Lot 1. A rare gold repoussé'phoenix' panel, Liao Dynasty; 32.5cm (12 3/4in) wide. Sold for HK$ 377,500 (€ 39,898).© Bonhams

The foliate panel decorated at one side in repoussé with two confronted phoenixes amidst floral sprays on a finely-ring-punched ground, all within a scroll border and ruyi band, the reverse of the panel pinned onto a later wood board.

Note: The form and the decorative motifs of this very rare gold panel seem to be closely related the gold and silver wares of the nomadic Khitan Empire. Compare a closely related silver and parcel gilt repoussé'double-phoenix' pillow, excavated in 1986 from the tomb of a Princess of Chen and her husband in Tongliao, Inner Mongolia, illustrated in zhongguo jinyin boli falangqi quanji: Gold and Silver ware 2, Hebei, 2004, p.175, pl.316. The foliate-form and similar motifs are also seen on a group of gilt silver objects known as 'han yao' or waist ornaments excavated in the same area, one such example is illustrated in ibid., p.187, pl.338. See also a related example of a gilt silver repousse headdress, Liao dynasty, decorated with two dragons confronting a flaming pearl, in the Inner Mongolia Museum, illustrated in ibid., p.192, pl.347 showing a similar foliate-form border and a similar shape.

Lot 2. A pair of gold phoenix hairpins, fengchai, Liao Dynasty; 13.3cm (5 1/4in) long. Sold for HK$ 31,875 (€ 3,368). © Bonhams

Each bird with uplifted wings and long tail plumage, standing on a flower-head platform issuing from a curving stem splitting into two prongs through a rolled leaf with indented detail.

Note: Some decorative designs on gold jewellery during the Song and Yuan dynasties were inspired by known paintings or embroidery work; see related discussion by Z.S.Yang, Shehuazhise: Song Yuan Ming jinyinqi yanjiu (The Study of Gold and Silver Wares in the Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties), Beijing, 2010, vol.1 p.92. Compare with a hairpin decorated with a long-tailed bird on a flower-head excavated from a Yuan tomb in Hunan Province, which is illustrated, ibid., p.93.

Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art. Introducing Beauty and Beyond: Women in Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 27 May 2021.

Dancer Figurine, Western Han period (206 BC–9 AD), 2nd century BC. Earthenware. Unearthed from the Tomb of the King of Chu, Tuolan Mountain, Xuzhou, Jiangsu. © Xuzhou Museum

With her dramatic posture and outstretched arms, the bold design of this figurine captures a dynamic and graceful moment of the “flying swallow” dance. Possibly belonging to the third king of the Chu kingdom, the Tuolan Mountain tomb housed an ensemble of these dancing figurines, allowing us to imagine the spectacle of courtly entertainment.

Lot 65. A rare Dingyao spitoon, zhadou, Northern Song Dynasty; 22cm (8 5/8in) diam. Sold for HK$ 477,500 (€ 50,467). © Bonhams.

Thinly potted with a compressed globular body incised around the exterior with stylised peony petals, the waisted neck surmounted by a wide flared mouth carved with further floral motifs, covered overall in a creamy-white glaze of ivory tone.

Provenance: Berwald Oriental Art, London
Professor Conrad Harris, UK, acquired from the above on 30 April 2002.

Note: Conrad Harris became interested in Chinese pottery in the late 1990s, around the time he retired as Professor of General Practice at Leeds University. Having moved from a career in medical academia, he took an academic approach to learning about the styles and artefacts of different periods, from the Neolithic to the great dynasties of China. Harris was a highly erudite collector who travelled extensively in China, pursuing his interest in ancient pottery wares through many provincial museums. He gave regular lectures and, in 2002, gained a Diploma in Asian Art from the British Museum. He was an active member of the Oriental Ceramics Society and in the 2003/04 Oriental Ceramic Society Transactions, he contributed the lecture 'Chinese ceramic horses and how they changed'. Most importantly, he gained immense pleasure from seeing his collection take pride of place on the shelves all around his study.

Dingyao spittoon of this form are rare with very few published examples. See a related 'Ding' tuoyu, in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, similarly carved with lotus flowers borne on an undulating scroll on the wide rim but with a truncated cylindrical body, illustrated in The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics, Shanghai, 1999, vol.7, Part 11, no.20. Compare also with a related Dinagyao white-glazed tuoyu in Dingzhou City Museum, Northern Song, which was illustrated in The Complete Collection of Ceramic Art Unearthed in China, Beijing, 2008, vol.3, pl.95, no.95.

This type of spittoon appeared to be popular in Northern China since Tang dynasty, particularly more common in Liao and Jing areas. See a related white-glazed Ding spittoon, Liao dynasty, unearthed in Inner Mongolia, which was illustrated in ibid, vol.4, pl.52, p.52; see also another white-glazed spittoon, Tang dynasty, in the Shangxi Provincial Museum, which was illustrated in ibid, vol.5, pl.45, p.45. For its usage, see a mural unearthed from a princely tomb, Liao dynasty, in Inner Mongolia, which depicts a male servant holding a spittoon in his hands with a female servant holding a towel, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Murals Unearthed in China, Beijing, 2012, vol.3, pl.91, p.93.

Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art. Introducing Beauty and Beyond: Women in Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 27 May 2021.

Lot 66. A fine yellow-glazed saucer-dish, Hongzhi six-character mark and of the period; 21.3cm (8 1/4) diam. Sold for HK$ 577,500 (€ 61,036). © Bonhams

inely potted, the rounded sides raising from a short tapering foot, covered in an even rich egg-yolk yellow glaze, the base with the six-character kaishu mark in underglaze-blue within a double circle, box.

Provenance: A distinguished Asian private collection.

Lot 67. A fine yellow-glazed saucer-dish, Jiajing six-character mark and of the period; 22.2cm (8in) diam. Sold for HK$ 565,000 (€ 59,715). © Bonhams.

The shallow rounded sides rising from a short tapered foot, luxuriously covered in a rich egg-yolk-yellow glaze, the base with a six-character kaishu mark in underglaze-blue within a double circle, box.

Note : Compare two closely related yellow-glazed dishes, Jiajing marks and period, from the Sir Percival David collection in the British Museum, London, published by M.Medley, Illustrated Catalogue of Ming and Ch'ing Monochrome, London, 1973, pls.537 and A580. See another similar Jiajing mark and period dish from the Cunliffe collection, which was sold at Bonhams London, 11 November 2002, lot 79.

Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art. Introducing Beauty and Beyond: Women in Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 27 May 2021.

Lot 6. A gold filigree gemstone-mounted double-gourd hairpin, 18th-19th century; 12.5cm (4 7/8in) long. Sold for HK$ 63,750 (€ 6,775). © Bonhams.

The gemstone-embellished terminal formed as a delicately worked double-gourd bordered with two layers of dense ruyi-cloud-scroll filigree, all secured to the tapering shaft finely detailed as a tree trunk extended to a repousse cloud, a filigree ruyi-head and a leaf enclosing a blue gemstone, box.

Note: Gold filigree hairpins inset with gemstones such as the present lot was known as zan, and were popular from the Ming dynasty onwards and often wore by the empress and Imperial concubines during the Qing dynasty, see a number of closely related gold and gemstone-inset hairpins in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Treasures of Imperial Court, Hong Kong, 2004, no.128-131.

Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art. Introducing Beauty and Beyond: Women in Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 27 May 2021.

Lot 30. A kingfisher feather 'jewel'-encrusted headdress, dianzi, 19th century; 18cm (7 1/8in) high. Sold for HK$ 877,500 (€ 93,262). © Bonhams

The oval flat-crowned headdress with semi-circular section sweeping towards the forehead, the wire frame lined in black silk and elaborately applied with red ribbon wire with shaped gilt-silver filigree motifs covered with kingfisher feathers and embellished with jadeite, tourmaline, pearl, quartz, coral, and other semi-precious stones, some of the motifs including the cranes, flowers and butterflies spring-mounted, the forehead suspending beaded semi-precious stone pendants, box.

Note: An elaborately decorated headdress such as the present lot is known as dianzi, which is literally translated as a 'hat ring'. It referred to the kind of hat supported by a circular iron wire in its rim. The base of a dianzi is usually made of metal wires wrapped with black silk, such as the present lot.

Gemstones and pearls are fixed onto the hat base in different auspicious motifs. A dianzi is usually worn by noble women for special occasions. The "double-happiness" pendants suspended on the forehead of the lot suggest the headdress may had been used for weddings; see a kingfisher feather and pearl-inset 'double-happiness' dianzi in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, which was made for weddings, illustrated in su gu hua jin tan Gugong zhu bao, Taipei, 2012, p.41.

Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art. Introducing Beauty and Beyond: Women in Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 27 May 2021.

Lot 32. A kingfisher, pearl and ruby-inset headdress, 19th century; 32cm (12 1/2in) wide. Sold for HK$ 202,500 (€ 21,522). © Bonhams.

The domed gilt-metal frame elaborately applied with sprig-mounted motifs including a pair of phoenixes and dragons, butterflies and flowers, around a central pearl boss, set in a radiating border above a jade pagoda fixed on a shaped filigree cloud, the front applied with eight small phoenixes suspending beaded tassels, the back of the headdress flanked by flowers within ruyi-cloud borders, all embellished with kingfisher feather and inset with semi-precious stones, box.

Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art. Introducing Beauty and Beyond: Women in Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 27 May 2021.

Lot 52. A very rare jadeite, pearl and gemstone-inset headdress and necklace set, 19th century. The headdress 19cm (7 1/2in) wide; the necklace 58cm (22 3/4in) long.Sold for HK$ 940,000 (€ 99,905). © Bonhams. 

The pierced metal silk-woven arched frame elaborately decorated with delicate spring-mounted blossoming sprigs embellished with jadeite, pearl, tourmaline, sapphire and other semi-precious materials below a row of tourmaline beads and above a row of miniature jadeite coins, all within a beaded pearl border, each side of the headdress with a temple pendant applied with similar decorations, together with a seed-pearl necklace suspending jadeite and tourmaline pendants.

Published and Illustrated: Chen Kuei-miao, the Jade-Carving Art in the Ch'ing Dynasty, Taipei, 1990, p.174
Chen Kang-shuen, National Museum of History Newsletter, Taipei, 1991, p.3
Gildo Fossati, The World of Jade: Great Masterpieces of Chinese Art, Italy, 1992, p.198
Terese Battesti and Henri-Jean Schubnel, Jades Impériaux, Paris, 1993, p.28, no.89.

Exhibited: South African Cultural History Museum, Chinese Jade Exhibition, Cape Town, 1991, p.9
Transvaal Museum, Chinese Jade Exhibition, Pretoria, 1991, no.9
National Museum of History, Exhbition of Ch'ing Dynasty Carved Jade, Taipei, 1992, p.1
The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Jade from the Qing-dynasty, Stockholm, 1993
Muséum National D'histoire Naturelle, Jades Impériaux, Paris, 1993, no.89
Museum Reich der Kristalle, Jade aus der Qing-Dynastie, Munich, 1993.

Note: The richly adorned headdress and temple pendants belong to a group of delicately crafted ornaments made for further decoration of the Imperial headdress known as dianzi. When worn, a dianzi can be further decorated by insertion of delicate ornaments inlaid with kingfisher feathers, jadeite carvings and other precious materials.

The arched form of the present lot is very similar to two gold headdress ornaments, one dated to the Jiaqing period and another to the Qianlong period, both in the Palace Museum, Beijing. They are known as tiaotou and are used as ornaments attached to the forehead of a dianzi headdress, see Jewellery and Accessories of The Royal Consorts of Ching Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1992, nos.198 and 199.

Jadeites of bright emerald green colour but cut into slices of decorative ornaments are known as guangpian, which literally means 'Guangdong slice', since such technique was likely originated in the Guangdong region. There are a number of headdress ornaments from the Imperial collections with decorated with guangpian jadeite carvings, see a related gold headdress ornament with kingfisher feather inset with pearls, semiprecious stones and jadeite, Qing dynasty, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in A garland of Treasures: Masterpieces of Precious Crafts in the Museum Collection, Taipei, 2014, pl.II-24; and another related jadeite headdress inlaid with pears, tourmaline and sapphire, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (acc. no.Z.Y.000013). See also four similarly decorated gilt-silver hairpins in the Palace Museum, Beijing, all inlaid with guangpian-style jadeites and other precious stones, Qing dynasty, illustrated in Jewellery and Accessories of The Royal Consorts of Ching Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1992, nos.131-134.

A gold headdress ornament with kingfisher feather inset with pearls, semiprecious stones and jadeite, Qing dynasty. Image courtesy of National Palace Museum, Taipei.

Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art. Introducing Beauty and Beyond: Women in Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 27 May 2021.

Lot 3. A pair of white jade nail guards, 18th century; 6.5cm (2 1/2in) long. Sold for HK$ 51,000 (€ 5,420). © Bonhams. 

A pair of elongated half-cones shaped like a long fingernail with a short tubular opening tapering to a point, open at the larger end with the lower section enclosing the fingertip, designed also to reduce the weight worn on fingers, the front engraved and carved with auspicious emblems shou ('longevity') and a coin that symbolises wealth ('cai'), the stone of even semi-translucent ivory-white tone.

Note: Traditional Chinese society places aesthetic attention on women maintaining elegant long nails. It is not uncommon to find Qing dynasty nail guards made of gold and silver, some enhanced with enamel and bronze, and even of jade and glass. See an example of a gold nail guard with similar coin design in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Classics of the Forbidden City: Jewelry of the Empress and Imperial Concubines in the Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, 2012, pl.225, p.226.

Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art. Introducing Beauty and Beyond: Women in Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 27 May 2021.

Lot 4. Two pale green jade reticulated nail guards, 19th century. Each 7.3cm (2 7/8in) long. Sold for HK$ 102,000 (€ 10,840). © Bonhams. 

Of elongated half-cone shape with a short tubular opening tapering to a point and open at the larger end with the lower section enclosing the fingertips, the front engraved and carved with leafy lotus scrolls, the stone of even translucent white tone, box.

Note: Traditional Chinese society places aesthetic attention on women maintaining elegant long nails. It is not uncommon to find Qing dynasty nail guards made of gold and silver, some enhanced with enamel and bronze, and even of jade and glass. See an example of a gold nail guard with similar coin design in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Classics of the Forbidden City: Jewelry of the Empress and Imperial Concubines in the Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, 2012, pl.225, p.226.

Bonhams. Fine Chinese Art. Introducing Beauty and Beyond: Women in Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 27 May 2021.

Lot 7. A string of amber and lapis lazuli rosary beads, shouchuan, Qing Dynasty; 26.2cm (10 1/4in) long. Sold for HK$ 63,750 (€ 6,775). © Bonhams. 

Comprising eighteen amber beads divided by a larger lapis lazuli bead pierced with stylised chilong dragons, suspending a circular pendant above two lapis lazuli drops pierced with the same dragon design, dividing four pearls, box.

Note: Amber rosary beads were commonly used in a Qing court lady's daily life for praying, wearing as a bracelet or hanging on one of the buttons on the chest to hold the front frap. See a court lady holding the prayer beads depicted in a court painting Twelve Beauties, which was commissioned by the Yongzheng Emperor (1723-1735). The painting captured the most popular costumes and hairstyles of Qing court women, illustrated in The Palace of Heaven on Earth: Artefacts on Lives of Empress, Imperial Concubines and Princes in the Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2016, no.80. A similar string of amber and lapis lazuli rosary beads was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 November 2016, lot 3366.

Lot 8. An aloeswood reticulated 'orchid and lingzhi' plaque, 18th-19th century; 5.5cm (2 1/4in) high x 4cm (1/2in) wide. Sold for HK$ 53,550 (€ 5,691). © Bonhams. 

Of rectangular form, the jianan aloeswood plaque intricately carved in openwork on both sides with lingzhi fungus and orchid amidst scrolling leaves within an archaistic chi dragon board, box.

Note: The plaque belongs to a group of accessories made of aloeswood for the ladies, consorts and concubines in the Imperial court. See a related aloeswood 'lotus' plaque, Qianlong period in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Jewellery and Accessories of The Royal Consorts of Ching Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1992, no.306.

Lot 36. A fine small jadeite 'lingzhi and bat' rectangular pendant, 18th-19th century; 4.3cm (1 3/4in) long. Sold for HK$ 277,500 (€ 29,493). © Bonhams. 

Intricately carved in openwork as a spray of lingzhi fungus within its curled leaf on the underside, the bottom with one outstretched bat with interlocked wings perched on a lingzhi, the smoothly-polished jadeite of even green tone, box.

Note: The lingzhi motif is commonly found in Chinese art. It is a pun for age (ling 齡). Because the fungus resembles the head of the wish-granting wand (ruyi 如意), it has come to represent a wish-granting symbol as well as a symbol of longevity. It is considered the food of Immortals. The fungus can be depicted either on its own or in combination with other objects to form auspicious terms. For instance, on the present lot it is paired with a spray of lingzhi which symbolises 'May you mind be clear when blessings arrive (fuzhi xinling 福至心靈). The fungus (lingzhi 靈芝) is a rebus for 'intelligence' (ling 靈) and 'arrive' (zhi至). The bat is a pun for 'blessings' (fu 福).

Image: courtesy of Meadow Museum by Michael Bodycomb; Museo del Traje, Madrid by Gonzalo Cases Ortega.

The Meadows Museum, SMU, Dallas, has announced a major exhibition of Spanish dress and fashion that will pair paintings from the Meadows’s collection with historic dress and accessories from the Museo del Traje, Centro de Investigación del Patrimonio Etnológico in Madrid. Canvas & Silk: Historic Fashion from Madrid’s Museo del Traje marks the first major collaboration between this important Spanish institution and an American museum and will include approximately 40 works from the Meadows alongside examples of dress and accessories from the Museo del Traje (Spanish National Museum for Fashion).

Displayed together, the works in the exhibition not only tell the story of how fashion trends in Spain changed over five hundred years, but also reveal how elements of a country’s history – such as its involvement with global trade or the formation of a national identity – are reflected in its dress. Canvas & Silk will be on view at the Meadows from September 19, 2021, until January 9, 2022. Concurrently, the Meadows will also present Image & Identity: Mexican Fashion in the Modern Period, an investigation into Mexican dress spanning from Mexican Independence to modern times through photographs and prints from the collections of the Meadows Museum and SMU’s DeGolyer Library.

Lot 452. A rare pair of bronze 'crouching bear' mat weights, Han Dynasty; 5cm (2in) long. Estimate £1,200 - £1,500. Sold for £ 11,475 (€ 13,388). © Bonhams

Each cast standing on four short legs with claw feet, the wide-mouthed head upturned at the front, the body hollow, much of the surface with a light green patination, fitted box.

Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Winter Exhibition, London, 2003, no.10.

Bonhams. Roger Keverne Ltd Moving On (Part II), London, New Bond Street, 7 Jun 2021

Lot 453. A rare small bronze model of a horse, Han Dynasty; 7.5cm (3in) long. Estimate £1,500 - £2,000. Sold for £2,422 (€ 2,826). © Bonhams

Heavily cast standing four-square in the style of well-modelled massive pottery Sichuan stallions, the head raised and the jaws agape, the bushy tail in a hollow loop, wood stand.

Note: See a related example in the Yale University Art Gallery, illustrated by E.Schloss, Art of the Han, New York, 1979, no.50; see also an example of a small bronze animal, Han/Tang dynasty illustrated in Chinesische Kunst, Berlin, 1929, no.89. One identified as Ordos style, is illustrated in Handbook of the Mr.and Mrs.John D.Rockefeller 3rd Collection, New York, 1981, p.51 (lower right).

Bonhams. Roger Keverne Ltd Moving On (Part II), London, New Bond Street, 7 Jun 2021

Lot 454. A rare archaic bronze dragon-headed ladle, Han Dynasty; 21cm (8 1/2in) long. Estimate £800 - £1,200. Sold for £5,100 (€ 5,950). © Bonhams

The shaft elegantly cast in an exaggerated curve and terminating with an open-mouthed crested dragon head at the top of the handle, another smaller beast-head relief cast at the junction of the shaft with the plain deep oval bowl, the surface with a consistent pale green patination, wood stand.

Note: See a related example in the collection of Dr Paul Singer, illustrated by E.Schloss, Art of the Han, New York, 1979, no.84; see another archaic bronze ladle, Han dynasty, illustrated in Chinesische Kunst, Berlin, 1929, no.78.

Bonhams. Roger Keverne Ltd Moving On (Part II), London, New Bond Street, 7 Jun 2021

Lot 455. Two archaic bronze garlic-head vases, hu, Han Dynasty; 30cm (11 1/2in) high. Estimate £2,000 - £3,000. Sold for £3,825 (€ 4,462). © Bonhams

The larger with a compressed globular body encircled by a plain rib in relief, the tall tapering neck cast with a lobed 'garlic-bulb' mouth above a plain relief band, all on a spreading foot, with a dark brownish-green patina and areas of shallow encrustation, 34cm (13 1/2in) high; the smaller of similar shape but with the surface entirely plain, the surface with a bright mottled patina.

Note: See a similar example, excavated in 1988 from a Qin tomb at Gaozhuang, Fengxiang, and now in the collection of the Shaanxi Provincial Archaeological Institute Xi'an, illustrated by J.Portal, The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army, London, 2007, fig.50. See another example illustrated by Takayasu Higuchi and Minao Hayashi, Ancient Chinese Bronzes in The Sakamoto Collection, Tokyo, 2002, nos.241–243.

Bonhams. Roger Keverne Ltd Moving On (Part II), London, New Bond Street, 7 Jun 2021