Lot 665. A Blanc-de-Chine shallow circular brush washer or narcissus bowl, 17th-18th century; 7 in. (17.7 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 2,000 - USD 3,000. Price realised USD 4,750. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

With shallow sides, the lower rim cut with three arched notches, covered inside and out with a glaze of ivory color, the flat base unglazed, two wood stands, Japanese wood box.

Provenance: Acquired in Japan in the 1970s.

Lot 666. A Dehua censer, 17th-18th century; 5 5/8 in. (14.2 cm.) across handles. Estimate USD 2,500 - USD 3,500. Price realised USD 4,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

Of bombé form, raised on a slightly flared foot and set with a pair of 'fish'-shaped handles, covered with a glaze of milk-white color that falls short on the interior to expose a white slip that stops above the unglazed center,box, wood stand.

Provenance: Edward T. Chow.
M.C. Wang Collection, China, formed through the 1940s, and thence by descent to the present owners.

Literature: H.D. Ling and E.T. Chow, Collection of Chinese Ceramics from the Hall of Leisurely Pastime, vol. II, Hong Kong, privately printed, 1950, no. 114. 

Note: The shape of the censer and the handles is based on bronze prototypes such as the two bronze censers from the collection of Yang Ping Zhen illustrated in Jin Yu Qing Yan (Golden Jade and Green Smoke), National Museum of History, Taipei, 1996, pp. 226-7, nos. 159 and 160, where the handles are described as fish-shaped. 

Lot 667. A Blanc-de-Chine heagonal tea pot and cover, 17th-18th century; 8 1/8 in. (20.7 cm.) high. Estimate USD 6,000 - USD 8,000. Price realised USD 6,250. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

The bulbous body raised on three shallow bracket supports, each facet molded with a shaped panel framing a different scene of scholarly pursuits, with square yolk handle and faceted spout, the flat cover surmounted by a buddhistic lion with a brocade ball.

Note: A similar ewer without cover is illustrated in K.S. Lo Collection in the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, Part 1, Hong Kong, 1984, no. 40. Compare, also, the ewer with similar body, but with rounded arched handle and plain curved spout, illustrated by J. Donnelley, Blanc de Chine, New York, 1967, pl. 60A; and the pair of ewers with flower-carved panels included in the exhibition, Blanc de Chine, S. Marchant and Son, London, 3 - 24 June 1994, no. 54, where it is noted that the shape and design are "reminiscent of blue and white Kraak pieces current in the 17th century".

Lot 527. Apair of parcel-gilt silver hairpins, Tang dynasty (618-907). Each 13 1/8 in. (33.2 cm.) long, total weight 42.8 g. Estimate USD 4,000 - USD 6,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

The openwork head of each hammered silver, double-pronged hairpin has a fine openwork design of a lion facing a small bird perched on top of a large feathered plume surrounded by scrolling tendrils, leather box.

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1954.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 79.

Literature: Mostra d'Arte Cinese, Venice, 1954, p. 87, pl. 282.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 133. 

Exhibited: Venice, Palazzo Ducale, Mostra d'Arte Cinese, 1954, cat. no. 282. 

Lot 540. Arare silver spherical censer, Tang dynasty (618-907); 1 5/8 in. (4.3 cm.) diam.; weight 37.5 g. Estimate USD 60,000 - USD 80,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

The globular censer is comprised of two, hinged openwork hemispheres suspended on a hooked chain. The upper hemisphere has a design of leafy, scrolling vines bearing two fruits flanked by pairs of birds, which alternate with two flowers above palmette-like leaves, while the lower hemisphere has a similar design, but no birds. The interior is fitted with a gimbaled system of rings holding a gilt-bronze cup upright irrespective of the movement of the outer sphere.

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK96.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 57.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 96.
Bo Gyllensvärd, 'T'ang Gold and Silver', Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, No. 29, Stockholm, 1957, pl. 5d, fig. 11b.
Han Wei, Hai nei wai Tangdai jin yin qi cuibian [Tang Gold and Silver in Chinese and overseas collections], Xi'an, 1989, pl. 293.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection. The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 98.
Qi Dongfang, Tangdai jin yin qi yan jiu [Research on Tang gold and silver], Beijing, 1999, pl. 92. 

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 96.
New York, Asia House Gallery, Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, 1971, cat. no. 44, an exhibition touring the United States and shown also at nine other museums. 

Note: Censer/perfumers of this type, formed as an openwork sphere pendent from a chain, were used for both secular and religious purposes during the Tang dynasty. They held a variety of aromatic substances, some to be burned as incense, others to more slowly release their scent. The interior of these censers has a gimbaled arrangement of two silver bands holding a gilt-bronze, hemispherical incense receptacle in the center in which the aromatics were placed. This mechanism insured that the receptacle would at all times remain upright. These censers were used to freshen interiors and clothes and perhaps to repel insects. For a discussion of the use of aromatics, incense and perfume in the Tang period, see E. H. Schafer, The Golden Peaches of Samarkand, University of California, 1963. 

A similar censer unearthed in 1970, Hejiacun, Xi'an, Shaanxi province, is illustrated in Tangdai jin yin qi, 1985, figs. 95 and 96, where the design and construction are fully described, and again in Selected Treasures from Hejiacun Tang Hoard, Shaanxi History Museum, Wenwu, 2003, pp. 222-25. Another similar censer, formerly in the Hakutsuru Museum, Kobe, Japan, is illustrated in Tang, Eskenazi, London, 1987, no. 1. See, also, the similar example illustrated in Chinesisches Gold und Silber: Die Sammlung Pierre Uldry, Zurich, 1994, no. 201, and the example from the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, Kansas City, illustrated by Jan Fontein and Tung Wu, Unearthing China's Past, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1973, p. 178, no. 91, where the authors note that "according to the Miscellaneous Records of the Western Capital the 'Cardan' method of suspension was already in use during the Western Han period."

Lot 541. Asmall silver circular 'bird and flower' box and cover, Tang dynasty (618-907); 1 5/8 in. (4.2 cm.) diam.; weight 38.5 g. Estimate USD 7,000 - USD 9,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019. 

The small, slightly convex box and cover are each finely chased with a central bird in flight encircled by five other birds, one standing, the others in flight amidst leafy flower stems, and the straight sides with delicate foliate scroll, all finely reserved on a minutely ring-punched ground. 

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK112.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 83. 

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, pl. 112.
Bo Gyllensvärd, ‘T’ang Gold and Silver’, Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, No. 29, Stockholm, 1957, figs. 42c, 54b, 62n, 67g.
Han Wei, Hai nei wai Tangdai jin yin qi cui bian, [Tang Gold and Silver in Chinese and overseas collections], Xi’an, 1989, pl. 219. 
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 115.  

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 112. 

 Lot 542. A miniature circular parcel-gilt silver box and cover, Tang dynasty (618-907); 7/8 in. (2.3 cm.) diam.; weight 7.8 g. Estimate USD 3,000 - USD 5,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

The slightly convex cover is chased and parcel-gilded with a central blossom from which radiates leafy stems, and the straight sides of the cover and the box are similarly decorated with foliate motifs, all on a ring-punched ground. The base of the box is flat and undecorated. 

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK92.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 82. 

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 92.
Bo Gyllensvärd, 'T'ang Gold and Silver', Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, No. 29, Stockholm, 1957, fig. 80n.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 94.  

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 92. 

Lot 544. Afinely engraved small silver 'Mandarin duck' box and cover, Tang dynasty (618-907); 1 ¾ in. (4.4 cm.) diam.; weight 37 g. Estimate USD 25,000 - USD 35,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

Both sides of the convex box are chased with a pair of confronted mandarin ducks enclosed by leafy, foliate scroll, and the upright sides with further foliate scroll, all on a ring-punched ground. 

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK94.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 42. 

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 94.
Bo Gyllensvärd, 'T'ang Gold and Silver', Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, No. 29, Stockholm, 1957, figs. 68b, 80r, 93k.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 96.  

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 94.
New York, Asia House Gallery, Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, 1971, cat. no. 42, an exhibition touring the United States and shown also at nine other museums. 

Lot 543. A silver octagonal 'Phoenix' cup, Late Tang-Liao dynasty, 9th-12th century; 2 ½ in. (6.4 cm.) high; weight 112 g. Estimate USD 8,000 - USD 12,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

The cup is finely chased with a large phoenix standing amidst leafy scrolling foliage that continues around the sides between bands of saw-tooth pattern, all on a fine ring-punched ground. The foot is similarly decorated and the base is engraved with a central flower head. The looped, leaf-shaped handle issues from a trefoil, foliate terminal attached to the side. 

Provenance: Mrs. Christian R. Holmes (1871-1941) Collection, New York.
Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK104.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 45. 

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 104.
Bo Gyllensvärd, 'T'ang Gold and Silver', Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, No. 29, Stockholm, 1957, pl. 9c, figs. 24b, 63f, 95e.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 109.
Qi Dongfang, Tangdai jin yin qi yan jiu [Research on Tang gold and silver], Beijing, 1999, p. 349, fig. 3-49.  

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 104. 

Lot 510. An amber and straw-glazed painted pottery figure of a horse, Tang dynasty (618-907); 14 in. (35.6 cm.) long. Estimate USD 10,000 - USD 15,000. Price realised USD 18,750. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

Standing foursquare with head turned slightly to the left, the pricked ears, mane and tip of the tail covered in an amber glaze running down the crisply modeled face and muscular neck, the body covered in a transparent straw glaze, the saddle with orange pigment and the saddle blanket left unglazed revealing the buff ware. 

Provenance: Christie's, London, 15 June 1998, lot 61.
The Dr. Anton C.R. Dreesmann Collection; Christie's, London, 10 April 2002, lot 287.

 Lot 512. A massive well-modeled chestnut and cream-glazed pottery figure of a Bactrian camel, Tang dynasty (618-907); 33¼ in. (84.4 cm.) high. Estimate USD 10,000 - USD 15,000. Price realised USD 18,750. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

Shown striding with head thrown up and back, its mouth open in a bray revealing long pointed teeth and tongue, the tall humps swaying to either side of the body, the areas of heavy hair deeply scored and textured beneath a cream-colored glaze draining in areas onto the chestnut-glazed body.

EDINBURGH.- A major exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland this summer tells the fascinating story of how tartan, bagpipes and rugged, wild landscapes became established as enduring, internationally recognised symbols of Scottish identity and how Scotland became established in the popular imagination as a land of wilderness, heroism and history. 

Wild and Majestic: Romantic Visions of Scotland spans the period from the final defeat of the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 to the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. The exhibition explores the efforts made to preserve and revive Highland traditions in the wake of post-Jacobite persecution, depopulation and rapid socio-economic change. It shows how Scotland’s relationship with the European Romantic movement transformed external perceptions of the Highlands and was central to the birth of tourism in Scotland. These developments would in turn influence the relationship between the Hanoverian royal family and Scotland, particularly George IV and, later, Queen Victoria. 

Over 300 objects are on display, drawn from the collections of National Museums Scotland and 38 lenders across the UK. The objects tell a story with a stellar cast, including Queen Victoria and Prince Albert; King George IV; Sir Walter Scott; Robert Burns; JMW Turner; Henry Raeburn; Felix Mendelssohn; William and Dorothy Wordsworth; Ludwig Van Beethoven and Lord Byron, whose 1807 poem Lachin y Gair (Lochnagar) is quoted in the exhibition’s title. Prominent Highlanders featured include the Ossian author-translator James Macpherson, the soldier-historian David Stewart of Garth, the clan chief Mac Mhic Alasdair (Alasdair Macdonnel of Glengarry), and the folklorists Alasdair Gilleasbaig MacGilleMhìcheil (Alexander Carmichael) and Iain Òg Ìle (John Campbell of Islay).

 Richard Waitt (active 1708 - died 1733), Piper to the Laird of Grant, 1714© National Museums Scotland

Dr Patrick Watt, exhibition curator, said: “This is a contested, complex history, and also a fascinating one. There are competing claims, still, over the extent to which those symbols of Scotland we see today are Romantic inventions, or authentic expressions of an ancient cultural identity. 

"Using material evidence, we examine the origins and development of the dress, music, and art which made up the Highland image. We show how cultural traditions were preserved, idealised and reshaped to suit contemporary tastes against a background of political agendas, and economic and social change.” 

Pompeo Battoni (1718-1787), Colonel William Gordon of Fyvie (1736–1816), 1766, oil on canvas, H 289.5 x W 217 cm, 84.16. © National Trust for Scotland, Fyvie Castle. 

Through rich displays reflecting the colour and flamboyance of the Highland image, visitors encounter key developments such as the Ossian controversy, the over-turning of the ban on Highland dress, the pageantry around King George IV’s visit to Edinburgh in 1822, the Highland tourism boom, and the creation of a Romantic idyll for Queen Victoria at Balmoral. 

National Museums Scotland has partnered with Sabhal Mòr Ostaig College on Skye, part of the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), on the production of content for the major summer exhibition. Throughout the exhibition, the influence of Gaelic language and culture, and the impact of these developments on it is being shown through objects, text and film. The primary exhibition text are presented in both English and Gaelic.

George Romney (1734-1802), Portrait of Jane Maxwell, Duchess of Gordon, c 1749 - 1812. Wife of the 4th Duke of Gordon (With her son, George Duncan, 1770 - 1836. Marquess of Huntly, later 5th Duke of Gordon. General), 1778, oil on canvas, 126.40 x 102.50 cm, PG 2208. © National Galleries of Scotland

The Romantic period undoubtedly coloured perceptions, both at the time and to this day to the extent that the popular images of Highland culture are sometimes dismissed as a 19th century fabrication. However, the exhibition stresses the deep historical roots underpinning the Romantic image. The heritage of clan tartans is introduced in portraiture in the extravagant dress of the Laird of Grant’s piper and champion painted by Richard Waitt in 1714. The bagpiping tradition is introduced by oldest known Scottish chanter, which belonged to Iain Dall Mackay, a piper and composer born on Skye in 1656.

Following the final defeat of the Jacobites in 1746 at the Battle of Culloden, there were reprisals across the Highlands. The power of the Clans was dismantled, male civilians were banned from wearing Highland dress, and Gaelic culture was disparaged, The ban on tartan did not apply to those men who enlisted in the newly raised Highland Regiments of the British Army.. The heroic image of the tartan-clad Highland soldier went on to become an icon of the military power of the British Empire, and the ideal of the heroic Highland warrior would recur throughout the nineteenth century. 

John Knox, Landscape with Tourists at Loch Katrin, 1815, oil on canvas, 90.00 x 125.00 cm, NG 2557 © National Galleries of Scotland.

In the 1760s the literary culture of the Scottish Highlands and Islands was introduced to the world. Highland schoolmaster and poet, James Macpherson, claimed to have researched, collected and translated the fragments of ancient poetry of Ossian, a legendary 3rd century Gaelic bard. Despite a raging controversy over its authenticity, MacPherson’s work was translated into multiple languages and admired by many influential European writers, artists and composers. A first edition volume is being shown, as well as artwork inspired by Ossian, and the Red Book of Clanranald, one of the Gaelic manuscript sources Macpherson consulted. Robert Burns travelled the Highlands, looking for poetic inspiration. His publisher, George Thomson, commissioned major European composers to set Scottish songs to music, including a version of Burns’ Highland Harry scored in the original hand of Ludwig Van Beethoven. 

From the late 18th century, visitors were drawn to Scotland in increasing numbers, attracted to locations depicted in romantic paintings, prints and literature. Many artists, writers and musicians visited, often on personal pilgrimages inspired by the lasting influence of Ossian, or the fame of Burns, Sir Walter Scott and others. Works by major figures, including Wordsworth, Turner and Mendelssohn – all of whom met with Scott during their travels - inspired more people to seek out the places evoked in music, art and literature for themselves., Dorothy Wordsworth’s travel journal, Mendelssohn’s sketchbook and his original score of the Hebrides Overture, and a silver urn gifted from Byron to Scott after the two literary giants met in 1815 all feature in the exhibition. 

Sir Edwin Landseer, The Monarch of the Glen, about 1851, oil on canvas, 163.80 x 168.90 cm, NG 2881 © National Galleries of Scotland. 

Seeing change all around them, influential Highlanders made efforts to preserve elements of traditional Gaelic culture, even as they promoted a new rural economy whose human impact we now know as the Highland Clearances. The exhibition looks at the early Highland societies, and their material legacies, including the standardisation of the Great Highland Bagpipe which we know today, and the codification of clan tartans, through the first gathered samples dating to 1815. The Highland Society of London championed the image of the Highland soldier, commemorating military exploits through the commissioning of medals and trophies, and successfully campaigned for the repeal of the legal ban on Highland dress in 1782. The Repeal of the Act of Proscription was issued in both English and Gaelic, and the Gaelic version is being shown. 

With the Jacobite cause extinguished as a political and military threat, the Hanoverian Royalty began to embrace and champion their own Stuart lineage, and gestures were made towards healing the divisions of the previous century. This was shown most vividly in the Highland pageantry associated with the events stage-managed by Sir Walter Scott during King George IV’s visit to Edinburgh in 1822. A parade of ceremonial costume give a flavour of this spectacular, if controversial, event along with contemporary accounts and the tartans and weaponry which Sir Walter Scott encouraged people to wear for the occasion. 

Horatio McCulloch, an unidentified painting showing deer and stags standing on the rocky terrain of Glencoe, Scotland, 1864. Photo: Buyenlarge/Getty Images

It was the young Queen Victoria who took this royal fascination to new heights. Following a series of royal visits to the Highlands, the Queen and Prince Albert acquired the Balmoral estate. Later, with the death of Prince Albert, the estate became a Highland retreat from the realities of court and government for Queen Victoria. Balmoral helped to ensure that the ideal of the Scottish Highlands which emerged from the culture and politics of the late 18th century would endure, even as fashions and attitudes to history changed. Among the objects on display are a tartan dress worn by a young Victoria, a brooch she gifted to famed piper John Ban Mackenzie and a mourning pin she had made to commemorate her Highland servant, friend and confidant John Brown.

The Red Book of Clanranald, written in Gaelic by the bards of Clanranald in the 17th and 18th centuries, containing poems and the traditional genealogy and history of the Macdonalds, one of the manuscripts which James McPherson consulted whilst researching Ossian. © National Museums Scotland

Basket hilted broadsword presented to Lieutenant Colonel David Stewart of Garth 1808 by officers of the battalion and worn by him during King George IV's visit to Edinburgh.© National Museums Scotland

Ledgers of tartan samples formed by the Highland Society of London, c. 1820.

The Royal Company of Archers was the official King’s Body Guard during the royal visit. Their uniform, pictured here, was redesigned for the event to appear more romantic, with puffed sleeves, a large neck ruff and eagle feathers fixed to the bonnet brim. © National Museums Scotland

Part of the uniform of a member of the Royal Company of Archers, c. 1820. © National Museums Scotland

Sword of MacGregor of MacGregor, worn at 1822 visit Scottish, Edinburgh, probably by Marshall and Son, c. 1822. © National Museums Scotland

Glass used at the banquet given in honour of George IV during his visit to Edinburgh in 1822. © National Museums Scotland

Woman's high-waisted dress of silk, with a lace-trimmed bodice and a band of white satin on the skirt, worn by Mrs Macpherson of Cluny: Scottish, 1832. © National Museums Scotland

Set of Highland bagpipes of laburnum, silver and ivory mounted, with Royal Stewart tartan cover, Edinburgh, c 1850. © National Museums Scotland

Silver plaid brooch set with a cairngorm in the centre and a ring of sixteen carbuncles round it, worn by the chiefs of Clanranald, mid-19th century. © National Museums Scotland

Highland dress outfit once belonging to John Brown servant to Queen Victoria. © National Museums Scotland, courtesy of The Scottish Tartans Authority.

Lot 725. A very rare clair-de-lune-glazed jar, zun, Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1662-1722); 4 3/8 in. (11.3 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 20,000 - USD 30,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019

The vessel is flanked by a pair of animal-mask handles and covered overall with a pale blue glaze suffused with fine crackles.

Provenance: Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858–1937) Collection, Chicago, before 1924.
The Art Institute of Chicago, accessioned as the Collection of Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in 1924. 

Note: Clair-de-lune-glazed wares were highly prized in the Qing dynasty and the color was strictly reserved for imperial porcelain. The glaze was first developed in the Xuande (1426-1435) period, as evidenced by the excavated Xuande-marked stem bowl illustrated by S. Liang, Yuan’s and Ming’s Imperial Porcelains Unearthed from Jingdezhen, Beijing, 1999, p. 256, no. 257. The glaze did not gain prominence until the Kangxi period, when it was used mostly for scholar’s objects.  

Lot 726. A peachbloom-glazed brush washer, tangluoxi, Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1662-1722); 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 40,000 - USD 60,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019

The compressed globular body is covered on the exterior with a glaze of soft rose color suffused with pale green speckles and thins to a pale pink tone on one side of the body. The interior and base are glazed white.

Provenance: Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858–1937) Collection, Chicago, before 1926.
The Art Institute of Chicago, accessioned as the Collection of Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in 1926. 

Lot 727. A peachbloom-glazed domed waterpot, taibai zun, Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1662-1722); 4 7/8 in. (12.3 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 80,000 - USD 120,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019

The domed body is incised with three archaistic dragon roundels and is covered with a glaze of mottled greyish-pink color shading to a darker grey above the foot.

Provenance: Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858–1937) Collection, Chicago, before 1926.
The Art Institute of Chicago, accessioned as the Collection of Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in 1926. 

Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858-1937)
Once known as ‘Chicago's Grandest Spinster,’ Kate Sturges Buckingham, who inherited her family’s great fortune made from grain elevators, banking, and real estate, was one of the wealthiest women in America during her time, and also perhaps one of the most generous. 
Kate Buckingham’s association with The Art Institute of Chicago developed side by side with her brother Clarence Buckingham (1854-1913), who was a successful banker, as well as a governing member and a trustee of the museum. Clarence became an avid collector of Japanese prints, inspired and advised by the Japanese art curator Frederick W. Gookin, and architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Kate, on the other hand, turned her attention to Chinese art. Records show that her earliest purchases (later gifted to The Art Institute) were snuff bottles, acquired originally to please her sister, Lucy Maud (1870-1920) who suffered from poor health. White was Lucy’s favorite color, and many white wares in her collection were acquired for this reason. Kate’s own collecting taste developed in many directions, encompassing Chinese archaic ritual bronzes and ceramics as well as gothic and medieval art. 

Note: Water pots of this form are known as taibai zun, after the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai, who is often depicted leaning against a large wine jar of similar form. They are also known as jizhao zun because their shape resembles basketware chicken coops that are woven with small openings at the top through which the chicks are fed.   

Lot 728. A peachbloom-glazed brush washer, tangluo xi, Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1662-1722); 4 5/8 in. (11.6 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 30,000 - USD 50,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019

The compressed globular body is covered on the exterior with a glaze of mottled pale greyish-pink tone suffused with scattered green speckles. The interior and base are white..

Provenance: Kate Sturges Buckingham (1858–1937) Collection, Chicago, before 1926.
The Art Institute of Chicago, accessioned as the Collection of Lucy Maud Buckingham (1870-1920) in 1926. 

Note: For discussion of peachbloom glaze and form of these brush washers(tangluo xi), see the footnote to lot 726. 

Lot 729. A peachbloom-glazed vase, liuye zun, Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1662-1722); 5 1/8 in. (13.1 cm.) high. Estimate USD 40,000 - USD 60,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019

The vase has an elegant, tapering, high-shouldered body covered in a glaze of pale greyish-pink color with some areas of moss-green mottling on the interior of the mouth.

Provenance: Sarah G. Larson Collection.
The Art Institute of Chicago, accessioned in 1980. 

Note: The shape of this vase is sometimes described as Guanyin ping, referring to the shape of the vase held by many figures of Guanyin, and said to contain ambrosia or magic elixir. It is also known as liuye zun, 'willow-leaf vase', owing to its elegant form which resembles that of a willow leaf. 

Similar Kangxi-period amphore are in major institutions worldwide including the Palace Museum, Beijing; the Shanghai Museum; the National Palace Museum, Taipei; and the Baur Collection, Geneva. See, also, the example from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art included in the sale Collected in America: Chinese Ceramics from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Christie's New York, 15 September 2016, lot 918. This vase was formerly in the Mary Stillman Harkness (1874-1952) Collection.

For a discussion on peachbloom glaze, see the footnote to lot 726. 

Lot 636. A peachbloom-glazed brush washer, tangluoxi, Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1662-1722); 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 30,000 - USD 40,000. Price realised USD 157,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

The compressed globular body covered on the exterior with a glaze of crushed strawberry tone with minute brown spots (jiangdou hong) in contrast to the white rim and interior, wood stand, box.

Provenance: Edward T. Chow.
M.C. Wang Collection, China, formed through the 1940s, and thence by descent to the present owners. 

Literature: H.D. Ling and E.T. Chow, Collection of Chinese Ceramics from the Hall of Leisurely Pastime, vol. II, Hong Kong, privately printed, 1950, one of no. 120 in the catalogue. 

Note: This type of brush washer is described as of 'gong' shape or tangluo xi, as it has a very compressed body.

This washer belongs to an exclusive group of eight vessel shapes that are covered in this extremely desirable peachbloom glaze. Known as the ba da ma or 'Eight Great Numbers', the sets were especially devised in these classic forms to serve as requisite appointments for the Emperor's writing table. Complete sets are extremely rare, with one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated by S. Valenstein, The Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989, rev. ed., p. 237; and another from the Jingguantang Collection, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 3 November 1996, lot 557 and now in the Baur Collection, Geneva.

Similar brush washers have been widely published and are in numerous public and private collections. John Ayers in the transcript of his lecture, "The 'Peachbloom' Wares of the Kangxi period (1662-1722)", TOCS, vol. 64, 1999-2000, pp. 31-50, provides a thorough discussion of peachbloom wares, as well as wares of similar shape with pale celadon and pale blue glazes. He notes that Stephen Bushell in Oriental Ceramic Art, new edition, London, 1981, describes various shades of the peachbloom glaze, one of which is jiangdou hong (bean red), "in an allusion to the small Chinese kidney bean, with its variegated pink colour and brown spots". He goes on to suggest, p. 49, that these wares, rather than having been made exclusively for the use of the Kangxi emperor, may have been presented as gifts to members of the court on important court occasions.

Whatever the case may be, these wares have always been and continue to be highly prized.

Lot 648. A rare anhua-decorated white bowl, Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1662-1722); 6¼ in. (16.9 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 3,000 - USD 4,000. Price realised USD 3,750. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

With deep rounded sides, the exterior incised under the glaze with two five-clawed scaly dragons pursuing flaming pearls.

Provenance: Stephen Junkunc, III. 

Note: A very similar bowl is illustrated by J. Ayers in the Baur Collection, vol. III, Geneva, 1972, no. A408; one in the McElney Collection was included in the exhibition, Porcelain of High Qing, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, 1983, no. 32; and another included in the Min Chiu Society exhibition, Monochrome Ceramics, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1977, no. 134, was later sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8 October 1990, lot 603. 

Lot 654. A fine peachbloom-glazed brush washer, tangluo xi, Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1662-1722); 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 30,000 - USD 40,000. Price realised USD 169,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

The compressed globular body covered on the exterior with a glaze of crushed strawberry tone with tiny areas of mushroom color, with white rim and interior, wood stand.

Provenance: Edward T. Chow.
M.C. Wang Collection, China, formed through the 1940s, and thence by descent to the present owners. 

Literature: H.D. Ling and E.T. Chow, Collection of Chinese Ceramics from the Hall of Leisurely Pastime, vol. II, Hong Kong, privately printed, 1950, one of no. 120 in the catalogue. 

Lot 656. A rare clair-de-lune-glazed water pot, Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1662-1722); 4 1/8 in. (10.4 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 20,000 - USD 30,000. Price realised USD 115,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

The tapering, bulbous body with an inverted rim, covered overall and in the interior with a glaze of even pale-blue tone stopping neatly above the foot, the base glazed white. 

Provenance: Yamanaka & Co., 1940s. 

Note: The soft, gentle hue of clair-de-lune is one of the most treasured Qing glazes, and was reserved exclusively for Imperial porcelains. Clair-de-lune-glazed wares were made in the same eight classic shapes for the writing table, ba da ma, or 'Eight Great Numbers', as peachbloom-glazed wares, but are considerably more rare. For a discussion of these wares, see J. Ayers, "The 'Peachbloom' Wares of the Kangxi period (1662-1722)", T.O.C.S., 1999-2000, vol. 64, pp. 31-50, where a clair-de-lune water pot in the Baur Collection, is illustrated p. 48, fig. 36(R).

Two Kangxi-marked claire-de-lune water pots were sold Sotheby's, New York, 15 September 1999, lot 84, and Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 1 November 1999, lot 339, where it is noted that four claire-de-lune water pots from the Widener collection are now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., published in the Gallery's Systematic Catalogue, Decorative Arts, part II, 1998, pp. 93-7. Other examples may be found in the Shanghai Museum, published in Kangxi Porcelain Ware from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1998, pl. 216; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, illustrated by S. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989, rev. ed., pl. 240; and one illustrated by J. Ayers in The Baur Collection, Geneva, Chinese Ceramics, vol. III, London, 1972, no. A319.

Lot 576. A rare gold 'kalavinka' hairpin ornament, Liao dynasty (AD 907-1125); 2 in. (5.1 cm) wide; weight 6.1 g. Estimate USD 8,000 - USD 12,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

The front of the ornament is shaped in repoussé as a bejeweled kalavinka, its hands crossed in front of the chest as it floats amidst clouds. All of the outlines are beaded and it is soldered to a plain gold back. 

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK35.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 87.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 35.
Bo Gyllensvärd, 'T'ang Gold and Silver', Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, No. 29, Stockholm, 1957, fig. 82b.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 33.

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 35.

Note: This rare gold ornament is in the form of a kalavinka, a winged celestial being that is half woman- half bird. This unusual being can be seen as the central decoration of several gold and silver bowls dated to the Liao dynasty and illustrated in Chinesisches Gold und Silber: Die Sammlung Pierre Uldry, Zürich, 1994, pp. 215-16, pls. 244-247. Like the present figure, the kalavinkas on the bowls have feathered wings and bodies and the hair is worn in a topknot. Based on its size and construction, it is likely that the present gold ornament is the head or terminal of a gold hairpin. Such a terminal, in the shape of Xiwangmu seated on a phoenix, can be seen on a gold hairpin dated to the Song dynasty illustrated by Julia M. White and Emma C. Bunker, Adornment for Eternity: Status and Rank in Chinese Ornament, Denver Art Museum, 1994, p. 181, pl. 93. 

A very similar gold ornament in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, was included in the exhibition, The Art of the T'ang Dynasty, Los Angeles County Museum, 1957, no. 303, and was also included in the exhibition, Early Chinese Gold and Silver, China House Gallery, China Institute in America, New York 1971, no. 31. In Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, p. 89, no. 35, Bo Gyllensvärd notes that a similar pair, in the full round, is in the collection of The Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Lot 587. A small silver reliquary, 10th century; 4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm.) long; weight 132 g. Estimate USD 4,000 - USD 6,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.

The reliquary is shaped as a miniature coffin engraved on each side with a striding dragon and a flower on each end. The cover is decorated with four birds in flight amidst scattered scrolling clouds.

Provenance: Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953.
Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 101.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat. no. 144.
Han Wei, Hai nei wai Tangdai jin yin qi cuibian [Tang Gold and Silver in Chinese and overseas collections], Xi'an, 1989, pl. 327.

Exhibited: Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, 1954-55, cat. no. 144.

Note: Reliquaries of this type, made in the shape of a coffin or stone sarcophagus, were produced in various precious materials including gold, silver, crystal and jade during the Tang dynasty. The coffin-shaped reliquaries were made to hold sacred relics and were made in various sizes so that they could be fitted one within the other. Examples of this are the two small coffin-shaped caskets found in the Famen Temple, Shaanxi province in 1987. The larger of the two, 10.5 cm. long, is made of crystal, and the smaller, 6.5 cm. long, which fits inside, is made of jade. It was this latter reliquary that was said to hold Buddha's finger bone. These two reliquaries were contained within three other caskets of square shape: iron, gilt-silver and sandalwood, all of diminishing size, with the outer iron casket 22 x 22 cm. in size. All of the aforementioned, except for the sandalwood casket, are illustrated by Carol Michaelson in Gilded Dragons: Buried Treasures from China's Golden Ages, The British Museum, 1999, pp. 160-62, nos. 117-120. Two small parcel-gilt silver coffin-shaped reliquaries also found in the Famen Temple are illustrated by Zhang Tinghao, ed., Famen Temple, Shaanxi, 1990, pp. 83 and 87.

Lot 525. A very rare sancai-glazed pottery 'dragon-fish' ewer, Liao dynasty (907-1125); 12¾ in. (32.3 cm.) long. Estimate USD 20,000 - USD 30,000. Price realised USD 25,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008. 

The vessel crisply molded as a dragon-fish cradled within the open petals of a lotus flower and grasping a pearl in its mouth, the handle of the vessel set between the wings and tail and formed by the undulating trail of a swirling cloud, the details picked out in amber, green and straw glazes.

Ornans - Pour célébrer le Bicentenaire de la naissance de Gustave Courbet, il fallait nécessairement, après avoir rappelé tout ce que l’art doit à la liberté esthétique que le peintre a su imposer en son temps, montrer combien il reste une référence pour les artistes d’aujourd’hui.

Et c’est Yan Pei-Ming, peintre contemporain et internationalement reconnu, qui se confrontera à une dizaine d’œuvres majeures du maître d’Ornans. C’est d’ailleurs dans l’atelier de Courbet à Ornans – actuellement en cours de restauration – que Yan Pei-Ming réalisera à partir du mois de mars 2019 les toiles qui viendront relever le défi d’un face-à-face.

L’exposition Yan Pei-Ming face à Courbet s’attachera à traduire les multiples connivences artistiques entre ces deux peintres à quelque six générations d’écart.

Néà Shangaï en 1960, Yan Pei-Ming arrive en France en 1980 et suit l’enseignement de l’École des Beaux-Arts de Dijon. La peinture est alors considérée comme un médium dépassé mais Yan Pei-Ming trace sa voie à contre-courant, persistant dans la représentation

d’immenses portraits. Il s’impose par la force de sa peinture énergique et sensible tout à la fois.

Il y a dans la manière d’être et de peindre de Yan Pei-Ming bien des points communs avec Courbet, un geste large et sûr, une bataille livrée sur de grands formats et toujours une densitéémotionnelle que l’artiste sait cacher sous son apparence sereine et joyeuse.

Yan Pei-Ming, Portrait de Ming, 2019, huile sur toile, 400x300cm. Photographe: André Morin ©Yan Pei-Ming, ADAGP, Paris, 2019

Yan Pei-Ming, Portrait de Gustave Courbet, 2019, huile sur toile, 150x150cm. Photographe: André Morin ©Yan Pei-Ming, ADAGP, Paris, 2019

Yan Pei-Ming, Atelier Courbet, Ornans, 2019. Photographe: André Morin ©Yan Pei-Ming, ADAGP, Paris, 2019.

Yan Pei-Ming, Atelier Courbet, Ornans, 2019. Photographe: André Morin ©Yan Pei-Ming, ADAGP, Paris, 2019.

Lot 327. A rare mother-of-pearl-inlaid black lacquer brush, Ming dynasty (1368-1644); 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm.) long. Estimate USD 10,000 - USD 15,000. Price realised USD 10,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

The handle of the brush and the cover inlaid with cell-diaper pattern between narrow borders of dots, the waisted hilt of the brush inlaid with chrysanthemum petals at the end, and the end of the cover inlaid with a flower head.

Lot 338. A large parcel-gilt bronze tripod censer and cover, Ming dynasty, 16th century; 26 in. (66 cm.) high. Estimate USD 25,000 - USD 35,000. Price realised USD 133,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

The bulbous body raised on three cabriole and lion mask supports, cast around the sides with cranes flanking shou characters alternating with wan emblems positioned abovelingzhi sprigs rising from a rock and wave border, with further shou characters below each of the curved upright handles, with a band of bosses between diaper borders on the neck and classic scroll encircling the side of the everted rim, the copper cover with three rounded, stepped registers, the lowest pierced with the Eight Trigrams, the middle withwan emblems and the upper with cash symbols, all below a bud-form finial, traces of gilding overall.

Lot 345. A carved red lacquer rectangular box and cover, Jiajing six-character incised and gilded mark and of the period (1522-1566); 26 in. (66 cm.) high. Estimate USD 8,000 - USD 12,000. Price realised USD 157,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

The top finely carved with two birds, one perched on a branch of flowering and fruiting pomegranate, the other on another flowering branch, the branches emerging from around a pierced rock, with further flowering branches on the sides of the cover and box, all reserved on a star diaper ground, interior and base lacquered black and fitted with a removable tray, the gilt-filled mark inscribed on the base, Japanese wood box.

Lot 346. A rare four-tiered square lacquer box and cover, Ming dynasty, 16th century; 7 in. (17.8 cm.) high. Estimate USD 50,000 - USD 70,000. Price realised USD 55,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

The cover carved with a scene of two scholars playing weiqi in an open pavilion beside a lotus pond where two ducks swim near a young attendant holding a lotus flower as he approaches the pavilion on a narrow walkway, above panels of various flowers including chrysanthemum, peony, lotus and rose on the sides, Japanese wood box.

Lot 372. A rare huanghuali and nanmu wine table, jiuzhuo, 16th-17th century; 34 1/8 in. (86.7 cm.) high, 41 in. (104.1 cm.) wide, 29 5/8 in. (75.3 cm.) deep. Estimate USD 90,000 - USD 120,000. Price realised USD 217,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

The attractive large nanmu burl panel set into the broad rectangular huanghuali frame, with beaded 'ice-plate' edge above the wide, beaded undulating single-panel apron, the slightly splayed legs of circular section joined on the long sides by humpback stretchers and on the narrow sides by pairs of plain oval stretchers.

Lot 378. A huanghuali waisted corner-leg table, zhuo, 17th century; 34 3/8 in. (87.2 cm.) high, 62 5/16 in. (158.3 cm.) wide, 23 in. (58.4 cm.) deep. Estimate USD 70,000 - USD 90,000. Price realised USD 169,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

The large single-panel top enclosed within a broad frame with fluted edge, supported on a narrow waist and beaded apron flush with the legs of square section joined by humpback stretchers and terminating in hoof feet.

Note: Compare the slightly smaller table of similar style and proportions, dated to the 16th century, illustrated by R.H. Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture, New York, 1971, pl. 66.

Lot 382. A small huanghuali waisted corner-leg table, banzhuo, 17th century; 30½ in. (76.2 cm.) high, 36 1/8 in. (91.8 cm.) wide, 18 1/8 in. (45.9 cm.) deep. Estimate USD 50,000 - USD 70,000. Price realised USD 127,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

The single-panel top enclosed within a broad frame with 'ice-plate' edge, set on a narrow waist above the beaded apron flush with square legs terminating in hoofed feet.

Note: Compare a similar small huanghuali side table with puddingstone top, dated to the 16th or 17th century, illustrated by G. W. Bruce, Dreams of Chu Tan Chamber and the Romance with Huanghuali Wood: The Dr. S.Y. Yip Collection of Classic Chinese Furniture, Hong Kong, 1991, pp. 54-5, no. 16, where it is noted that this elegant form "relies entirely on the delicacy of its proportions for its beauty." 

Lot 375. A zitan and wumu tapered cabinet, yuanjiaogui, 17th-18th century; 46½ in. (118.6 cm.) high, 30 in. (76 cm.) wide, 16 in. (41 cm.) deep. Estimate USD 40,000 - USD 60,000. Price realised USD 229,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

The protruding round-cornered top supported on slightly splayed corner posts of round section, enclosing the rectangular-panel doors opening from the removable center stile, the interior fitted with two shelves and a pair of drawers, all above the plain narrow apron and apron-head spandrels, the darker color of the wumu frame forming an attractive contrast with the zitan panels.

Provenance: Christie's, New York, The Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Piccus Collection of Fine Classical Chinese Furniture, 18 September 1997, lot 25. 

Note: Because it was costly and only grew to a small diameter, wumu, or ebony, was rarely used as a structural material in Chinese furniture, but, rather, as a decorative element. This is seen, for example, in the four-shelf huanghuali bookcase with ebony railings illustrated by Wang Shixiang and C. Evarts, Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, p. 122, no. 57, sold in these rooms, 19 September 1996, lot 80.

The present example, which combines wumu for the framework and the equally prized zitan for the broader panel elements, ranks as a fine example of the subtle way the skilled craftsmen would combine rare materials to create an effect that would be most appreciated by the scholar collector.

Lot 381. A pair of jumu tapered cabinets, yuanjiaogui, 17th-18th century; 67½ in. (172 cm.) high, 35 7/8 (91 cm.) wide, 18½ in. (47 cm.) deep. Estimate USD 15,000 - USD 25,000. Price realised USD 32,200. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

Elegantly proportioned, the protruding top with fluted edge set on slightly splayed, fluted corner posts enclosing the single-board recessed panel doors, opening on wood hinges from the removable center stile to reveal two drawers with chrysanthemum-form plates and pulls, above a simple apron and short spandrels, the doors with three-part lock plate and pulls.

Provenance: Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Piccus Collection.

Note: A similar pair of tapered cabinets, but with stylized spandrels, is illustrated by Wang Shixiang et. al., Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1990, vol. II, p. 151, no. D23. 

Lot 569. A Longquan celadon dish, Ming Dynasty, 14th-15th century; 13 3/8 in. (34 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 10,000 - USD 15,000. Price realised USD 18,750. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

With shallow sides rising to a rounded rim, covered overall in an unctuous glaze of even sea-green color continuing over the foot rim, where an unglazed ring on the base has fired to an orange color.

Note: A larger Longquan celadon dish (68.5 cm.) of this striking type, also undecorated and relying solely on the beauty of the glaze, is in the Idemitsu Museum, illustrated in Gen Min no Toji, Tokyo, 1977, no. 157. Another larger similar example (56.3 cm.), dated to the Hongwu period, was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 29 May 2007, lot 1478. See, also, another larger (50.8 cm.) example, dated to the Yuan or Ming dynasty, sold Sotheby's, New York, 21-22 September 2005, lot 62.

Lot 572. A large carved Longquan celadon dish, Ming Dynasty, 15th-16th century; 18 7/16 in. (46.8 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 15,000 - USD 18,000. Price realised USD 17,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2008.

Heavily potted and fluidly carved in the center with a large lotus blossom and leaf supported on curved stalks with sinuous, curling leafy tendrils above a wave ground, all contained within a combed bracket-lobed reserve, the cavetto carved with a continuous band of lotus scroll, covered overall with a glaze of pale olive-green tone which continues over the foot, the convex base with a broad unglazed circle burnt orange in the firing, Japanese wood box.