Lot 3251. A Longquan celadon bowl, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279); 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm.) diam. Estimate $5,000 – $7,000. Price realised USD 5,250. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015
The bowl is potted with deep, rounded sides, carved on the exterior with overlapping petals rising from the foot, and is covered allover with a glaze of pale sea-green tone thinning to greyish-green on the rim.
Christie's. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 15 - 16 March 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza
Lot 3259. A rare large Yaozhou celadon molded conical bowl, China, Northern Song-Jin Dynasty, 11th-12th century; 8 in. (20.4 cm.) diam. Estimate $2,000 – $3,000. Price realised USD 4,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015
The bowl has slightly rounded conical sides and is molded in the center with two cranes in flight amidst clouds and between two ribbon-tied stems of lotus leaves and flowers. The exterior is carved with simplified petals that rise to a line border, all under a slightly greyish olive-green glaze, box.
Christie's. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 15 - 16 March 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza
Lo86t 37. A large white and grey jade 'dragon' belthook, Ming dynasty; 13 cm., 5 1/8 in. Estimate 100,000 — 150,000 HKD. Lot sold 125,000 HKD (14,369 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's
worked with a dragon head terminal forming the hook, with a patch of light grey on the body of the arched shaft worked in high relief to depict a striding dragon, the underside set with a small loop, the stone of a pale celadon colour with grey inclusions.
Literature: Jiang Tao and Liu Yunhui, eds., Jades from the Hei-Chi Collection, Beijing, 2006, pp. 170-171.
Note: A related belthook was included in the exhibition Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1980, cat. no. 187; and a slightly smaller example carved in lower relief, excavated from the Xilin Pagoda, Songjiang province, is published in Jade Wares of the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing Unearthed from Shanghai, Shanghai, 2001, pl. 84.
Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 Oct 2015
Lot 3790. A yellow jade 'phoenix' belthook, Ming dynasty; 9.2 cm., 3 5/8 in. Estimate 80,000 — 100,000 HKD. Lot sold 100,000 HKD (11,496 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's
the yellow stone carved with a phoenix head terminal, the arched stem swelling to a broad body and coming to a tapered edge, set with a round knob on the underside.
Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 Oct 2015
Lot 3787. A large celadon jade 'dragon' belthook, Qing dynasty, 18th century; 12.2 cm., 4 3/4 in. Estimate 50,000 — 70,000 HKD. Lot sold 62,500 HKD (7,185 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's
well worked with a horned dragon head terminal forming the hook, with an undercut chilong clambering up the stem and grasping a leafy sprig that wraps around its slender body, the underside set with a rounded knob, the stone of a pale celadon colour with traces of russet veining.
Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 Oct 2015
Lot 3767. A 'tixi' lacquer box and cover, Ming dynasty, 15th-16th century; 6.9 cm., 2 3/4 in. Estimate 60,000 — 80,000 HKD. Lot sold 68,750 HKD (7,903 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's
of circular section, the cover deeply carved through layers of alternating black and cinnabar-red lacquer with five swirling guri pommels each conjoined to ruyi shaped scrolls all laid out around a central point, the box carved with ruyi motifs, the interior and base covered with reddish-brown lacquer.
Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 Oct 2015
Lot 3767. A cinnabar lacquer 'grapes and pomegranates' box and cover, Qing dynasty, 18th century; diameter 8.6 cm., 3 3/8 in. Estimate 100,000 — 150,000 HKD. Lot sold 112,500 HKD (12,933 EUR). Photo: Sotheby's
of compressed circular form, the domed cover carved through the red lacquer in relief with plump grapes borne on coiling vines and broad furled leaves and the exterior of the box with pomegranates among blooms, two fruits with skins bursting to reveal seeds, lacquered black on the interior.
Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 07 Oct 2015
Lot 261. A mother-of-pearl and silver-wire-inlaid three-tiered box and cover, 16th-17th century; 24.8cm (9 3/4in) high. Estimate £ 4,000-6,000. Sold for £6,250 (€ 6,982). Photo: Bonhams.
Of square form with lobed corners and covered with a reddish-brown lacquer, the cover inlaid with a scene of a boy climbing a tree giving a newly-plucked flowering branch to two companions with arms outstretched, the scene framed by a delicate band of twisted silver wire and bordered by a geometric ground above lobed floral cartouches on the sides, the box and tiers each with a lobed cartouche on each side enclosing two or three boys at play, variously riding a hobby horse, playing the flute, feeding pigs and flying butterflies on strings, the box raised on a low foot with a recessed cartouche containing a narrow landscape scene on each side, the upper and lower edges of each tier and the box edged with silver wire, the underside and interiors of plain reddish-brown lacquer.
Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 14 May 2015, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET
Lot 276. A set of four kingfisher-feather and ivory embellished panels, Late Qing Dynasty. Each 44cm (17 3/8in) wide x 62.5cm (24 5/8in) high. Estimate £ 6,000-10,000. Sold for £22,500 (€ 25,135). Photo: Bonhams.
Each composed of kingfisher-lined and painted enamel appliqués sewn onto a black velvet ground, depicting scenes of officials and elegant ladies conversing in a luxuriant fenced garden overlooking a lake, the faces and hands of the figures carved out of ivory, some architectural elements in wood, framed and glazed (4).
Note: For a similar kingfisher feather-inlaid landscape panel, 18th century, see B.Jackson, Kingfisher Blue: Treasures of an Ancient Chinese Art, Toronto, 2001, p.189; this panel was sold in these Rooms, 13 May 2010, lot 187. In particular, the author relates the use of kingfisher feathers to embellish an appliqué landscape to the sixth-century 'blue and green' school of painting which finds new popularity in the late Ming dynasty with artists like Qiu Ying (AD 1498-1552). Another similar panel, 17th or 18th century, held in the Royal Collections, Stockholm, Sweden, is illustrated ibid, p.199.
Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 14 May 2015, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET
Lot 291. An uncut silk 'Twelve Symbols' apricot yellow-ground robe, Late 19th century; 305.5cm x 151.5cm (120 7/8in x 59 5/8in). Estimate £ 7,000-10,000. Sold for £47,500 (€ 53,063). Photo: Bonhams.
The bright apricot-yellow silk finely embroidered in gold-wrapped thread to the front, back and inside flap with nine variously coiling five-clawed dragons, full-faced beneath the collar, all amidst red bats and cloud-constellations interspersed with the Twelve Symbols of Imperial Authority, all above tumultuous waves dotted with flowerheads and breaking against a rocky outcrop, and a lishui band above the hem.
Note: The embroidery of the present lot proclaims the high status of the intended wearer: the complete set of the Twelve Symbols of Imperial Authority are placed around the neck, chest and lower skirt, indicating that the robe was for an adult son of the Emperor. This is further reinforced by the use of the bright orange-yellow ground, which was reserved for sons of the Emperor.
The 'Twelve Symbols of Imperial Authority' were embroidered on the robe in concentric rings at shoulder, waist and knee height, and can be divided into various groups.
The first group of symbols is:
1. 日 (ri) the sun (containing a three-legged bird)
2. 月 (yue) the moon (containing a rabbit pounding the elixir)
3. 星晨 (xingchen) the constellation
4. 山 (shan) the mountain
Together these symbols represent the four most solemn ceremonies over which the Emperor presided throughout the year, at the Altars of the Temples of Heaven, Earth, the Sun and the Moon.
The next group of symbols is:
5. 龍 (long) the dragon
6. 花蟲 (huachong) the flowery bird (or pheasant)
These represent things on earth, and can sometimes be grouped with the mountain (no.4. above) to contrast with nos 1, 2 and 3 which relate to heavenly bodies.
The next group is:
7. 黼 (fu) the axe head
8. 黻 (fu) the confronted ji character
9. 宗彞 (zongyi) the sacrificial vessels
which were used for ancestor worship; the first two can also represent the Emperor's ability to make decisions, including judgment and punishment, and the sacrificial vessels can represent the element metal.
The final group of objects is:
10. 藻 (zao) the waterweed
11. 火 (huo) the flame
12. 粉米 (fenmi) the bowl of grain.
which together represent three of the Five Elements. The sacrificial vessels (no.9 above) could also be included in this group.
These symbols had ancient roots, with the number twelve being described by the Book of Rites (Liji) as 'the number of Heaven'. The Book of History (Shujing) suggests that the Twelve Symbols may even have existed as early as the Western Zhou Dynasty (1027-771 BC). However, S.Camman, in China's Dragon Robes, Chicago, 2001, p.85 states that 'we can be sure that they appeared on the Imperial sacrificial robes in the Han Dynasty, and they were used by all the native Chinese dynasties thereafter'. Significantly, the ethnically distinct Manchu Qing dynasty also chose to preserve such Ming and earlier customs to reinforce a sense of continuity within the empire.
Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 14 May 2015, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET
Lot 292. An uncut silk double-sided apricot yellow-ground 'nine dragons' robe, Mid 19th century; 303.5cm x 143cm (119 1/2in x 56 1/4in). Estimate £ 5,000-8,000. Sold for £20,000 (€ 22,342). Photo: Bonhams.
Finely embroidered with nine variously-coiled five-clawed blue dragons amongst constellation-clouds interspersed with pairs of catfish, wan symbols, red bats, and the Imperial symbols and another constellation, all above waves breaking against rocks issuing from a lishui band, the edges of the cloth with further embroidered lishui bands.
Note: The fine embroidery on the present lot is equally finished on both sides of the silk ground, suggesting that it would have been made up into a double-sided robe without a lining, suitable for wear during the more temperate weather of spring or autumn. Additional facings are embroidered on the yardage for attachment on the inside to re-enforce and straighten the hems and edges.
The bright orange-yellow colour of the ground suggests that the intended wearer would have been a son of the Emperor, but the placing amongst the embroidery of two of the twelve Imperial symbols (the axe and the fu character) together with a three-starred and a four-starred constellation is extremely unusual. It may be that the owner was entitled to wear some of the symbols but not all, perhaps suggestive of a quasi-Imperial rank.
The present lot is particularly noteworthy for its embroidered pairs of catfish, symbolising abundance and marital bliss. Together with other auspicious symbols, such as bats, wan symbols and peaches, representing 'ten thousand blessings' and 'long life', and the vase with halberds and a musical stone representing 'auspicious blessings', the robe is replete with blessings and hopes for happiness.
Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 14 May 2015, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET
Lot 293. Three uncut silk 'dragons' robes, Mid to late 19th century. Estimate £ 4,000-86000. Sold for £ 12,500 (€ 13,964). Photo: Bonhams.
Comprising: two similar small apricot yellow-ground nine-dragon robes, one embroidered with golden, the other with blue dragons, each 197cm x 147.5cm (77 1/2in x 58in) and 199cm x 146.5cm (78 3/8in x 57 5/8in); and a larger brown silk robe, with nine golden dragons chasing flaming pearls amidst constellation-clouds, bats and golden wan roundels, all above tumultuous waves interspersed with the bajixiang and breaking against a rocky outcrop issuing from a lishui border, 297.5cm x 144cm (117in x 56 5/8in). (3).
Note: The small size of the embroidered orange-ground silk robes suggest that they were intended for a child: most likely for a son of the Emperor other than the heir himself. Whilst a minor would not have been permitted to wear the Imperial symbols, the robes are instead richly decorated with auspicious symbols such as bats with peaches and bats with wan symbols, representing wishes for 'wealth', 'long life' and 'ten thousand blessings'.
The brown-ground of the larger robe indicates that it would have been intended for a member of the Imperial household such as a duke, marquis, or a son-in-law of the Emperor, and the high status of the intended wearer is reinforced by the presence of the five-clawed dragons. Again, auspicious symbols such as the bats and shou characters provide lively detail within the court hierarchy, and further suggest that the robe was made for a birthday celebration, probably that of the Emperor himself.
Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 14 May 2015, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET
Lot 294. An uncut blue-ground 'dragon roundels' robe, Late Qing Dynasty; 313.6cm x 154.5cm (123 1/2 in x 60 3/4in). Estimate £ 6,000-8,000. Sold for £ 47,500 (€ 53,063). Photo: Bonhams.
Finely embroidered on a blue ground with eight roundels in vibrant colours, each containing a gilt five-clawed dragon striding in pursuit of the flaming pearl amidst scrolling cloud and swirling waves, scattered with bats, lotus flowers, and Buddhist Emblems, all above the hem with precious objects emerging from foaming waves, with mark to the border reading 'Zhehang Ruizhang Zihao Neiju Benjining Chouxianzhou Tunjuan Shaduan'.
Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 14 May 2015, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET
Lot 131. A Mughal ivory-inlaid wood fall-front cabinet, Gujarat or Sindh, circa 1625-50; 35 by 53 by 38 cm. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 GBP. Lot sold 27,500 GBP. Photo Sotheby's
hardwood veneered with rosewood and inlaid with ivory, the hinged flap opening to reveal an arrangement of ten drawers inlaid with confronting birds and rams between trees, the interior of the flap featuring falconers on horseback and standing between three foliate trees with birds, dyed orange and green details, the exterior with lush trees containing flowering palmettes, birds, peacocks and a snake, with floral border, the reverse with similar design within cartouche, old collection label to underside.
Provenance: Acquired in London pre-1970.
Exhibited: Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Art and the East India Trade, 1971.
Literature: Jaffer 2002, p.44.
Note: This cabinet and a very similar cabinet in the Victoria & Albert Museum (inv. no.122-1906) are published by Amin Jaffer in Luxury Goods from India, London, 2002, pp.44-45. Jaffer writes of this piece: "The precision of the inlay work and the stylised foliage foreshadow future developments in the decoration of furniture from this centre, which come more closely into line with fashions of the imperial Mughal court, particularly in the adoption of windswept plants of a type popularized by Shah Jahan (r.1628-58)" (ibid., pp.44-45).
A cabinet of related design from the Simon Digby Collection was sold at Christie's, 7 April 2011, lot 256.
Sotheby's. The Sven Gahlin Collection, London, 06 october 2015
Lot 134. A Mughal carved ivory powder flask with fish, 17th century; 23cm. Estimate 4,000 — 6,000 GBP. Lot sold 12,500 GBP. Photo Sotheby's
composed of two sections pinned together, carved with a composite design of fantastical and aquatic creatures, both in profile and in the round, some with their upper bodies emerging from the open jaws of their predators.
Provenance: Acquired pre-1969.
Note: Ivory powder flasks carved with composite beasts were popular during the Mughal period, however the present example is unusual in the preponderance of piscine over terrestrial creatures. Related powder flasks in the Royal Danish Kunstkammer are recorded in the palace inventories of 1690 and 1737 providing an ante quem date for the larger group (see London 1982, p.135, no.440).
Sotheby's. The Sven Gahlin Collection, London, 06 october 2015
Lot 137. A carved ivory standing figure with parakeet and cup-bearer, probably Goa, 17th century; 19,2cm. Estimate 2,000 — 3,000 GBP. Lot sold 12,500 GBP. Photo Sotheby's
composed of two sections pinned together, carved with a composite design of fantastical and aquatic creatures, both in profile and in the round, some with their upper bodies emerging from the open jaws of their predators.
Provenance: David Salmon, London (David Tremayne Ltd.)
Acquired in 1969.
Note: The physiognomy and type of dress, particularly the high foreheads and the pleated skirts, relates to Goanese ivory figures of Jesus as "The Good Shepherd" produced for the Portuguese community in India in the seventeenth century; see, for example, a figure of "The Good Shepherd" in Museu Quinta das Cruzes, Madeira (inv. no.MQC 137), and another in the V&A (inv. no.A.38-1921). The inclusion of the bird in the present example points to a possible identification of the figure as Saint Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order. It was Franciscan friars who first brought Latin Christianity to Goa in 1517.
Sotheby's. The Sven Gahlin Collection, London, 06 october 2015
Lot 138. A carved ivory pen-box, Deccan, 17th century; 26.5 by 11.5 by 9cm. Estimate 4,000 — 6,000 GBP. Lot sold 12,500 GBP. Photo Sotheby's
the ivory body of rectangular form with a coffered lid, with four internal compartments, the exterior decorated with arcades of flowering plants bordered by bands of scrolling floral rosettes and palmettes, one panel showing a monkey, truncated palmette-form feet carved on the underside in low relief.
Provenance: Nicholas Woodbridge, Bath
Acquired in 1989.
Note: There is a similar pen-box in the Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin. A comparable arcade of polylobed cartouches bordered by scrolling lotus palmettes is found on a seventeenth-century Deccani box panel in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (see Pal 1981, p.80, nos.71,72).
Sotheby's. The Sven Gahlin Collection, London, 06 october 2015
Lot 122. A carved ivory comb, Sri Lanka, 18th century; 12 by 9.8cm. Estimate 3,000 — 5,000 GBP. Lot sold 7,500 GBP. Photo Sotheby's
of rectangular-form carved and pierced with a dancing girl flanked by two peacocks surrounded by foliate scrolls, bordered by narrow beading and diamond trellis bands, heightened with black and red lac, with customised collector's box.
Provenance: Winkel and Rasmussen Auctioneers, Copenhagen, 1933
Lau Sunde (1910-1979), dealer and collector of tribal and Far Eastern art, Copenhagen
Helen Schou (1905-2006), artist-sculptor and collector, Copenhagen
Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers, Copenhagen, 29 October 2009, lot 745
Galerie Eros, Copenhagen
Acquired in 2010.
Note: The diamond patterned border known as kundi rakkan was a popular decorative device found on a number of Sinhalese objects during this period. An eighteenth-century comb from The Clive Collection with the same diamond border is illustrated in Archer 1987, p.91, no.122. Another Sinhalese comb of similar design is in LACMA (see Pal 1981, p.74, no.63).
The comb passed through the hands of the Danish collector Lau Sunde (1910-1979), a dealer known for his knowledge of tribal art and his extensive collection of African and Far Eastern art. A significant part of Lau Sunde's collection was sold at auction, Bruun Rasmussen, Copenhagen, 29 October 2009. The following is a quotation from the auction catalogue:
'Even as a young man before the Second World War, Lau Sunde was a dedicated collector. Initially he collected weaponry but soon developed an interest in ethnographic art. This led to the opening of the “Etnografica” boutique in 1948, which became recognised among collectors as the only specialised boutique of its kind [in Copenhagen] at the time... Buying a piece of art from Sunde remained a mark of quality, and his pieces could easily be identified, even years after being removed from his store, due to their characteristic aroma of Sunde's cigars.' (Bruun Rasmussen auction catalogue, Copenhagen, 29 October 2009).
Sotheby's. The Sven Gahlin Collection, London, 06 october 2015
Lot 123. A carved ivory comb depicting Krishna, South India, 17th-18th century; 14.2cm. Estimate 3,000 — 5,000 GBP. Lot sold 7,500 GBP. Photo Sotheby's
carved in relief on both sides, one side depicting dancing Krishna and the reverse showing the infant Balakrishna suckling from Yashoda's breast, supported on a lotus pedestal flanked by yalis and surrounded by acanthus scrolls emanating from a kirtimuka, old collection inventory number SE5.46 in black ink.
Provenance: Spink & Son Ltd., London
Acquired in 1974.
Sotheby's. The Sven Gahlin Collection, London, 06 october 2015
Lot 3265. A copper-red-splashed Junyao bowl, Song dynasty, 12th-13th century; 6 ¾ in. (17 cm.) diam. Estimate $5,000 – $7,000. Price Realized $22,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2015
The bowl is of deep, rounded form and is covered inside and out with a glaze of turquoise-blue tone thinning to mushroom on the rim and foot. The interior is decorated with a bold cherry-red splash and the exterior with a few smaller splashes of similar color.
Provenance: Rudolph Schaeffer Collection; Christie's New York, 6 June 1985, lot 219.
Justice Ralph M. Holman (1914-2013) collection.
Christie's. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 15 - 16 March 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza