Lot 390. A blue and white yen yen vase, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722); 45.5 cm, 17 1/2  in. Estimate £3,000 — 5,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

the baluster body rising from a spreading foot to a tall trumpet neck, painted around the exterior in rich cobalt-blue tones with figures in a river landscape.

Provenance: Christie's London, 1st March 2011, lot 37.

Lot 391. A blue and white 'Landscape' vase, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722); 44 cm, 17 3/8  in.. Estimate £3,000 — 5,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

sturdily potted with a tall baluster body rising from a spreading foot to a straight neck and galleried rim, painted with scholars amidst a continuous landscape scene,  the neck with bands of dots, keyfret and cloud scrolls.

Lot 392. A blue and white 'Eight Immortals'yen yen vase, Qing dynasty, 18th-19th century; 45 cm, 17 1/2  in. Estimate £800 — 1,200. Courtesy Sotheby's.

the baluster body rising from a spreading foot to a tall trumpet neck, brightly painted around the exterior with shaped panels enclosing the Eight Immortals, all reserved on a diaper ground, underglaze blue artemisia leaf to the base.

Provenance: Christie's London, 29th February 2012, lot 700.

Sotheby's. St George Street Sale: Asian Art, London,  17 May 2019, 10:00 AM

Lot 393. A large blue and white 'Lotus' jar, Ming dynasty, Jiajing period (1522-1566); 47 cm, 18 1/2  in. Estimate £6,000 — 8,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

sturdily potted with a tapered ovoid body rising to a short, waisted neck and everted rim, densely painted to the exterior with large lotus blooms borne on meandering leafy stems, all between a band of ruyi roundels enclosing various auspicious emblems to the shoulder and a band of lappet to the foot, the neck decorated with scrolling foliage.

Sotheby's. St George Street Sale: Asian Art, London,  17 May 2019, 10:00 AM

Lot 394. A large blue and white 'Shou' meiping jar, Ming dynasty, Wanli period (1573-1620); 46 cm, 18 in. Estimate £6,000 — 8,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

the baluster body rising from a spreading base to a short narrow neck with rolled rim, painted around the exterior with shou medallions amidst lotus and ruyi clouds, the shoulder with a lotus-filled ruyi collar.

Sotheby's. St George Street Sale: Asian Art, London,  17 May 2019, 10:00 AM

Lot 395. A reverse-decorated blue and white 'Dragon' dish, Chuxiugong seal mark, Qing dynasty, Guangxu period (1875-1908); 32.1 cm, 12 5/8  in. Estimate £2,000 — 3,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

the rounded sides rising from short foot to a slightly everted rim, decorated to the center of the interior with a five-clawed dragon leaping amidst clouds and flames in pursuit of a flaming pearl, with two further dragons to the well, the exterior similarly decorated, the base with a four-character mark in underglaze blue.

Sotheby's. St George Street Sale: Asian Art, London,  17 May 2019, 10:00 AM

Lot 396. A small blue and white 'Silkworm' cup, Republican period; Diameter 6.6 cm, 2 5/8  in. Estimate £400— 600. Courtesy Sotheby's.

the conical sides rising from a short straight foot, painted to the exterior with silkworms and mulberry leaves, the base with the six-character mark 'Jiangxi ciye gongsi' within a circle in underglaze blue.

Sotheby's. St George Street Sale: Asian Art, London,  17 May 2019, 10:00 AM

Lot 397. A blue and white ingot-shaped dish, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795); 18.1 cm, 7 1/8  in. Estimate £2,000 — 3,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

of ingot shape, densely painted to the interior with a central lotus blossom amidst scrolling foliage surrounded by four flying bats, the exterior similarly decorated with further lotuses, the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue.

Sotheby's. St George Street Sale: Asian Art, London,  17 May 2019, 10:00 AM

Paris – Le département Art d’Asie est heureux d’annoncer la vente d’un daim en cristal de roche provenant de l’ancienne collection personnelle de Mademoiselle Chanel. Exécuté sous la dynastie Qing, l’objet qui sera vendu le 12 juin chez Christie’s à Paris représente un daim assis, la tête tournée vers le côté, tenant un branchage de lingzhi dans la gueule (estimation : €2,000-3,000). Protégé par sa cloche en verre, l’animal auspicieux symbolisant la longévité a orné la table basse de la suite de Coco Chanel au Ritz pendant des années.

En juin 2018, Christie’s Paris avait présenté un singe en biscuit émaillé blanc ayant la même provenance. La statuette datant également de la dynastie Qing s’était envolée pour €112,500, bien au-dessus de son estimation initiale de €4,000-6,000 après une bataille d’enchères réunissant plus de 12 clients internationaux.

Tiphaine Nicoul et Camille de Foresta, spécialistes au département Art d'Asie : « Nous sommes très heureuses de présenter ce daim en cristal de roche qui a séjourné dans le salon de Coco Chanel pendant des années. A en croire le résultat obtenu par le singe en biscuit vendu l’année dernière, ce daim en cristal de roche saura certainement séduire les amateurs d’art asiatique mais également les nombreux admirateurs de Coco Chanel, témoignage de son goût raffiné, éclectique et intemporel ».

Gabrielle Chanel, connue pour avoir libéré les femmes en créant des vêtements épurés et pratiques, avait un goût prononcé pour la décoration d’intérieur, comme le montrent les nombreux clichés de ses appartements rue Cambon et au Ritz. Celle qui fit scandale avec son style à la garçonne, fut une collectionneuse hors pair d’objets d’art décoratifs, de mobilier design mais aussi d’objets asiatiques, comme en témoigne sa magnifique collection de 32 paravents en laque de Coromandel.

Vente : Le mercredi 12 juin 2019 à 10h30 et 14h
Exposition : Du samedi 8 juin 2019 au mardi 11 juin 2019 de 10h à 18h. Dimanche 9 juin de 14h à 18h.

Coco Chanel au Ritz, le daim sur la table basse. © Christie’s Images Ltd, 2019

Lot 44. A porcelain magic bowl for the Islamic Market, China, late 18th Century; 20.2 cm. diam. Estimate £ 2,000 - 3,000 (€ 2,300 - 3,500). © Bonhams 2001-2019

of shallow rounded form on a short foot, decorated in red and black enamel with a central roundel containing a magic square surrounded by concentric bands containing inscriptions interspersed by bands containing undulating vines.

Inscriptions: in the bands Qur'an, sura II, al-Baqarah, verse 255; Qur'an, sura II, al-Baqarah, verses 256 and 257, and the shahadah; the nada 'ali quatrain; in the centre, la fata/illa 'ali/lasaf/ illadhu'l-faqar, 'There is no youth [as brave as] 'Ali, no sword [as sharp as] dhu'l-faqar'.

Lot 119. A gem-set gold necklace, South India, Late 19th-early 20th century; 15in. (38.2cm.) long; 6 ½in. (16.4cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 4,000 - GBP 6,000 (USD 5,168 - USD 7,752). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Composed of a row of pendants consisting of flowers within roundels interspersed with stylised pendant trefoils, each set with table-cut white sapphires or rock crystal and foiled cabochon rubies and emeralds, the reverse plain gold, on two gold wire chains, the clasp similarly set, with gem-set screw and detached security chain, in fitted Spink & Son box

Lot 121. A gem-set gold pendant in the form of an eagle, Deccan or South India, 19th century; 3 ½ in. (9cm.) high. Estimate GBP 20,000 - GBP 30,000 (USD 25,840 - USD 38,760). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

The bold heraldic eagle holding pearls in its claws, the body set with a foiled emerald surrounded by table cut diamonds and foiled cabochon rubies, the beak formed of carved ruby, the wings and flaring tail bordered with similar diamonds, a fringe of seed pearls and an emerald bead below, the reverse with incised naturalistic details.

Lot 122. A pair of gem-set and enamelled bangles, possibly Jaipur, North India, late 19th century; 3 ½in. (9 cm.) outer diameter ; 2 ¼ in. (5.7cm.) inner diameter. Estimate GBP 10,000 - GBP 15,000 (USD 12,920 - USD 19,380). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

The exterior with floral and foliate motifs set with diamonds and and possibly rubies on blue enamel ground, with a seed pearl surround, the inside elegantly decorated with large red enamelled flowers on cream ground surrounded by small green and light blue foliate motifs, hinged at two places, each with two gem-set screws.

Provenance: By repute, from the collection of the Begum of Sir Wasif Ali Mirza Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Murshidabad in Bengal (1906-1959), thence by descent.
Private UK collection since 1950.

Note: Jewellery such as bracelets and anklets were always acquired in pairs and this tradition is prevalent in India even today. The dark blue enamel employed on the exterior of this pair of bangles was popular in 19th century India and is usually associated with the enamelling centres of Punjab and Lahore in the north-west and with Jaipur and Dholpur in Rajasthan, western India. There is a very similar pair of diamond-set bangles from Jaipur, dated to circa 1850-75, with dark blue enamel to the exterior and comparable floral enamelled motifs to the interior, in the Royal Collection in London (RCIN11290.1-2; Meghani, 2017, pp.46-47).

Pair of bangles, Jaipur, circa 1850 - 1875. Gold, enamel, diamonds and pearls, 1.6 x 8.1 cm, RCIN 11290, Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019

Christie's. Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds Including Oriental Rugs and Carpets, London, 2 May 2019

Lot 292. A turquoise-glazed figure of Zhenwu, 17th century; 34 cm, 13 2/5  in. Estimate 2,000 — 3,000 GBP. Courtesy Sotheby's.

the deity seated on a high-back throne chair raised on a waisted plinth in dark blue and turquoise enamels, wearing a turquoise-enamelled dragon robe, with various areas left unglazed revealing the grey stoneware.

Sotheby's. St George Street Sale: Asian Art, London, 17 May 2019, 10:00 AM

Lot 398. A Fahua'Figural'meiping, Ming dynasty, 16th century; 30 cm, 11 3/4  in. Estimate 4,000 — 6,000 GBP. Courtesy Sotheby's.

with a tapering body sweeping up to a rounded shoulder surmounted by a waisted neck and everted rim, painted to the exterior with a sage drifting towards a pavilion enshrouded in clouds approached by an attendant carrying a wrapped qin, between a ruyi-collar enclosing lotus blooms at the shoulder and a lappet band below, glazed in aubergine, turquoise and yellow reserved against a deep blue ground.

Sotheby's. St George Street Sale: Asian Art, London, 17 May 2019, 10:00 AM

Lot 399. A large Fahua jar, Late Ming dynasty; 32 cm, 12 5/8  in. Estimate 2,000 — 3,000 GBP. Courtesy Sotheby's.

the baluster body rising from a gently splayed foot to a rounded shoulder surmounted by a short neck and lipped rim, decorated to the body with figures on horseback accompanied by attendants, riding towards a pavilion enveloped in clouds, above a band of lappets around the foot, the shoulders with a ruyi-band each enclosing auspicious emblems, all reserved on a dark blue-glazed ground, the interior glazed green.

Sotheby's. St George Street Sale: Asian Art, London, 17 May 2019, 10:00 AM

Lot 401. A Fahuameiping, Ming dynasty, 16th century; 31.4 cm, 12 3/8  in. Estimate 1,000 — 2,000 GBP.  Courtesy Sotheby's.

Lot 402. A turquoise-glazed Fahua jar, Late Ming dynasty; 31.6 cm, 12 3/8  in. Estimate 3,000 — 5,000 GBP.  Courtesy Sotheby's.

Lot 105. A Fahua barrel-form garden seat, Ming dynasty (1368-1644); 15 ¼ in. (38.6 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 8,000 - GBP 12,000 (USD 10,336 - USD 15,504). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

The garden seat is decorated with a wide band of incised lotus scroll decorated in slip on a turquoise ground interrupted by two animal-head handles, all between two rows of raised bosses. The top is decorated with a central flower head surrounded by four lotus leaves.

Provenance: Roger Keverne, London, October 2007. 
Property from a Princely Collection.

Christie's. Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds Including Oriental Rugs and Carpets, London, 2 May 2019

Lot 150. A rare turquoise-glazed archaistic 'Boar' vessel and cover, zun, Kangxi period (1662-1722); 10 3/8 in. (26.5 cm.) wide. Estimate GBP 30,000 - GBP 50,000 (USD 38,760 - USD 64,600). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

The vessel is modelled after a Shang dynasty original as a boar standing foursquare with its head raised. Its body is finely decorated in relief with a stylised kui dragon extending down each leg embellished with appliqué nodes. The belly and back are decorated with a hatched ground. The cover is surmounted by a cockerel finial and is fitted to an aperture on the back of the boar..

Provenance: With Pierre Saqué, Paris, acquired before 1970.

A Turquoise-glazed Archaistic Boar-shaped Zun 
Rosemary Scott, Senior International Academic Consultant Asian Art 

This boar-shaped zun vessel is a charming reflection of a predilection for archaism in Chinese ceramics, which can be traced back to the Northern Song dynasty. The Northern Song Emperor Huizong (r. 1100-1126) was a keen collector of antiques and published an illustrated catalogue of bronzes in his collection under the title Xuanhe bogutu. Compiled between 1107 and 1123, this 30-volume (juan) catalogue provided details of some 839 objects in the Xuanhe Hall dating from the period Shang to Tang dynasty. It is especially notable that the influence of ancient bronzes, such as those published in the Xuanhe bogutu, can be seen in the shapes of Song dynasty ceramics – particularly Ru wares, the Northern Song ceramics most closely associated with Emperor Huizong. This influence is clearly seen on ceramic Ru ware lian censers of cylindrical form standing on three cabriole legs, which are invariably made with the same encircling triple bow-string lines which appear on the bronze vessels of similar form from the Han dynasty. 

While archaism, often manifested in imitation of Song dynasty stoneware glazes, continued to be a source of inspiration in Ming ceramics - especially those made for the court – it was in the reign the Qing the dynasty Kangxi Emperor (r. 1662-1722) that inspiration from ancient bronzes was once again a significant factor in ceramic design. The Kangxi Emperor was a great collector of antiques and derived great pleasure and even physical wellbeing from his collection. As the emperor himself put it:  

‘I used to say to my sons: Seek joyfulness when you can, for seeking joy leads to an auspicious atmosphere. After meals we would talk about pleasant things and set our eyes on rare antiques, so we digested easily and out bodies flourished.’ (translated by Jonathan Spence in Emperor of China – Self-portrait of Kang-hsi, Harmondsworth and New York, 1974)  

A variety of ancient bronze shapes as well as their surface decoration can be seen amongst Kangxi ceramics, especially those with monochrome glazes.  

Interestingly, it was also in the Kangxi reign that brilliant turquoise glazes rose to prominence. Despite their widespread use in the Near East, turquoise glazes, coloured with copper oxide, had not found great favour in China prior to the 17th century. The glaze had been used at the tile-making kilns of northern China and occasionally on stonewares from the Cizhou kilns, but although a few turquoise-glazed porcelains were made in the Yuan and Ming dynasties, they were a very small percentage of porcelain production. It would seem that the Qing dynasty Kangxi potters at Jingdezhen were able to develop a turquoise glaze of greater depth and brilliance than had previously been achieved. This new turquoise glaze proved more generally popular, and was particularly effective when applied over bronze-style decoration. An example of this is tall Kangxi vase of zunform in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (illustrated in Monochrome Porcelain, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, vol. 37, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 164, no. 148), on which the incised designs of upright blades on the neck and taotie on the central section are emphasised by the pooling of the clear turquoise glaze.  

Following the lead of the Northern Song Emperor Huizong, the Qing dynasty Qianlong Emperor also provided future art historians with an invaluable resource in the form of the illustrated catalogues of the imperial collections, including the Xiqing gujian (Xiqing Mirror of Antiquities). The latter was a catalogue, in 40 volumes, of some 1529 ritual bronzes in the imperial collection, and was compiled between 1749 and 1755. Although the detailed entries for each of the vessels do not include the date on which the pieces entered the Qing imperial collection, it is nevertheless interesting to see note that one of the ancient bronze zun illustrated is quite similar to the current boar, although the illustrated bronze animal has inlaid gold and silver decoration. This image appears in the reprint of the Xiqing gujian , Qinding siku quanshu , shang juan, Shanghai shudian chubanshe, on page 193. The vessel is described as Zhou xi zun – a Zhou dynasty sacrificial animal zun. 

The current turquoise-glazed ceramic boar zun, however, appears to have been very closely modelled on a Shang dynasty bronze boar – cast with complex surface decoration, but without inlay – of the very rare type excavated at Chuanxingshan, Xiangtan, Hunan province, in 1981 and now in the collection of the Hunan Provincial Museum at Changsha. Like the current ceramic vessel, the Shang dynasty bronze vessel has an oval lid topped by a phoenix-shaped finial. The museum texts point out that the bronze animal has sharp tusks and is less a domesticated pig than a wild boar. However, oracle bone inscriptions found at the Shang capital state that pigs were raised by every household and were sacrificed by major households at that time. The protruding tusks have been omitted from the current ceramic vessel, no doubt because they would have been extremely prone to damage. The Zhou dynasty inlaid bronze animal illustrated in the Xiqing gujian is also without tusks.  

Christie's. Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds Including Oriental Rugs and Carpets, London, 2 May 2019