Lot 747. A reverse-decorated coral-ground bowl, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795), 5 in. (12.7 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 50,000 - USD 70,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The bowl has deep, rounded sides rising to a slightly everted rim, and is decorated on the exterior with a pattern of conjoined leafy tendrils forming arabesques enclosing peony blossoms in the upper register and lotus blossoms in the lower register, all in white and finely penciled coral reserved on a rich coral ground.

Provenance: Carlo Maria Franzero (1892-1986) Collection, Italy. 
Corrado Zingone Collection, Italy.

Note: An identical bowl, also from the collections of Carlo Maria Franzero and Corrado Zingone, was sold at Christie’s New York, 17-18 March 2016, lot 1625. 

A reverse-decorated coral-ground bowl, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795), from the collections of Carlo Maria Franzero and Corrado Zingone, 5 in. (12.7 cm.) diam. Sold for USD 81,250 at Christie’s New York, 17-18 March 2016, lot 1625. © Christie's Images Ltd 2016

Another similar bowl with a Qianlong mark, in the Percival David Foundation, is illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, The World's Great Collections, vol. 6, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 94; and three bowls, also with Qianlong marks, in the Ohlmer Collection, Roemer Museum, Hildesheim, are illustrated by U. Wiesner, Chinesisches Porzellan, Mainz am Rhein, 1981, nos. 130-2.

Bowl with formalised lotus and chrysanthemum scrolls, Qing dynasty, Qianlong mark and period, AD 1736–1795. Porcelain with underglaze cobalt-blue and overglaze iron-red enamel, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Diam. 12,7 cm. Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, PDF,B.700 © 2017 Trustees of the British Museum 

Christie's. Marchant: Nine Decades in Chinese Art, 14 September 2017, New York

Lot 748. An exceptional rare and large famille rose vase, Qianlong six-character seal mark in iron red and of the period (1736-1795), 27 ¾ in. (70.5 cm.) high. Estimate USD 300,000 - USD 500,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The vase is decorated on the body with two large recessed panels, one containing a scene from the 14th century novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguo Yanyi) with Liu Bei and other officials and attendants approaching a boy opening a gate while Zhuge Liang sits inside playing the qin. The panel on the reverse contains a scene of nine elderly scholars and three boy attendants on a terrace, enjoyingqin music and admiring a scroll painting. The neck is also decorated with two recessed panels, one with lotus flowers and leaves and the other with peony and rocks, and is flanked by two pink-enameled mythical beast-shaped handles. The panels are surrounded by Buddhist and Daoist emblems decorated in raised slip and blue and iron-red enamels, amid raised-slip bats and cloud scrolls, and scattered floral sprays and medallions on a pale celadon ground. The base and the interior are covered with pale turquoise enamel. 

Provenance: Important private collection, France.

A magnificent Qianlong famille rose vase with historical themes
Rosemary Scott, Senior International Academic Consultant Asian Art

This rare vase combines a powerful shape and large size with very fine painting in famille rose enamels, and additional surface interest created using the impasto qualities of painting in slip. Large-scale vases with impressive decoration came to prominence in the Qianlong reign, but the majority of these have heights in the region of 40-50 cm., rather than the 70 cm. of the current vase. However, two magnificent revolving Qianlong vases in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum – 39 – Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, nos. 162 and 163, are of similarly majestic scale – 73 cm. and 86.4 cm., respectively. Interestingly, the second of these vases also includes reserved panels, and has similar raised floral roundels under the pale celadon glaze on the shoulder. Unlike the floral roundels on the current vase, those on the Beijing vase are not enamelled, but their form is comparable. Like the current vase, the two Beijing vases both have archaistic dragon handles. A further Qianlong vase of apparently similar size, also with archaistic dragon handles is in the collection of the Palace of Fontainebleau, illustrated in Le Musée chinois de l’impératrice Eugénie, Musée National du Château de Fontainebleau, 1986, figs. 16-17, p. 24, where it is shown on top of a large carved wooden display cabinet. The French vase, formerly in the collection of the Empress Eugénie (1826-1820), is of similar shape to the current vase, and has similar panels decorated in enamels – reserved against a coral and gold ground, in contrast to the celadon ground of the current vase. However, the combination of celadon glaze and fine painted enamels seems to have found particular favour at the Qianlong court. A triple-necked flask from the Qing court collection in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum – 39 – Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, op. cit., no. 124, is a good example. The reserved panel in this instance depicts female Daoist immortals with a spotted deer in a landscape. Under the celadon glaze on this flask is a design of archaistic dragons in slip. 

The lively decoration of the celadon-glazed area on the current vase with its white slip clouds, floral roundels, and the Eight Buddhist Emblems and the Eight Daoist Emblems in low relief and decorated in red, black and gold enamels, is also found on certain large Qianlong vessels without reserved panels. Several very large vases of this type dating to the late Qianlong or early Jiaqing reign and bearing European gilt mounts are in the collection of Her Majesty the Queen. A group of four gilt-mounted pear-shaped vases, two of which are decorated in this style, are illustrated by John Ayers in Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen, vol. II, London, 2016, pp. 530-3, nos. 1313 and 1314. Archival research shows that these vases entered the Royal Collection in 1814. A very large pair of lidded bottle vases with elaborate European gilt mounts and the same celadon, slip and enamel decoration is also in the Royal Collection, illustrated ibid., pp. 534-5, nos. 1317 and 1318, and these are believed to have entered the Royal Collection in 1810. A further six similar mounted vases are illustrated ibid., pp. 536-7, nos. 1319-1324. These seem to have entered the Royal Collection either in 1818 or in 1823, and can be seen in Augustus Pugin’s 1823-4 watercolour of the Salon at the Royal Pavilion, Brighton. Two further similar vases mounted in Europe as ewers probably entered the Royal Collection in 1810, and are certainly illustrated in Pugin’s watercolour of the Banqueting Room Gallery at the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, dated 1823 (see ibid., pp. 538-9, nos. 1325 and 1326). 

This style of decoration applied to very large vases continued into the Jiaqing reign, although sometimes with additional enamels applied to the white clouds, as can be seen on the four massive vases, with European mounts dated c. 1815, from the collection of the Dukes of Buccleuch, which were sold by Christie’s London on 7 July, 2011, for US$ 12.8 million, setting a world auction record for ormolu-mounted porcelain. 

The reserved panels on the current vase are particularly well-painted in famille rose enamels. The panels on either side of the neck are painted with lotus and peony, respectively. Assuming that this vase was originally one of a pair, the other vase would almost certainly have been decorated with the other two flowers of the four seasons – plum blossom and chrysanthemum. The two major reserved panels on either side of the body appear to depict scenes from historical literature. Significantly, although they derive from different stories, the protagonists depicted on both panels are associated with the same historical period – the end of the Han dynasty and the period of political turmoil that followed.  

One panel depicts a scene from the 14th century novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguo yanyi 三國演義) attributed to Luo Guanzhong (羅貫中, c. 1330-1400). This novel, which is regarded as one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature, is a mixture of history, legend and mythology, which purports to chronicle events from AD 169 to 280, which was a particularly turbulent era in China’s history, encompassing the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. The first printed edition of this tale dates to 1522, although it bears a possibly spuriously dated preface of 1494. Numerous editions of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms were printed between 1522 and 1690, and it provided inspiration for the decoration of a number of finely painted porcelains. The stories in its 120 chapters are concerned with the complex interactions of three major groups who vie for power. Several of the chapters are particularly well-known and scenes from them often appear as illustrations in the various editions of the work. One of these is known as ‘Three visits to the thatched cottage’ (三顧茅廬), and describes the efforts of Liu Bei (劉備), who went on to found the Shu Han (蜀漢) state in the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220-280), to enlist the aid of the strategist Zhuge Liang (諸葛亮). Having been told that he will only succeed in recruiting Zhuge Liang if he approaches him personally, Liu Bei goes to Zhuge Liang’s house – ‘thatched cottage’, but is told by a servant that his master is not at home, and so departs leaving a message. Some days later Liu Bei returns to the cottage and this time is allowed in, but encounters not Zhuge Liang, but his brother Zhuge Jun. Some months later, Liu Bei makes a final visit to the cottage. This time he is told that Zhuge Liang is asleep. Liu Bei waits for him to wake and is rewarded for his patience, determination and good manners by Zhuge Liang agreeing to be his strategist. The scene on the vase appears to depict the first visit to Zhuge Liang’s cottage, when Liu Bei and his comrades Guan Yu ‎(關羽) and Zhang Fei (‎張飛) are turned away at the door by the servant. Zhuge Liang can be seen in the interior of the cottage calmly playing the qin.

The other panel probably depicts the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove (竹林七賢) enjoying music, art and animated discussion. The Seven Sages were believed to be 3rd century literary recluses, who in a period of political strictures and social injustice emerged to advocate freedom and spiritual independence. In the period of some 400 years following the fall of the Han dynasty in AD 220, which was one of political and social chaos, the Seven Sages became famous for their reactions to the world in which they found themselves – rejecting certain aspects of both Confucian and Daoist teaching. They are believed to have met in a bamboo grove in Shanyang (山陽), now in Henan province. The panel on the vase does not show them in a bamboo grove, but instead seven scholars stand or sit in a garden, attended by two servants, while an eighth scholar approaches them over a bridge, followed by his servant carrying two bundles of books. 

While the Seven Sages attempted to remove themselves from politics and concentrate on leisure activities such as music and poetry, as well as philosophical discussion with those of like mind, they were also known for their prodigious consumption of wine. They became symbols of the struggle of scholars against corrupt political practices, dynastic usurpation, restrictive Confucian rules of propriety, and magical Daoism. The group was composed of Xi Kang (嵇康), Liu Ling (劉伶), Ruan Ji (阮籍), Ruan Xian (阮咸), Xiang Xiu (向秀), Wang Rong (王戎) and Shan Tao (山濤). Often considered the leader of the group, Xi Kang, (AD 223-262), also known as Ji Kang, is depicted on the vase playing the guqin (古琴), while two of the others listen with rapt attention. In addition to being a philosopher and author, Xi Kang was a skilled exponent of the guqin and composed music for that instrument. Having defended a friend against false charges, and fallen foul of Zhong Hui (鍾會), a follower of the Sima clan, Xi Kang was sentenced to death by Sima Zhao (司馬昭). Just before Xi Kang’s execution, he asked for his qin and played the masterpiece known as Guangling san(廣陵散), but left no record of the melody. The additional figure seen walking across the bridge may represent Rong Qiqi (榮啟期), who, although he lived in an earlier time, was associated with the Seven Sages from at least the 4th century.  

Thus, although this rare vase makes an impressive visual impact from a distance, the complexity and detail of its decoration encourages the viewer to make a close examination of its fine enamel painting and historical themes. 

Christie's. Marchant: Nine Decades in Chinese Art, 14 September 2017, New York

Portrait of King Jeongjo (1776-1800). Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

CLEVELAND - Chaekgeori: Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens showcases a unique type of Korean still-life painting called chaekgeori (pronounced check-oh-ree), translated as “books and things.” They commonly feature scholarly objects, exotic luxuries, symbolic flowers, and gourmet delicacies.

The exhibition showcases 9 unique type of Korean still-life painting. Chaekgeori 책거리 (pronounced check-oh-ree), literally translated as “books and things,” are painted screens that depict scholarly objects, exotic luxuries, symbolic flowers, and gourmet delicacies dispersed in artful arrangements on bookshelves.

The Chaekgeori art and the King Jeongjo 

Such screens were praised by King Jeongjo (reigned 1776–1800), and were enthusiastically collected by the educated elite throughout the 19th and early 20th century in Korea. By the late 1800s, chaekgeori screens embellished the studies of scholars and aristocrats as well as the homes of middle-class merchants.

The exhibition features nine large-scale screens ranging from the 19th through the 21st centuries on loan from the Korean Folk Village, Yongin, Korea and the Sungok Memorial Hall, Monkpo, Korea as well as from private collections. The exhibition catalogue reveals new scholarship about the artist who painted the rare, 10-panel folding screen, Books and Scholars’ Accouterments, acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2011.

The primary motif of chaekgeori is books, the objects Korean intellectuals traditionally associated with knowledge and social distinction. Preferred by the court and elite classes, chaekgado, translated as “picture of bookshelves,” is a subgenre of chaekgeori developed in the second half of the 18th century that represents a Korean collectors’ desire to amass books on diverse topics to express their aesthetic discernment.  

This desire for books and other commodities, including writing implements, exotic foreign luxuries, symbolic flowers and gourmet delicacies, set in motion a significant social and cultural shift toward a fascination with material culture that continues in Korea today and finds its expression in the exhibition’s contemporary works. Chaekgeori: Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens allows viewers to witness the period when Koreans became active participants in global consumerism through these passionate collecting activities. 

Exhibition Highlights

Books and Scholars’ Accouterments (chaekgeori), late 1800s. Yi Taek-gyun (Korean, 1808–after 1883). Ten-panel folding screen, ink and color on silk; each panel: 197.5 x 39.5 cm. Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 2011.37. Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Books and Scholars’ Accouterments (chaekgeori) (detail), late 1800s. Yi Taek-gyun (Korean, 1808–after 1883). Ten-panel folding screen, ink and color on silk; each panel: 197.5 x 39.5 cm. Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 2011.37. Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Chaekgeori, late 1800s. Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 119 x 51 cm. Korean Folk Village, Yongin. Courtesy of the Korean Folk Village, Yongin.

Chaekgeori (detail), late 1800s. Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 119 x 51 cm. Korean Folk Village, Yongin. Courtesy of the Korean Folk Village, Yongin.

Chaekgeori, late 1800s. Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, embroidery on silk; each panel: 166 x 38.5 cm. Korean Folk Village, Yongin. Courtesy of the Korean Folk Village, Yongin.

Chaekgeori (detail), late 1800s. Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, embroidery on silk; each panel: 166 x 38.5 cm. Korean Folk Village, Yongin. Courtesy of the Korean Folk Village, Yongin.

Chaekgeori (detail), late 1800s. Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, embroidery on silk; each panel: 166 x 38.5 cm. Korean Folk Village, Yongin. Courtesy of the Korean Folk Village, Yongin.

Chaekgeori, early 1900s. Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 105 x 46.5 cm. Private collection. Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Chaekgeori (detail), early 1900s. Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 105 x 46.5 cm. Private collection. Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Chaekgeori (detail), early 1900s. Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 105 x 46.5 cm. Private collection. Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Chaekgeori (detail), early 1900s. Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 105 x 46.5 cm. Private collection. Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Chaekgeori (detail), early 1900s. Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 105 x 46.5 cm. Private collection. Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Chaekgeori, late 1800s. Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 55.7 x 31.7 cm. Songok Memorial Hall, Seoul, Korea. Courtesy of Songok Memorial Hall, Seoul.

Chaekgeori (detail), late 1800s. Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 55.7 x 31.7 cm. Songok Memorial Hall, Seoul, Korea. Courtesy of Songok Memorial Hall, Seoul.

Chaekgeori (detail), late 1800s. Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 55.7 x 31.7 cm. Songok Memorial Hall, Seoul, Korea. Courtesy of Songok Memorial Hall, Seoul. 

Chaekgeori (detail), late 1800s. Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 55.7 x 31.7 cm. Songok Memorial Hall, Seoul, Korea. Courtesy of Songok Memorial Hall, Seoul. 

Chaekgeori (detail), late 1800s. Anonymous. Eight-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 55.7 x 31.7 cm. Songok Memorial Hall, Seoul, Korea. Courtesy of Songok Memorial Hall, Seoul.

Chaekgeori, late 1800s. Anonymous. Six-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 67 x 33 cm. Private collection. Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Chaekgeori (detail), 

Chaekgeori (detail), late 1800s. Anonymous. Six-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 67 x 33 cm. Private collection. Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art. 

Chaekgeori (detail), late 1800s. Anonymous. Six-panel folding screen, ink and color on paper; each panel: 67 x 33 cm. Private collection. Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

A very important discovery made in the Museum: the artist Seal

William Griswold, Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art, said, “Since many of the screens presented in the exhibition are being shown and studied for the first time, this exhibition has added significant research to the field of East Asian art. We are also thrilled to announce that through collaborative research between Dr. Sooa McCormick of the Cleveland Museum of Art and Prof. Byungmo Chung of Gyeongju University, along with support from the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, the Cleveland museum’s chaekgeori screen is determined to be the work of the famous Korean court painter Yi Taek-gyun from the 19th century. This recent discovery demonstrates how cultural collaborations between institutions and scholars are essential for the advancement of knowledge.”   “Chaekgeori maintained its popularity in Korea for more than two centuries, and we are thrilled to introduce our visitors to this distinctive genre of still-life painting.”  

Functioning the same as a signature in Western culture, in chaekgeori, a seal impression is often included to reveal the painter’s identity. Due to its discreet manner, a seal impression is called a “hidden” seal. Only about 12 works that bear the painter’s “hidden” seal are known today. This CMA screen has one on the third panel (from the right), which was recently examined by Dr. Sooa McCormick and Prof. Byungmo Chung, along with support from the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation. Through the recent discovery of this “hidden” seal, the museum learned the screen is one of only three known existing works by Yi Taek-gyun, a prominent royal court painter active in the second half of the 19th century. 

Freed from the confinement of bookshelves, various objects are scattered throughout the picture plane as if floating in the air. While this “floating” type became quite common by the end of the 19th century, chaekgeori done in embroidery remained rare. The particular embroidery work used in this screen was developed in Anju province in North Pyeongan Province, a place known for high-quality silk and skilled male embroiderers. In order to increase palpable texture, Anju embroiderers used thick twisted silk threads and applied an underlay of stitches before the final embroidery work was added.  

Chaekgeori by contemporary artist 

Kyoungtack Hong, born and based in Seoul, South Korea, Kyoungtack Hong is known for his photorealistic depictions of things that surround our contemporary lives. Like chaekgeori, Hong filled the surface of the work with “stuff,” ranging from books to Lego blocks and Barbie dolls that he has collected over the years. Hong’s room crammed with myriad things speaks to the intrinsic human desire to possess things, and at the same time the chaotic arrangement of randomly chosen objects indicates that “materialism” never entirely brings spiritual fulfillment.

Library 3, 1995–2001. Kyoungtack Hong (Korean b. 1968). Oil on canvas; 181 x 226.1 cm.© Kyoungtack Hong.

Library—Mt. Everest, 2014. Kyoungtack Hong (Korean b. 1968). Acrylic and oil on linen; 194 x 259 cm. © Kyoungtack Hong. 

Sat, 08/05/2017 to Sun, 11/05/2017 - Julia and Larry Pollock Focus Gallery | Gallery 010

Lot 15. A flambé-glazed vase, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). Height 11 3 /8 in., 29cm. Estimate 80,000 — 120,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the ovoid body with steep sides rising to broad angled shoulder, rounding at the elegantly waisted neck to an everted rim, set at the neck with two pierced scroll handles with extended terminals, covered overall in a streaked raspberry-red glaze running and pooling with streaks of lavender and violet, the interior applied with a light blue glaze, the base with the six-character seal mark incised and applied with a mottled brown glaze.

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2nd May 2005, lot 682.  

Note: This rare vase is remarkable for its vibrant hues of ruby streaked with lavender, created in imitation of the celebrated Jun wares of the Song period. By the Qing dynasty, Jun wares were regarded as objects of admiration at court as well as amongst literati connoisseurs and wealthy merchant collectors. The Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors sought to reproduce the beautiful glaze effects and graceful forms of Jun wares by commissioning copies from the imperial workshops at Jingdezhen. The streaks characteristic of this glaze are known as yaobian (‘transmutation glaze’). 

Vases of this type are rare and only a small number of related examples are known. Compare one, formerly in the collection of the Rt. Hon. Lord Hollenden, sold in our London rooms, 27th November 1973, lot 349. Another, acquired from Yamanaka & Co. Beijing, in 1919, was sold at Christie's London, 9th November 2010, lot 218.

A flambé-glazed vase, hu, Qianlong incised seal mark and of the period (1736-95), 11¾ in. (29.8 cm.) high. Sold for GBP 301,250 at Christie's London, 9th November 2010, lot 218. © Christie's Images Ltd 2010

Lot 20. A blue-glazed anhua-decorated 'dragon' dish, Qing dynasty, early 18th century. Diameter 8 1/2  in., 22.7 cm. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the rounded sides rising from a tapered foot to a flared rim left white, incised to the interior with a central medallion enclosing three stylized ruyi clouds, the cavetto decorated in anhua with two dragons pacing amidst further ruyi clouds, covered overall in a blue glaze, the white base with an apocryphal underglaze-blue Xuande mark within a double circle.

Provenance: Virginia Private Collection.
Sotheby's New York, 18th October 1974, lot 548 (part lot).
Sotheby's New York, 5th May 1979, lot 50 (part lot).

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 Sep 2017, 10:00 AM

Lot 21. A blue-glazed square-form vase, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). Height 11 3/8  in., 28.9 cm. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

robustly potted, of archaic cong form supported on a straight foot and surmounted by a short circular neck, the rectangular body molded on opposite sides with elephant-head handles suspending fixed rings, covered overall in a rich blue glaze thinning to a pale tone around the edges, the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 Sep 2017, 10:00 AM

Lot 24. A fine teadust-glazed bottle vase, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). Height 13 1/4  in., 33.6 cm. Estimate 50,000 — 70,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the compressed globular body rising from a splayed foot to a tall cylindrical neck, applied overall with a mottled olive-green glaze flecked with a fine golden-yellow mist, the foot ring dressed in a dark wash, the base incised with a six-character seal mark reserved in a square beneath a brown glaze, Wood stand, Japanese wood box (4).

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 Sep 2017, 10:00 AM

Achaemenid Gold Bracelet with Inlaid Termini in the Form of Duck's Heads, mid-6th-4th century B.C.E. Gold with lapis lazuli, agate, and carnelian inlay, W. 8 cm. © Miho Museum

The massive bracelet is more or less a smaller, simplified version of catalogue number 40. The ducks are reduced to protomes with their heads turned back in a typical Achaemenid fashion.1 The bracelet is constructed of hollow gold tubing, and the duck protomes were formerly elaborately inlayed with colored stones. One duck bill is made of agate, the other of carnelian.2 The ducks were both made separately and were in all likelihood originally joined together at their breasts. In order to put on the bracelet, the birds could be separated from the circlet by removing the rivets. 

The bracelet type is preserved in much simpler versions of bronze or golden wire,3 and details like the turned heads resting on the animals' backs seem truly Achaemenid, but a certain naturalistic tendency, already noted in connection with catalogue number 40, along with the concept of a removable part may point to a later period and attribute our piece to the circle of Achaemenizing art fashioned in the Hellenistic period.4 It must be stressed, however, that at the moment, this is nothing but a hypothesis.

Achaemenid Gold Bracelet with Inlaid Termini in the Form of Seated Ducks, mid-6th-4th century B.C.E. Gold with lapis lazuli, turquoise, onyx, and rock crystal inlay, mid-6th-4th century B.C.E., W. 10.5 cm. © Miho Museum

The jeweler of this bracelet chose ducks as terminal figures and combined them with a rather heavy looking circlet that can be opened. The ducks were fashioned separately, and all the feathers and the eyes were originally characterized by inlays. The ducks' bills are not preserved. The birds are fixed to a single massive tubular circlet, which originally had colored inlays at the junction between the ducks. The use of colored inlays for the details of the feathering is a feature of Egyptianizing tendencies in Achaemenid craftsmanship.1 Though the "Great Kings" are known to have employed Egyptian craftsmen,2 the use of this technique does not necessarily imply that the jeweler was an Egyptian, because the technique was widely used on objects of truly Achaemenid style. 

The choice of animal is interesting as ducks are rare among the animals on Achaemenid bracelets or torques (see cat. nos. 38, 41). It should be noted that this rather exceptional motif was used on no less than three bracelets now in the Shumei collection (also cat. no. 41, SF000) and that all of these pieces have a rather sturdy appearance, whereas Achaemenid jewelers usually preferred a much more slender concept. All these aspects add up to a highly remarkable picture that considerably widens our conception of Near Eastern jewelry.3 

Although details like the turned-back heads of the birds or the depiction of complete animals instead of simply heads or protomes (foreparts) reflect Achaemenid conventions,4 the rather naturalistic articulation and coloration of the feathering is definitely not in keeping with the ornamental standards of Achaemenid art.5 Exceptions are always possible, but it should be noted that the idea of parting the bracelet vertically between the sitting birds is reminiscent of second-century B.C. Hellenistic bracelets fashioned in truly Greek style.6 This piece may suggest that the Hellenistic concept could have been derived from much older Achaemenid prototypes, but it seems not entirely impossible that this and the following bracelet (cat. no. 41) actually belong to a group of Achaemenizing objects that draw heavily on Achaemenid conventions but were manufactured after the breakdown of the Achaemenid Empire.7

MP

Pair of Achaemenid Gold Bracelets with Winged-caprid Termini with Cloisonne Inlay, mid-6th-4th century B.C.E. Gold with lapis lazuli and carnelian inlay, W. 11.1 cm. each© Miho Museum

These two magnificent bracelets are said to have originally belonged with the torque (cat. no. 38) and should likewise be attributed to the late Achaemenid period.1 An association of these pieces is corroborated by stylistic and technical similarities. 

The bracelets are composed of separately made gold elements, such as the caprid terminals, and hollow gold tubing, and they incorporate intricate cloisonn decoration and bands of triangular teeth, which are often seen on representations of Achaemenid robes.2 Each bracelet was originally adorned with two opposing winged caprids (goat- or sheep-like animals), a familiar motif of Achaemenid art, and which recurs in miniature on friezes on the circlets. Although heavily damaged, the surviving terminals still display the forceful and monumental court style of the Achaemenid Empire. Most of the ornamental contours of the muscles and other anatomical details such as the horns, eyes, or wings were once abundantly inlayed with colorful stones and glass paste, underlining the almost supernatural impression of the fabulous creatures. 

The bracelets, with typical omega-shaped indentations (compare cat. no. 42) and complete animals instead of simple protomes (foreparts), follow the familiar typology of Achaemenid bracelets.3 The motif of running caprids was very popular in Achaemenid art. These creatures, in most cases winged, are all likelihood tragelaphoi, fabulous Persian caprids mentioned several times in Greek literature and compared by Plato with the sphinx of the Egyptians.4 They are depicted on items ranging from gems5 to precious vessels6 and even to the famous golden chariot that was constructed to carry Alexander's embalmed corpse from Babylon to the Mediterranean.7 Especially in connection with Alexander the Great, tragelaphoi seem to be linked to royal splendor, a concept that would correlate very well with the possibility that the torque and bracelets of this quality and iconography could have been royal gifts.

MP

Achaemenid Gold Cloisonné Pectoral, 6th-4th century B.C.E. Gold and cloisonné, H. 26 cm.; W. 24 cm.© Miho Museum

This pectoral is the most splendid example of Achaemenid court jewelry presently known. It comprises three different parts: a collar-like front section that is flat; a long, clasp-like, tubular element that attaches at duck's-head terminals; and a pendant hinged to the front.

According to ancient sources, the Achaemenid "Kings of Kings" sometimes honored their followers with jewelry. These gifts befitted not only the receiver's rank but also symbolized his loyalty to the ruler. The battle scenes on this torque and pendant suggest they were made for a high-ranking male official, and definitely not for a woman. This was an idea entirely alien to Greek customs: the quantity of jewelry worn by high-ranking dignitaries in an Achaemenid battle-line gave a splendid and sparkling impression, prompting Alexander the Great at the battle at Issos to misinterpret the shining gold of his Asiatic opponents as a sign of their effeminacy and to spur his troops on with the expectation of rich booty. 

Although almost entirely composed of Achaemenid motifs, this pectoral has undeniable Egyptian affiliations. The type of the pendant finds a parallel on the statue of an Egyptian official of the Achaemenid era who wears an Egyptian pectoral depicting Egyptian deities together with a Persian torque, a piece he was allowed to wear by explicit permission of the king. The cloisonn technique of the Shumei pectoral is likewise attested in Egyptian art; a famous inscription of Darius the Great from Susa mentions Egyptian goldsmiths being in Achaemenid service. Even such a detail as the tiny foliage of Egyptian Nymphaea nelumbo with turned-up tips, which borders the lower register on the torque, was widely used in Achaemenid ateliers and occurs in a technically quite similar execution on a pair of late Achaemenid earrings from Susa. On the torque the formerly Egyptian motif was combined with typical Near Eastern "stepped embattlements," which function as central veins of the leaves. In contrast to Near Eastern examples, though, this frieze has narrow interstices between the individual leaves, a detail most likely drawn from Greek "egg-and-dart" friezes. Therefore, this unobtrusive ornament likely reveals the decorative heritage of no fewer than three cultures. The band of rectangles with indented contours in the register above also has a perfect parallel on the above-named earrings from Susa. 

Unfortunately Achaemenid art is extremely difficult to date, but in this case the technical analogies suggest a late Achaemenid attribution, to the fourth century B.C., before the collapse of the empire.8

The most extraordinary elements of this piece are the figural representations. In the upper section of the pendant, between two ducks, is a winged god that is half-human and half-bird, a type of imagery usually associated with Ahura Mazda. Protomes of a similar deity without wings appear in the tiny crescent medallions which border the pendant and the tubular upper part of the torque itself. Originally the central Ahura Mazda was abundantly decorated with glass inlays, and the artist's brilliance is evident in the use of a millefiori technique for the representation of the god's face. 

The same technique was used in an even more spectacular fashion to characterize the Persian trappings and the heads of the horses in the pendant's lower register. This miniature frieze depicts a battle between two horseman and two infantrymen. The artist took care to differentiate the riders not only by their weaponry and horses but even by their saddle equipment. The high rank of the rider on the left is borne out by his infantry guards behind him, who have little balls or "apples" on the lower end of their spears. Such "apple-bearers" (melophoroi) were members of the royal Persian guard, who were used even by Alexander after his conquest of the Persian Empire. This rider gallops to the right, shooting an arrow at a fleeing opponent. As part of his Persian costume is a rare representation of an Achaemenid cuirass, with its characteristic high neck protector. The skirt of the cuirass made of straps is obviously derived from Greek armor. Other elements of his equipment, such as the notched lower border of his saddle cloth and the ram-head type of horse, reflect Achaemenid traditions.

The fleeing horseman throws up his right arm in despair. He is represented without a cuirass, and the head of his horse shows the characteristic "Arabian dish." The rider's passionate gesture recalls Graeco-Persian rather than truly Near Eastern art, clearly demonstrating the intrusion of Greek elements. The action of an infantryman at the far right is difficult to decipher. Is he fleeing, or is he aiming an Achaemenid battle axe (?) at the head of the fleeing rider? 

On the third register of torque are repeated duos of tiny golden horsemen that the goldsmith similarly differentiated between a fleeing rider with his right arm outstretched and an opponent shooting an arrow at him. On the pendant, the tips of both the horses' tails are covered. On the torque, while the horse of the victorious warrior clearly has the bound tail of the Achaemenids and the already introduced ram's head, once again the head of the horse of the pursued is different and its tail is not bound. Again, victor and vanquished are carefully set apart, and the one who flees is clearly an Asiatic but is "less Persian." Could this be a reference to a civil war? 

In contrast to the West Asian aspect of the figural representations is an inscription in Greek of its weight on the back of the pendant.15 This suggests that the Shumei torque was at some time in the possession of a Greek. Conversely, every known object that has appeared on the art market and has been linked to this torque is Achaemenid in style. Are we dealing with a Greek who received a torque and bracelets (cat. no. 39) from an Achaemenid king, a man who dressed at least from time to time in an Asiatic manner?

Pablo Picasso, On the Beach, 12 February 1937. Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice© Succession Picasso, by SIAE 2017.

VENICE.- From August 26, 2017 through January 7, 2018 the Peggy Guggenheim Collection presents the exhibition Picasso. On the Beach curated by Luca Massimo Barbero. The exhibition has been installed in the museum’s Project Rooms. 

The exhibition is a collaboration with the Musée national Picasso-Paris, and focuses on one of Peggy Guggenheim’s favorite works of art, Picasso’s On the Beach (La Baignade), now part of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. The show gathers a selection of ten drawings, three paintings and a sculpture, made by Picasso between February and December 1937, and is a part of the initiative of the Musée national Picasso-Paris Picasso-Méditerranée, an international cultural event, from Spring 2017 through Spring 2019. Over sixty cultural institutions have come together to develop a programme around the work “obstinément méditerranéenne” of Pablo Picasso. Initiated by the Musée national Picasso-Paris, this journey into the creation of the artist and across the places which inspired him, aims at strengthening ties between all the shores that touched his career.  

With his numerous depictions of beaches and bathers – a subject matter that tends to cling to each new formal and iconographic departure - Picasso certainly did not discover a new subject, but rather identified and revealed the only real outdoor theme of his entire work. Like the majority of his motifs, the concept of the beach is approached in both a traditional and modern manner. Giorgione, Titian, Ingres, Puvis de Chavannes, Manet, Cézanne, Matisse, Renoir are all artists to whom Picasso turned for inspiration for his figures and structural compositions. The nude in motion is recurrent and of primary importance for all figurative artists. Picasso’s novelty here, however, is not a function of his subject matter but rather, as was characteristic of the Spanish genius, by uniting individual experience with tradition, he created something not only new but absolutely revolutionary. 

Picasso. On the Beach is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue, in English and Italian, with an essay by the curator Luca Massimo Barbero.

Pablo Picasso, On the Beach, 30 December 1937. Musée national Picasso, Paris, Gift Pablo Picasso, 1979, MP1199© Succession Picasso, by SIAE 2017

Pablo Picasso, On the Beach, 30 December 1937. Musée national Picasso, Paris, Gift Pablo Picasso, 1979, MP1200 © Succession Picasso, by SIAE 2017

Pablo Picasso, Two Nudes on the Beach, 1 May 1937. Musée national Picasso, Paris, Gift Pablo Picasso, 1979, MP163 © Succession Picasso, by SIAE 2017

Pablo Picasso, Bather by a Cabin Skipping Rope, 6 February 1937. Musée national Picasso, Paris, Gift Pablo Picasso, 1979, MP1173 © Succession Picasso, by SIAE 2017 

Pablo Picasso, Bagnante (Baigneuse), 6 febbraio 1937. Graffite su carta, 17 x 25.5 cm, MP 1175, Musée National Picasso, Paris, Dation en 1979 © Succession Picasso, by SIAE 2017 

Pablo Picasso, Large Bather with a Book, 18 February 1937. Musée national Picasso, Paris, Gift Pablo Picasso, 1979, MP160© Succession Picasso, by SIAE 2017

Pablo Picasso in 1936 photographed by Man Ray. © Man Ray Trust / ADAGP-SIAE / Telimage-2017

The exhibition is a collaboration with the Musée national Picasso-Paris, and focuses on one of Peggy Guggenheim’s favorite works of art, Picasso’s On the Beach (La Baignade), now part of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.

Lot 74. A rare sancai-glazed pottery basin, Tang dynasty (618-907). Diameter 9 3/4  in., 24.7 cm. Estimate 80,000 — 120,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

with deep sides rising from a flat base, impressed at the center with a large stylized lotus, the central pod issuing overlapping petals, all in green, amber and straw glaze and reserved on wax-resist dappled amber-glazed ground, the sides with bold green, amber and straw-glazed chevron pattern, the exterior with a lustrous amber glaze stopping unevenly above the base to reveal the pinkish buff ware body, Japanese wood box (3) 

Provenance: Mayuyama & Co. Ltd., Tokyo.

Literature: Sekai Toji Zenshu 9 Zui To Hen / Collection of World's Ceramics, vol 9, Tokyo, 1961,  pl. 84.
Seiichi Mizuno, Toki Zenshu 25 To Sansai [Complete Works of Ceramics 25; Tang Sancai], vol 25, Tokyo, 1965, pl. 34.
Mayuyama. Seventy Years, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1976, pl. 284.
Seiichi Mizuno, Toji taikei:To sansai [Tang Sancai], vol. 35. Tokyo, 1977, pls 58 and 59.

The early Tang dynasty (618-907) is unparalleled in the baroque opulence of its works of art, which runs through all media. It was a time when Chinese emperors surpassed each other in the display of luxuries, and when ostentatious works of art in gold, silver, tortoise shell, mother-of-pearl, foreign glass and other valuable materials were in use at court. While only few of those works have survived – outside the Shōsō-in of the Tōdai-ji in Nara, the storehouse which preserves some of the personal belongings of the Japanese Emperor Shōmu (r. 724-749) – China’s sancai (‘three color’) wares provide a splendid echo in pottery of the luxury world inhabited by the court and the aristocracy and convey a vivid impression of the spirit of the time.

The four Tang sancai vessels here assembled speak, each in its own way, of the joie de vivre in the early Tang period, a delight in ornamentation and color, a style developed to its full maturity, when the inventiveness of the potters aimed at pushing a medium to its limits. Their vast repertoire of shapes and designs was inspired by metalwork, glass, textiles and any other fine materials they encountered, and absorbed motifs and design concepts that had arrived in China via the Silk Road from Central Asia and lands further west. 

When glazed pottery first became popular for burial items in the latter part of the Han dynasty (206 BC – AD 220), it was horses, farm animals and birds, as well as practical items of daily life, such as watch towers, grain stores, mills, wells, stoves, looms, storage jars and incense burners, that were reproduced in ceramic form, to provide the deceased symbolically with the necessities – as then perceived – in the afterlife. In the period between Han and Tang, when the country was divided and the seat of China’s political power had shifted to the south, glazed pottery, produced mainly in the north, became rare. When it reappeared at the end of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589), in the Northern Qi period (550-577), it had fundamentally changed. Imported by Sogdian traders, whose art had itself assimilated styles from Bactria further south and from the Sassanian empire further west, it displayed completely new aesthetics, ultimately derived from Hellenistic, Persian and Indian art. 

The adventure of this rich ornamentation had an overwhelming influence on Chinese artisans who eagerly incorporated new ideas and motifs into their own repertoire. In the Tang dynasty, earthenware pottery adopted completely new styles and functions, as purely practical considerations receded into the background and gave way to ambitions to make ceramics delectable. In the course of this development, pottery vessels, originally only considered as humble replicas of more valuable goods, became works of art in their own right, original in design and demanding in craftsmanship. Never did Chinese potters create more luxurious and ingenious ceramics from earthenware clay than at that period. There can be no doubt that elaborate pieces such as the four vessels presented here were expensive already at their time of production. Several kilns seem to have been involved in the production of sancai ceramics, but the Gongyi kilns in Gongxian, Henan province, now appear as the most important, as the kiln site has yielded evidence for the widest range of classic shapes, decorative techniques and motifs. 

Compared with Han prototypes, pottery also became richer in color, mainly through the use of a white slip over the dull beige clay, which not only brightened up the green and amber-yellow glaze tones, but also – covered with a transparent glaze – added a near-white glaze color to the repertoire and thus gave rise to the sancai color scheme. Sancai from then on became a staple in Chinese ceramics and remained popular long after many additional glaze colors had become available. It continued to be used until the end of China’s imperial past, being gradually transferred from earthenware to stoneware and eventually to porcelain. 

Fluid forms, such as the squeezed mouth of the ewer, lot 77, the applied knobs of clay on its handle, and the raised rings, particularly around its neck, were borrowed from Roman or Near Eastern glass, which represented one of the particularly prized foreign luxury goods. 

Glazes with merging outlines, and motifs reserved in white in a contrasting glaze, such as seen on the basin, lot 74, seem to be imitating, in style and probably also in technique, wax-resist textile designs. The effect can be similar to the mother-of-pearl and amber inlays in plain lacquer or tortoise shell. Motifs such as the central rosette on this piece are now known to have been produced by impressing pottery stamps, examples of which have been discovered at the Gongyi kiln site. 

Applied palmettes, foliate and arabesque designs, motifs taken from the animal and plant world, elements of Buddhist imagery such as the ubiquitous lotus petals and pearl bands, as well as apotropaic monster masks and medallions, as seen on the two ewers, lots 75 and 77, and the rhyton, lot 76, had already appeared on Northern Qi ceramics and were now translated, in more stylish form, into the decorative language of Tang pottery. They clearly allude to jewel-like encrustations or lush repoussé motifs on metalwork. Granular relief surfaces, such as seen on the green phoenix-head ewer and rhyton, are reminiscent of the pearl beading favored in silver, but the way this pattern is used here evokes even more strongly abundance in nature: on the ewer, it is emerging from an outer hull that appears to have split open, recalling a fruit bursting with seeds; while on the rhyton, it appears to pour forth from a horn of plenty. 

The rhyton in particular, which is styled like a cornucopia overflowing with riches, seems like a perfect symbol for the plethora of opulence enjoyed and displayed by the ruling elite in the first half of the Tang period. This life style was radically cut short through the rebellion of An Lushan in 755/6 which, although ultimately unsuccessful, shook the dynasty to its core and had a most sobering effect on Tang society. It ended the halcyon days that these pottery vessels seem to incarnate and to preserve for posterity. 

This charming bowl represents one of the most successful and prolific designs on Tang dynasty wares, with many variations in both color combination and execution known.  The floral rosette formed of eight petal-shaped lappets, which was impressed on the clay body when it was still damp, was probably inspired by silver ware with traced decoration although the motif was well known also in other media, such as textile. Furthermore, the white spots around the rosette on this piece are reminiscent of the ring-punched ground on contemporary metalware. See, for example, a silver box and cover, cast on one side with a six-pointed rosette with a further six petals, unearthed in Hejiacun, Xi’an, and included in the exhibition Dai Tō Chō-an Ten [Exhibition of Chang’an the capital of Tang Dynasty], Kyoto Cultural Museum, Kyoto, 1994, cat. no. 56. 

A closely related basin, from the collections of Eugene Bernat and Dr. Ip Yee, sold in these rooms, 7th November 1980, lot 58, and again in our Hong Kong rooms, 19th November 1984, lot 140; one with blue glaze instead of green was included in Chūgoku Tōji Meijin Ten [Exhibition of famous pieces of Chinese pottery and porcelain], Matsuoka Museum of Art, Tokyo, 1983, cat. no. 13; and another from the Lord Cunliffe collection, sold in our London rooms, 1st-2nd April 1974, lot 29. 

Funerary Basin (Pan) with Floral Roundel, China, middle Tang dynasty, about 700-800. Wheel-thrown earthenware with impressed decoration and polychrome (sancai) glaze. Height: 2 1/2 in. (6.35 cm); Diameter: 10 1/2 in. (25.67 cm), Mr. and Mrs. Allan C. Balch Collection (M.57.14) © Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 Sep 2017, 10:00 AM

Lot 75. An exceptionally rare green-glazed phoenix-head pottery ewer, Tang dynasty (618-907). Height 10 7/8  in., 27.7 cm. Estimate 80,000 — 120,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the flattened pear-shaped body supported on a high splayed foot and rising to a slender waisted neck surmounted by a fierce phoenix head clasping a pearl in its beak, its crest opening to form the quatrefoil mouth, a loop handle stretching from the shoulder to the back of the phoenix's head, the vessel crisply molded with bands of overlapping lappets and radiating vertical ribs at the foot, with teardrop-form panels to each side of the body, each centered with an applied lion mask on a stippled ground framed by four ruyi-shaped motifs, applied overall with a vibrant green glaze, except for the eyes and pearl, applied with straw and cream glazes, Japanese wood box (3)

Literature: Sekai Toji Zenshu 9 Zui To Hen / Collection of World's Ceramics, vol. 9, Tokyo, 1961, pl. 80.

Chinese Silver Gilt Lidded Tripod Vessel, Tang Dynasty, Late-7th-8th century C.E. Silver gilt, H. 5.2 cm. © Miho Museum

Bronze tripod vessels were originally used for rituals during the Shang ( 1500-1028 B.C.) and early Western Zhou (1027-771 B.C.) dynasties. By the Spring and Autumn period (771-476) such vessels, at times featuring lids, had become more utilitarian. During the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.), some tripods began to feature purely decorative patterns, and by the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), tripod lacquerware was popular as well. However, it was not until the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-907) that miniature tripods, fashioned out of precious gold and silver, were created solely as decorative objects of art. 

The body of the small Shumei tripod was initially fashioned out of a disc of silver that was hammered into a globe form with a flared lip.1 A smaller circular silver disc was then hammered into a convex lid. The lid finial and the three tripod legs were cast in silver before being soldered on. The exterior surfaces of the vessel and lid were then hammered to a smooth finish to prepare them for decoration. The central section of the tripod body features a pair of swallows holding auspicious plants, as well as two mandarin ducks and twin parrots, among tree of life designs and scattered smaller floral motifs. The lid, too, has bird and floral designs, and the entire base of the tripod body is patterned with a central, curvilinear rosette motif.2 A metalsmith painstakingly traced all motifs onto the tripod and lid surface with a series of single chisel punches (as opposed to using a chasing technique which would have resulted in motifs with continuous fluid lines). The tripod's pictorial composition is complemented by a low, ring-matted background. The bird, flower, and rosette motifs on the body are gilded, as are the lower portions of each leg, the rim of the lid, and the lower portion of the lid's final. 

The pair of swallows holding floral twigs in their beaks is a variation of a popular Persian and Sogdian motif. Symbolizing imperial power, success, and good fortune, this Near Eastern motif, often placed within a roundel with a pearl border, was commonly used to pattern polychrome silk collars and sleeve trim as well as the bodice sections of garments.3 Referred to in Tang-period texts as "swallow with ribbons in its bill" or "pheasant with auspicious plants in its bill," this motif appears in China on textiles from the fifth to the eighth centuries and, by the Tang period, was being patterned onto silver as well.4 

A tripod similar to the Shumei example was unearthed from a suburb of Xi'an; another tripod with Confucian scenes was excavated from Beiyin village.5

JMS

A tripod similar to the Shumei example was unearthed from a suburb of Xi'an; another tripod with Confucian scenes was excavated from Beiyin village.5

JMS

HONG KONG - The research project “Ancient Chinese Gold Techniques” is a collaborative effort of Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics Protection, the Master Studio of Chow Tai Fook, and the Conservation Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong, for the first time to use interdisciplinary research methods to reconstruct several major ancient goldsmithing techniques and the history of the development. Golden Techniques: Art of the Chinese Goldsmiths is co-presented by Art Museum and Master Studio of Chow Tai Fook. The exhibition features over 40 pieces (sets) of carefully-selected ancient Chinese gold and silver wares from private collections as well as the collection of Art Museum, and samples from reconstruction experiments as well as traditional goldsmith’s tools, both from the Master Studio of Chow Tai Fook.

The exhibition will bring the cutting-edge findings of ancient Chinese techniques used to make gold and silver objects, emphasizing on granulation (making gold granules and welding them onto the object), gold wire techniques, as well as techniques used to make gold inlays. During the exhibition, guided tours and a series of public lectures will be organized that aim to provide the audience with different museum experiences and deeper understanding of the exhibition subject.

Both the exhibition and the entire research project are fully sponsored by Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Co. Ltd.

Exhibition highlights:

Gilt Iron Belt Hook, Late Warring States period, 5th century BC. Total length 18.5 cm, width 3.5 mm, Art Museum collection, gift of Dr. Simon Kwan © Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

With an animal head and a lute-shaped body, this piece is decorated with gold in geometrical pattern. It was believed that the gold layer was inlaid on the hook. However, scientific testing proves that it is prepared by mercury fire gilding. Similar hooks are found in mid-to-late warring states tombs of Qiao village, Houma city, Shaanxi province.

Gold Necklace with Makara Design, Northern dynasties or earlier, 2nd to 6th century. Length 47 cm, pendant length 4.4 cm, weight 119.9 g (complete), Mengdiexuan collection © Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

This exquisite necklace comprises a chain with conical ends capped by a circular loop, and a pendant. The loop-in-loop chain is made of eight interwoven gold wires and connected to the pendant with gold nails. The pendant is intricately worked to form a human figure with a depression in the middle of the forehead that resembles a ‘third eye’. The figure has a big belly and holds two makaras by their tails as they bite the ends of the chain. Suspended from below his belly is a second pendant in the form of a lower inlaid with red, blue and green gemstones, adding colour to an already luxurious gold ornament.

Gold Plaque with Double-Dragon Design, Han to Six Dynasties, 2nd century BC–6th century AD. Length 4.6 cm, Width 3.9 cm, Weight 8.5 g, Mengdiexuan collection © Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

This piece is an ornament on government official’s headdress during the Qin–Han period. It is related to both Buddhism and Daoism. On the piece are two confronted dragons, whose bodies are covered by gold granules. The gold wires are scientifically proved to be twisting strips.

Leisi Filigree Bun-Net with Two Dragons, Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Diameter 9.6 cm, Height 6.4 cm, Weight 138.5 g (inlays included), Mengdiexuan collection © Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Lot 55. A blue and white 'fruits'meiping, Ming dynasty, Yongle period (1403-1424). Height 11 5/8 ., 29.5 cm. Estimate $150,000–250,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

the elegant form rising from a slightly waisted base to broad, generous shoulders, well painted in soft washes of cobalt, with a wide band of six fruiting sprays arranged in an alternating double register, the upper register showing detached peach, pomegranate and crab apple, the lower register with lychee, loquat and cherry, the leafy branches further issuing small blossoms and buds, all between double-line borders, the shoulders encircled by a band of lotus petals enclosing elaborate trefoils, the foot skirted by a band of upright overlapping leaves, the underglaze blue with characteristic 'heaped and piled' effect giving the designs depth and texture, all beneath a slightly blue-tinted vitreous glaze suffused with a natural 'soft paste' craquelure, the base left unglazed, the neck mounted with a 19th century beaded silver rim.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 Sep 2017, 10:00 AM

Lot 56. A blue glazed vase, Ming dynasty, 15th century. Height 14 1/4  in., 36.3 cm. Estimate $30,000–50,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

of meiping form, the sturdily potted body gently broadening to a full, rounded shoulder and sweeping to a slightly tapered neck with a lipped rim, covered overall in a rich lapis lazuli-tone glaze thinning slightly at the neck and rim and falling irregularly at the foot, the interior glazed white, the base unglazed.

Lot 57. A large blue and white ‘Windswept’ jar, Ming dynasty, mid-15th century. Height 15 1/8  in., 38.3 cm. Estimate $40,000–60,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

sturdily potted, the baluster body rising from a slightly splayed foot to a short tapered neck and rolled rim, skilfully painted in deep tones of underglaze blue in the 'windswept' style with three groupings of figures, one depicting two scholars playing weiqi, observed by an Immortal, possibly Dong Wang Gong, bearing a ruyiscepter, another of Xi Wangmu, the Queen Mother of the West, wearing long flowing robes and holding a basket of peaches, flanked by female attendants, and a third of an immortal accompanied by two attendants, one bearing a wrapped qin, together with a spotted deer grasping a lingzhi sprig, each scene framed by wispy clouds, all set between a band of upright lappets and a broad register of alternating shaped cartouches enclosing floral sprays and florets reserved on a diaper ground at the shoulder, the neck painted with a diaper border.

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 14th November 2001, lot 99. 

Note: The present guan jar belongs to a group of large blue and white jars and meiping decorated in the painterly 'windswept' style with figures in landscape and garden setting after traditional literature and drama. The panoramic landscape is comparable to landscape paintings of the early Ming period, and the continuity of the scene is achieved by a line of curled clouds in the sky of the main register of decoration. 

Lot 58. A blue and white 'dragon' dish, Zhengde mark and period (1506-1521). Diameter 7 3/4  in., 19.7cm. Estimate $30,000–50,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

well potted with rounded sides rising to an everted rim, painted with a central medallion enclosing a sinuous five-clawed dragon, surrounded by two striding dragons at the cavetto, the exterior with two further dragons above a ruyi band encircling the foot, all against a dense lotus scroll and within double-line borders, the base with a four-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle.

Provenance: Christie's London, 13th November 2001, lot 143. 

Note: The dragon and lotus design was one of the favorite designs of the Zhengde emperor and adorned a variety of vessels, including bowls, stemcups, jars of zhadou shape and dishes. Although this design was popular throughout the Ming period, the dense and even composition rendered in soft cobalt blue seen on the present dish is peculiar to the Zhengde reign.