, The Oriental Ceramic Society, London, 1950 (manuscript catalogue), cat. no. 82.

Bibliography: Soame Jenyns, Ming Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1953, pl. 79a.

Note: Imperial porcelain dishes with green-enamelled dragon designs first appeared in the Chenghua period (1465-87), with and sometimes without reign marks. More were manufactured in later periods of the Ming dynasty, particularly during the Hongzhi (1488-1505) and Zhengde (1506-21) periods, and almost always with reign marks. The various periods of the Qing dynasty spanning from Kangxi (1662-1722) to Guangxu (1875-1908) also saw the production of ‘green dragon’ dishes, demonstrating their importance as a classic and representative type of porcelain favoured at the Ming and Qing imperial courts. As well as saucer-shaped dishes, matching bowls were made in this decorative scheme. While dragons on most Qing dishes are only painted over the glaze in green, on Ming examples they are usually first incised and reserved in the biscuit during firing and their silhouettes then filled with green enamel for a second firing. This extra procedure of incising gives a somewhat three dimensional touch to the finished product.

‘Green dragon’ dishes from the Hongzhi period are rarer than examples from the Zhengde reign. A dish of similar design and size is illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 7: 17. Two larger Hongzhi dishes are respectively illustrated in Porcelain of the National Palace Museum. Enamelled Ware of the Ming Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1966, vol. 1, pl. 5; and Edgar E. Bluett, Ming and Ch’ing Porcelain, London, 1933, pl. XV, no. 46. Compare also a Hongzhi-marked dish illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 2, pl. 693. Two dishes similar to the present piece were sold in our London rooms, 11th March 1969, lot 106, and 26th June 1973, lot 224. A related Hongzhi dish was sold at Christie’s London, 14th June 1982, lot 95, and is illustrated in Anthony du Boulay,Christie’s Pictorial History of Chinese Ceramics, London, 1984, p. 162.

The present dish was originally painted with five-clawed dragons, but the green enamel for the fifth claws of all its dragons was later erased, probably to dissimulate the imperial provenance of the dish, making it exceedingly rare among such Hongzhi dishes. A Zhengde dish, with the fifth claws of its green dragons similarly erased, was sold in these rooms, 15th November 1988, lot 159.

Sotheby's. The Pilkington Collection of Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 06 avr. 2016, 10:00 AM

Jan van Huysum, Flowers in a Terracotta Vase, 1736. Oil on canvas, 133.5 x 91.5 cm © The National Gallery, London.

LONDON.- The National Gallery welcomes spring with an exhibition exploring the evolution of Dutch flower painting over the course of two centuries. This is the first display of its kind in the UK for more than 20 years. 

Through 22 works, Dutch Flowers examines the origins of the genre, the height of its popularity in the Dutch Golden Age, and its final flowering in the late 18th century. 

Approximately half the works on display come from the National Gallery Collection, and the rest from private collections. Many of the paintings will be on display here for the first time, having only recently come to the Gallery on long-term loan. 

Jan van Huysum, Hollyhocks and Other Flowers in a Vase, 1702-20. Oil on canvas, 62.1 x 52.3 cm © The National Gallery, London

At the turn of the 17th century, Netherlandish painters such as Jan Brueghel the Elder, Ambrosius Bosschaert, and Roelandt Savery were among the first artists to produce paintings that exclusively depicted flowers. The sudden emergence of this genre is undoubtedly linked to the development of scientific interest in botany and horticulture at the close of the 16th century. This period saw the establishment of botanical gardens in the Netherlands as well as a booming international trade in exotic cultivars. By the 1630s, speculative prices for the most coveted bulbs and flowering plants had reached spectacular heights – the so-called ‘tulip mania’. Prices soon crashed, however the Dutch enchantment with flowers endured. 

Jacob van Walscappelle, Flowers in a Glass Vase, about 1670. Oil on canvas, mounted onto oak, 59.8 x 47.5 cm  © The National Gallery, London.

The earliest flower paintings feature flat, symmetrical arrangements comprising flowers from different seasons. Over the course of the 17th century, bouquets became more relaxed, with asymmetrical rhythms and a willingness to overlap even the most costly flowers to create a more natural sense of depth. By the end of the 18th century, flower paintings were considered largely decorative, with a lighter palette more in keeping with ‘modern’ tastes. 

Jan van Os, Fruit, Flowers and a Fish, 1772. Oil on mahogany, 72.2 x 56.7 cm © The National Gallery, London.

Throughout the period, many artists favoured smooth copper or wood panel supports that enhanced the illusionistic perfection of their brushwork. Coinciding with the Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows, visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to examine the flower paintings in detail to appreciate the stylistic and technical characteristics of each artist. 

Paulus Theodorus van Brussel, Flowers in a Vase, 1792. Oil on mahogany, 81.1 x 58.9 cm © The National Gallery, London.

Betsy Wieseman, Curator of Dutch and Flemish Paintings said: “This gorgeous display draws attention to the National Gallery’s extensive collection of Dutch flower paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries. It is the first exhibition in London to be devoted to this perennially popular theme in over 20 years. The recent addition of several extraordinary long-term loans to the National Gallery Collection, on view here for the first time, enables the Gallery to show how flower painting developed in the Netherlands over the course of two centuries. Every major figure in the genre is represented, including Jan Brueghel the Elder, Ambrosius Bosschaert, Jan Davidsz de Heem, Jan van Huysum, and Rachel Ruysch.” 

Paulus Theodorus van Brussel, Flowers in a Vase, 1789. Oil on mahogany, 78.4 x 61.2 cm © The National Gallery, London.

Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery said: “The exhibition is an opportunity to admire the exquisite skill of Dutch flower painters over a period of nearly 200 years in works from the National Gallery and from private collections. They are paintings of astounding quality and beauty, often rich in symbolism and historic interest."

Paulus Theodorus van Brussel, Fruit and Flowers, 1789. Oil on mahogany, 78.4 x 61 cm © The National Gallery, London.

Rachel Ruysch, Flowers in a Vase, about 1685. Oil on canvas, 57 x 43.5 cm© The National Gallery, London.

Jan van Os, Fruit and Flowers in a Terracotta Vase, 1777-8. Oil on mahogany, 89.1 x 71 cm © The National Gallery, London.

Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, Flowers in a Glass Vase, 1614. Oil on copper, 26 x 20.5 cm© The National Gallery, London.

Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, A Still Life of Flowers in a Wanli Vase on a Ledge with further Flowers, Shells and a Butterfly, 1609-10. Oil on copper© The National Gallery, London.

Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, Vase with Flowers in a Niche, about 1615. Oil on copper, 35.3 × 23.3 cm. Private collection© Photo courtesy of the owner.

Dirck de Bray, Flowers in a White Stone Vase, 1671. Oil on panel, 62 × 44 cm. Private collection© Photo courtesy of the owner.

Balthasar van der Ast, Narcissus and other Flowers in a Roemer in a Niche, 1623. Oil on panel, 30.7 × 23.4 cm. Private collection © Photo courtesy of the owner.

Jan Davidsz. de Heem, Flowers in a Glass Bottle on a Marble Plinth, about 1670. Oil on canvas, 50 × 40.9 cm. Private collection© Photo courtesy of the owner.

Rachel Ruysch, Flowers in a Glass Vase with a Tulip, 1716. Oil on canvas, 46.5 × 36 cm. Private collection© Photo courtesy of the owner.

Jan van Huysum, Glass Vase with Flowers, with a Poppy and a Finch Nest, about 1720-21. Oil on canvas, 41 × 34 cm. Private collection© Photo courtesy of the owner. 

Osaias Beert the Elder, Flowers in a porcelain Wanli Vase, about 1615. Oil on panel, 35 × 24.5 cm. Private collection© Photo courtesy of the owner.

Savery, Flowers in a Glass, 1613. Oil on oak. Panel dims (H x W): 24.1 x 17.8 cm© Private Collection, Britain.

Jan Brueghel the Elder, Still Life with Tulips, Chrysanthemums, Narcissi, Roses, Irises and other Flowers in a Glass Vase, 1608-1610. Oil on copper. Panel dims (H x W): 35 × 25.2 cm© Private Collection, Hong Kong

Lot 2893. A ‘Jian’ ‘hare’s fur’ tea bowl, Song dynasty. Estimate HKD 120,000 — 150,000 (13,551 - 16,939 EUR). Lot Sold 775,000 HKD (87,518 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's.

heavily potted standing on a low foot, the deep conical body rising to a shallow concave groove around the exterior of the mouth, applied in a lustrous bluish-black glaze with streaks of brown radiating from the waisted mouth, the dark glaze with unusual flecks of copper-coloured shimmer, the glaze stopping in an irregular fashion above the foot to reveal the unglazed body - 12 cm, 4 3/4  in.

Exhibited: The 4th Exhibition of the Chinese Ceramic Society of Aichi: Pleasure of Black and White Ceramics from Private Collections, Chinese Ceramic Society of Aichi, Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, Seto, 2014, p. 29.

Note: The humble appearances of 'hare's fur' tea bowls made them appropriate for use in Buddhist temples, and they were held in great esteem throughout the Song dynasty (960-1279). Dramatically contrasting with the white foam of whipped tea, bowls enveloped in this lustrous black glaze were greatly appreciated and soon gained popularity beyond monastic circles. Emperor Huizong (r. 1101-25), well known for his love for tea, stated that black-glazed tea bowls, especially those decorated with 'hare's fur' like the present example, were the most desirable. Together with whipped tea, Song dynasty 'Jian' tea bowls are believed to have arrived in Japan in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) when Zen Buddhism was introduced, and have been greatly treasured there ever since.

A similar bowl was included in the exhibition Karamono temmoku [Chinese temmoku], MOA Art Museum, Atami, 1994, cat. no. 6. This exhibition catalogue, where a few important heirloom temmoku tea bowls preserved in Japan were juxtaposed with a large sample of excavated specimens from the kiln site, documented the wide range of qualities and the excellence of the examples collected in Japan. Another bowl with a similar glaze appearance in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, was included in the exhibition Hare's Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers. Chinese Brown- and Black-Glazed Ceramics, 400-1400, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, Mass., 1996, cat. no. 83. Only one sherd with a similar glaze effect is illustrated in J.M. Plumer, Temmoku. A Study of the Ware of Chien, Tokyo, 1972, p. 59, pl. 8.  

Sotheby's. Literati / Curiosity II, Hong Kong, 05 Apr 2016

AlmaKarina studio. Mellerio dits Meller brooch.

AlmaKarina studio. Van Cleef and Arpels necklace.

AlmaKarina studio. De Grisogono ring.

Lot 3020. A superbly carved Imperial yellow and russet jade twin bi disc, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period. Estimate HKD 6,000,000 — 8,000,000 (677,350 - 903,133 EUR). Lot Sold 9,680,000 HKD (1,092,791 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's.

the large boulder of an attractive warm yellow colour accentuated with russet patches, boldly worked as a pair of link-hinged circular bi discs, each centred with a central aperture set with a turnable reticulated circular plaque, one enclosing a yin-yang symbol within scrollwork, the other similarly decorated with scrollwork bordering a pearl flanked by a pair of angular scrolls, meticulously worked on both sides with dense rows of raised bosses between two beaded edges, the discs hinged by a square rink decorated with spirls and luoshu diagrams of raised dots linking a pair of angular loops in the form of a stylised kui dragon projecting from the sides of the discs, the link detailed in low relief with scrollwork and raised bosses, wood stand - 4.1 cm, 9 1/2  in.

Provenance: Mrs. Christian R. Holmes, New York.
Frank Caro, New York.
Collection of Arthur Sackler (1913-87).
Christie's New York, 18th March 2009, lot 399.

Exhibited: 3000 Years of Chinese Jade, New York, 1939, pp. 45 and 88, cat. no. 225.

Note: The concept of looking back in order to move forward is deeply rooted in Chinese culture. The Qianlong Emperor clearly took this to heart and was renowned as an avid antique collector and connoisseur. He was known to spend hours admiring archaic bronzes, Song dynasty ceramics and early jades from the imperial collection. The emperor's enthusiasm for antiquity influenced the art of the period. Archaic revival pieces were produced in varying media, the present twin-bi being a prime example. Intricately carved from translucent yellowish stone accentuated by russet inclusions reminiscent of antiquity, it epitomises the archaistic taste and excellent craftsmanship of the Qianlong period.

The design of twin-bi joint with a movable hinge dates back to the late Eastern Zhou dynasty. See an example in the Winthrop Collection dated to the late Eastern Zhou period, illustrated in Max Loehr, Ancient Chinese Jades, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, 1975, p. 342, no. 507. The Winthrop twin-bi is decorated with spirals and two protruding animal-shaped scrolls on the outer edges. A different prototype of smaller size, dating back to the Han dynasty, is from the Qing court collection and is preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (inventory number: Gu yu 003335). It is carved from white and russet jade with chilong and dragons among clouds. The Han dynasty object has a square hinge ornamented with a mythical mask on one side and the characters yannian (‘longevity’) on the other.

While the archaic jades in the imperial collection might have served as inspirations for the Qing hinged-bi examples, the central turnable plaques appear to be a Qing dynasty innovation, with the yin-yang sign representing cosmology and the fu symbol signifying the righteousness of the emperor. The reverse of the hinge is decorated with raised dots reproducing a rare diagram of luoshu, also known as jiugongtu (‘nine-palace diagram’), jiugonsuan (‘nine-palace calculation’), also known as the “magic square” in the West. The vertical, horizontal and diagonal sums of a magic square are all the same; in this case, they all equal 15. Dating back as far as the Western Han dynasty, luoshu was believed to be bestowed by heaven to a just ruler only and to proclaim his legitimate power. The magic square on the hinge hence serves as a perfect bridge between the cosmos and the virtuous emperor.  

Other recorded examples from the Qing dynasty of this form include a slightly larger twin-bi in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji [The complete collection of Chinese jades], vol. 6: Qing dynasty, Shijiazhuang, 1993, pls. 250-251. One side of the discs is similarly carved with raised bosses, but the reverse is decorated with a dragon and a phoenix amidst flowing clouds, completing the auspicious symbolism of longfeng hebi (‘Complement of dragon and phoenix’). The embedded central turnable plaques are similarly reticulated with yin-yang and fu symbols surrounded by scrolling clouds. The angular loops are also modelled in the form of a pair of kui dragons, yet in a slightly less simplified form when compared to the current piece. Another twin-bi, also preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 128. It is from the Qing Court collection and is the largest among the three. One side is adorned with a dragon and phoenix among clouds, while the reverse is densely decorated with stylised scrolls. According to the catalogue entry, the discs are linked together by a square hinge similarly detailed in low relief with a mythical animal mask and raised bosses, possibly luoshu. See also a white jade example in the collection of His Majesty the King at Windsor Castle, included in the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935-36, no. 2327.

Sotheby's. Emperors’ Playthings – a Connoisseur’s Collection, Hong Kong, 06 Apr 2016

Lot 3025. An exceptional and extremely rare yellow jade figure of a mythical beast, Han-Six dynasties. Estimate HKD 6,000,000 — 8,000,000 (677,350 - 903,133 EUR). Lot Sold 8,480,000 HKD (957,321 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's.

powerfully modelled in the form of a ferocious crouching mythical beast of feline form, depicted with right foreleg extended frontwards and left hind leg stretched backwards, the head turned slightly to the left and finely incised details on the back, wings and head, with well-defined horns above the beast's well-rendered eyes and snout, the front haunches subtly picked out with scales, the elongated torso flanked by a pair of short curved wings sprouting from its shoulders, the arched muscular body terminating with a long curled tail, the lustrous stone of a warm colour mottled with faint russet inclusions, wood box - 9.3 cm, 3 5/8  in.

Provenance: Collection of Xu Hanqing (1882-1950s).
Christie's New York, 15th September 2011, lot 888.

Note: The Han dynasty saw a heightened interest in the representation of powerful mythical creatures in durable materials such as stone and jade. In distinct contrast to pottery figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts mass-produced for tombs to provide support in the afterlife, the function of these lifelike sculptures made from durable materials was to embody and pacify the elemental and supernatural forces of the living world. Large stone figures of ferocious beasts including lions and tigers, and imaginary winged figures, were all placed on the tomb avenues of emperors and high ranking officials and military commanders, a tradition that flourished and reached a peak during the Six Dynasties, when immense fabulous beasts drawn from the spiritual world were produced on a grand scale outside the tombs near Nanjing. Simultaneously, an artistic tradition of creating jade animals of the highest quality flourished. In contrast to the majority of earlier two-dimensional jade carvings, made for the afterlife or to adorn the individual, these figural sculptures were created in the round as independent objects, not just as sumptuous display items for the appreciation of the elite, but also to provide the owner with a constant and concrete realisation of the powerful supernatural forces latent in the world around.

Evidence of this rich tradition of craftsmanship has been transmitted down through a small number of high quality carvings, of which the current sculpture is one of the greatest surviving examples, perfectly encapsulating this tradition. In its exquisite articulation from a lustrous coloured pebble in which the full contours have been so skillfully and compactly utilised, it is a truly outstanding sculpture, a tour-de-force of carving. The only other jade mythical beast of the period of comparable quality ever to have appeared at auction was sold in our New York rooms, 2nd November 1979, lot 51, and is now in the collection of Sir Joseph Hotung. Catalogued as Six Dynasties in the 1979 auction, it was more recently redated to the Han period by Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, pl. 26:7, on account of its similarity to a jade bixiediscovered in 1972 at Xianyang near present-day Xian, near the tomb of the Han emperor Yuandi (r. 48-33BC), now housed in the collection of Xianyang City Museum, and illustrated in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua dacidian: jin yin yu shi juan, Shanghai, 1996, p.54, pl. 166.

Slightly smaller (8.4cm) than the current figure, the Hotung mythical beast shares the same distinct features: the powerful bulging eyes and sharply defined jaws; the dynamic taut posture bristling in anticipation of impending movement, snarling and ready to pounce; the fine striated lines, especially at the edges, so typical of early Han jades, with strong bands of relief and deeply incised curved lines that radiate around the body, enhancing the overall sculptural quality; the short curved wings sprouting from the shoulders and the long coiling tail; as well as the skillful integration of the natural russet-brown inclusions into the design of the beast.

For examples of early mythical jade animals from the Qing court collection, compare the famous Eastern Han dynasty bixie in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the museum's exhibition Splendid Treasures. A Hundred Masterpieces of the National Palace Museum on Parade, Taipei, 2012, cat. no. 18; and the Han dynasty jade winged beast in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Jadeware 1, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 201.

See also a Six Dynasties jade beast illustrated by Eskenazi, Chinese jades from a private collection, London, 1976, cat. no. 7. Previously exhibited in the Stockholm exhibition Celadon-Jade, 1963 and published in the catalogue by Bo Gyllensvard as cat. no. 65, it was also included in the 1975 Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition Chinese Jade throughout the Ages, illustrated by Jessica Rawson and John Ayers, London, 1975, cat. no. 186. It depicts a crouching lion or chimera with similar bold modelling in the round, with closely related use of fine striated lines to convey the combed arcs of the fur, grooved folds on the chest and skilfully incised spirals, and a similar dynamic posture of impending movement. The catalogue notes that ‘this type of fabulous animal is related to the monumental stone sculptures found outside tombs near Nanking, which were made during the latter part of the Six Dynasties’, referencing Osvald Siren, Chinese Sculpture, volume II, London, 1925, pls. 3-7 and 9-13.  

For other rare examples of comparable quality, see a Six Dynasties jade chimera from the collection of Dr and Mrs Cheng Te-k’un, illustrated by James Watt, Chinese Jade from Han to Ch’ing, The Asia Society, New York, 1980, pl. 12; and two smaller chimera from the collection of W.P. Chung, illustrated by Ip, Yee, Chinese Jade Carving, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1983, cat. nos. 126 and 127.

Xu Hanqing, the former owner of this sculpture, was born in Shandong in 1882, and served as an official of the Minister of Justice and a member of the Inspection Committee of the Jinan branch of the Qing Central Bank in the last years of the Qing dynasty. In the early Republican period, he was instrumental in the founding of the Continental Bank, and formed an extensive collection of works of art and calligraphy. A work of calligraphy by Su Shi from his collection, sold in our New York rooms, 19th September 2013, lot 565, is now in the collection of the Long Museum, Shanghai.

Sotheby's. Emperors’ Playthings – a Connoisseur’s Collection, Hong Kong, 06 Apr 2016

Lot 3004. A superbly carved yellow and russet jade 'three rams' waterpot, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Estimate HKD 4,000,000 — 6,000,000 (451,567 - 677,350 EUR). Lot Sold 4,880,000 HKD (550,911 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's.

the attractive stone of a warm yellow colour accentuated with attractive russet inclusions, boldly worked in the form of  a central vessel with a compressed globular body surmounted by a short waisted neck, the exterior with three bold recumbent rams detailed with curling horns flanking their heads, two depicted with legs neatly tucked beneath their bodies, the other with one foreleg propped up, their heads resting on the tapering shoulder of the waterpot, wood stand - 11.9 cm, 4 5/8  in. 

Provenance: Collection of Raymond Bushell (1911-98), San Francisco.

Note: Skilfully modelled in the round with three rams playfully resting their heads on a central vessel, this charming waterpot is outstanding for the sense of naturalism that is heightened through the rich hues of yellow and russet of the fine quality stone. Large yellow jade boulders of such even hue are particularly rare and the craftsman has shown his reverence for the precious material by composing a design that took full advantage of its colouration. Furthermore the soft round form of the vessel is echoed in the sensitively modelled rounded forms of the bodies of the rams, together with their curling horns, to result in a harmonious piece that would have fulfilled both aesthetic pleasure and functionality for its owner.

While the subject of ‘three rams’ is a motif commonly found in jade, it is rare to find them adorning a waterpot. Compare waterpots of related circular section form decorated with other animals, such as one carved with chilong, illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 50, and sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27th November 2007, lot 1501; and another carved with mandarin ducks, sold in our London rooms, 15th October 1974, lot 35. Carvings of three rams, with a larger ram with two of its young, include one, in the De An Tang Collection, included in the exhibition Romance with Jade. From the De An Tang Collection, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 82; and another, from the collection of Robert von Hirsch, sold in our New York rooms, 17th/18th March 2015, lot 298.

Sotheby's. Emperors’ Playthings – a Connoisseur’s Collection, Hong Kong, 06 Apr 2016