Lot 212. Gold and Diamond Bangle Bracelet, Buccellati. Estimate: $1,500 - $2,000. Sold for $4,687. Photo Doyle

18 kt., the slender brushed gold bangle centering 7 round diamonds approximately .30 ct., within engraved florets, signed Buccellati, Italy, no. 02995, approximately 16.3 dwts. Inner circle 6 inches, with hinged open back. 

Doyle. Important Jewelry, Thu, Apr 27, 2017

Collier Ailanthus Altissima by Thu-Thao Le Thi for MWPARIS : or 18K, jade de Birmanie; pièce unique. © MWPARIS

"Le collier Ailanthus Altissima porte en lui les vertus protectrices des amulettes archéologiques puisant ses racines dans  l’arbre Ailanthus de la Chine ancestrale, apprécié en Europe dés le milieu du XVIIIé S, pour sa capacitéà pousser dans des conditions impossibles. » Thu-Thao Le Thi.

Collier "Silchim" by Thu-Thao Le Thi for MWPARIS. Lion et silex, amulette contre le mauvais sort. Or jaune 18K et diamants © 2016 MWPARIS 

Dragopegasus pendant by Thu-Thao Le Thi for MWPARIS. Pouvoir et liberté, fusion du dragon et de Pégase, les animaux mythiques avec la croix Ethiopienne. Or jaune 18K et diamants © 2016 MWPARIS 

Bastet Ring by Thu-Thao Le Thi for MWPARIS. Protection du foyer et de la maternité. Or jaune 18K et diamants © 2016 MWPARIS. 

Bague Movere by Thu-Thao Le Thi for MWPARIS. Dualité, le jour et la nuit. Or jaune 18K, turquoise et améthyste © 2016 MWPARIS 

Bague Movere by Thu-Thao Le Thi for MWPARIS. Dualité, le jour et la nuit. Or blanc 18K, diamants et opale © 2016 MWPARIS 

The Dragopegasus pendant by Thu-Thao Le Thi for MWPARIS. Pouvoir et liberté, fusion du dragon et de Pégase, le couple mythique. Or blanc 18K. 

Chimera Ringby Thu-Thao Le Thi for MWPARIS. L’Être Immortel, tête de lion et queue de serpent. Or blanc 18K  et grenats démantoïdes 

The Songzhutang Collection of Early Jades from the Neolithic Period to the Yuan Dynasty. Photo: Bonhams

HONG KONG - Bonhams are privileged to offer on Tuesday 30 May in Hong Kong, the Songzhutang Collection of early Jades, dating from the Neolithic Period to 14th century. The remarkable and diverse collection (also including later jade carvings of the Ming and Qing dynasties) was published in 2011 and has since become an important reference work in the subject. It was formed over four decades from as early as the 1970s and is a testament to the connoisseurship and scholarship of the collector.

The collection comprises over 90 jade carvings, demonstrating the evolution of jade carving from the Liangzhu Culture during the Neolithic period (circa 3300 – 2250 BC) to the Yuan dynasty (AD 1279 – 1368). The carvings, of exceptional quality and rarity, capture the development of the diverse stylistic themes and workmanship of jades from those used for ritual purposes to those used as decorative and ornamental works of art; reflecting the high social status, political power and literati taste.

An outstanding and important early jade carving is that of an exceptionally rare mythical-bird scroll weight, Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25 – 220), estimated HK$800,000 – 1,200,000. During the Han dynasty, gilt-bronze weights or more exceptionally prized jade carvings, such as the present lot, were used to weigh the corners of mats on which the Imperial family and high nobility sat. These would have been in the form of animals or creatures associated with the four directions, including the phoenix marking the South, as demonstrated in this important example. It is evident this carving was highly prized during the revered Qianlong reign (1736-1795), as exemplified by an incised inscription on the underside, 'Dehui yunri', conveying the meaning of 'Virtue is as broad as the sky'.

Lot 54. An exceptionally rare jade mythical-bird scroll weight, Han Dynasty, four-character dehui yunri mark, 18th century. Estimate HK$ 800,000 - 1,200,000 (€94,000 - 140,000). 

The domed scroll weight masterfully carved as a mythical bird with a single horn and pointed beak, surmounting a circular base with its wings outstretched as if ready for flight, the slightly flared wings flanking a bulbous body, the six grooved long tail feathers elegantly curled in various directions, all meticulously incised with a well-defined feather pattern rendering a vivid movement, the interior of the base hollowed and incised with a later added four-character 'dehui yunri' inscription encircled by a band of incised cloud scrolls, the smoothly polished stone of greenish-yellow tone suffused with russet and black inclusions. 6.5cm (2 1/2in) diam.

Published and Illustrated: T.Fok, The Splendour of Jade: The Songzhutang Collection of Jade, Hong Kong, 2011, pl.74

Note: The present lot is an outstanding and important example of an early jade carving which represents the pinnacle of Han dynasty jade craftsmanship. This rhythmically carved bird is remarkable for its intricate relief decoration in various depths and its finely incised details on the feathers, exhibiting the carver's exceptional technique in producing a naturalistic and dynamic three-dimensional jade animal.

During the Han dynasty, weights of this type are believed to have been used by the Imperial family and high nobility to place on mats lining the floor, which were used for sitting at the time. These were often weighted at the corners with gilt-bronze weights, or more exceptionally, prized jade carvings. These kind of weights were usually made in the shape of animals or human figures, and would have been made in sets of four. The present lot would have been associated with the animals of 'the four directions': the green dragon (East), the white tiger (West), the dark tortoise encircled by a snake (North) and the red bird or phoenix (South) as in the present lot; so the four directions symbolised the entire world. Being at the centre surrounded by the animals of the Four Directions conveyed a high social status and power of the person, suggesting the possibility that the present lot once belonged to a member of the Imperial family or a high ranking noble. 

Compare a bronze weight in the form of a mythical bird, Han dynasty, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (museum no.000333N). Although the craftsmanship of this bronze weight is less detailed, the bird is similarly depicted perched on a circular base, with a bulbous body, a pointed beak and a single horn. Also compare the modelling of Han dynasty jade carvings of turtle doves, which were typically used as staff pommels, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei; similarly depicted with a single horn and long tail feathers, illustrated in Art in Quest of Heaven and Truth: Chinese Jades through the Ages, Taipei, 2011, nos.3-3-36 and 5-4-7.

The present lot is closely related to a line drawing of a bronze weight in the shape of a mythical-bird, Han dynasty, published in Xiqing gujian 西清古鑑 (A catalogue of ancient ritual bronzes in the collection of the Qianlong Emperor), vol.38, p.46. The Qianlong emperor instructed the Court to collect drawings of antiquities, which served as sources of designs for the production of contemporary vessels, in order to reinstate the intrinsic qualities of simplicity, sincerity and happy exuberance of the ancient cultures; see Chang Li-tuan, The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, Taipei, 1997, pp.49-50. The line drawing of the mythical bird shows close similarities to the present jade weight including the overall shape of the object, the depiction of the curling long tail feathers, as well as the wings and tail feathers portrayed in dense and detailed lines.  

The auspicious inscription incised on the underside of the present lot, 'Dehui yunri'德輝雲日, meaning 'Virtue is as broad as the sky', indeed reflects the Qianlong emperor's aspirations. The execution of the four characters on the present lot is typical of the fluid and elegant style of the Qianlong period jade seal-script inscriptions. 

According to Shuowen Jiezi 說文解子, a Chinese dictionary written by the Eastern Han dynasty scholar Xu Shen, jade symbolises the five virtues of humanity: benevolence, integrity, intelligence, bravery and honesty. The Qianlong emperor regularly oversaw the entire process of jade production to ensure that the finished pieces met his standards of purpose and beauty; he also composed more than eight-hundred poems and essays about jade, demonstrating the importance of this prized and symbolic material to the emperor.

A rare large jade 'grain-pattern'bi disc, Eastern Zhou dynasty (770 – 221 BC), estimated HK$1,000,000 – 1,500,000 is superbly carved with approximately 1650 individual bosses on both sides. It bears an exceptional provenance, having been exhibited between 1984 and 1986 in the travelling exhibition of 4000 Years of Chinese Jade sponsored by the National Museum of History, Taipei, and held in seven museums across the United States. Another superb jade bi disc, Han dynasty (206 BC – AD 220), estimated HK$80,000 – 120,000 is intricately carved with interlocking design of taotie motifs and rice-grain pattern, and was formerly in the collection of the renowned Hong Kong collector and one of the founders of the Min Chiu Society, Dr Ip Yee.

 Lot 24. A rare and large jade 'grain-pattern' disc, bi, Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Estimate HK$ 1,000,000 - 1,500,000 (€120,000 - 180,000). Photo: Bonhams.

The circular disc with a small round perforation in the centre, meticulously and crisply carved in high relief on both sides with an abundant number of spiral 'grain-pattern' bosses, all within a raised border at the outer and inner edges, the pale yellow stone enhanced by the green and reddish-brown inclusions, wood stand. 17.6cm (7in) diam. (2).

Provenance: Acquired from the distinguished Hong Kong art dealer Lai Loy (1926-2012) in 1978
The Songzhutang collection, no.33

Exhibited: 4000 Years of Chinese Jade, sponsored by the National Museum of History, Taipei, September 1984 - April 1986; held in seven museums across the United States and Central America, including: 
1. Fresno Metropolitan Museum, California
2. The Oregon Historical Society
3. The Salt Lake Art Centre, Utah
4. The Houston Museum of Natural Science, Texas
5. Denver Museum of National History, Colorado
6. Chicago International Antique Show
7. The National Museum of Anthropology & Archaeology, Guatemala

Published and Illustrated: Chinese Jade, Fresno Metropolitan Museum, California, 1984, no.54
T.Fok, The Splendour of Jade: The Songzhutang Collection of Jade, Hong Kong, 2011, pl.33

Note: The present lot is a rare example of a large decorated bi disc of the Eastern Zhou dynasty, powerfully yet sensitively carved in crisp relief with a high number of 1652 evenly spaced bosses. Each raised boss is visually and physically full and bulbous, resulting from a painstaking manufacturing process and formidable skill and execution. The large size and the exceptional level of workmanship suggest that this bi was of particular significance during the Eastern Zhou period, and was probably made for important ceremonial purposes.

According to the Zhouli (the Rites of Zhou), bi discs were regarded as suitable offering to Heaven, and therefore became symbolic of Heaven. Bi discs were often gifts, offerings or sacrifices, especially during the Spring and Autumn period. Large discs. such as the present lot, are rare throughout the periods between the Neolithic period and the fifth century BC. For a discussion about jade discs, see J.Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, pp.247-251. 

Compare a green jade bi disc, Spring and Autumn period (29.7cm diam.), excavated from tomb no.1 in Majiazhuang in Fengxiang, Shanxi Province, carved with densely incised decoration consisting of 104 scrolling dragons, which in its superb manner of execution and the concept of a monumental decoration is closely related to the present lot; see Gufang, The Pictorial Handbook of Ancient Chinese Jades, Beijing, 2007, p.176. 

In the execution of the grain pattern, the present lot is also comparable with several additional examples: see one example, early Warring States period, in the Yang Te T'ang Collection, illustrated by Teng Shu P'ing, 1999 Collectors' Exhibition of Archaic Chinese Jades, Taipei, 1999, p.277; another bi disc, Warring States period, excavated from Jincun in Luoyang, Henan Province, now in the Henan Provincial Museum, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China, vol.5, Beijing, 2010, p.201; and a third example, excavated from tomb no.58 at the site of the ancient capital city of the State of Lu, Qufu, Shangdong Province, is illustrated ibid., vol.4, Beijing, 2010, p.212. For further examples of large bi with a relatively small hole similar to the present lot, see two illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 3 Spring and Autumn period and Warring States period, Beijing, 2011, pp.104-105, pls.99-100. 

The importance of bi discs is further indicated in the Chinese idioms 'Wanbi guizhao' (Jade returned intact to the State of Zhao) and 'Jiazhi liancheng' (the value that is the worth of several cities), derived from the Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru in the Historical Records, which refers to a story of the Warring States period: Heshi Bi (the jade bi of Bianhe) was given to the State of Zhao as a betrothal gift by the State of Chu, while the King of the Qin State wished to exchange this priceless treasure with 15 fortresses. The King of Zhao then sent Lin Xiangru to negotiate with Qin over Heshi Bi and soon Lin found out that the King of the Qin State wanted to intentionally swindle the jade rather than give out the fortresses. With Lin's intelligence and courage, he managed to leave Qin and return the precious jade intact to the State of Zhao. Later, the idiom Wanbi guizhao became a common phrase to describe something that is returned intact to its owner. This highlights the important role of jade bi in Chinese culture. 

From the Yuan dynasty (AD 1279 – 1368) are two very rare carvings: a jade cup carved with a lady and a writhing dragon, estimated HK$300,000 – 400,000, carved with an inscription 'Yongbo changchun', carrying the auspicious wish of 'Spring forever'; and a jade carving of a foreigner riding on an elephant, estimated HK$300,000 – 400,000, which was included and published in the important jade exhibition Virtuous Treasures: Chinese Jades for the Scholar's Table in the University Museum & Art Gallery, Hong Kong. 

Lot 60. A very rare jade 'dragon and lady' cup, Song-Yuan Dynasty. Estimate HK$ 300,000 - 400,000 (€35,000 - 47,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Exquisitely carved with a rounded body gently tapering towards a recessed base, with a high-relief sinuous dragon clambering up the vessel, and on the opposite side with a flowing goddess lavishly adorned in fluttering robes with delicate facial features, her hair tied up into chignons gazing at the dragon, the smoothly polished stone of attractive creamy white tone suffused with smoky black striations, the base incised with a later added four-character mark 'Yongbao changchun' in seal script, wood stand. 11.5cm (4 1/2in) wide (2).

Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 22 March 1994, lot 2
The Songzhutang collection, no.81

Published and Illustrated: T.Fok, The Splendour of Jade: The Songzhutang Collection of Jade, Hong Kong, 2011, pl.81

Note: The later added four-character inscription Yongbao changchun (永寶長春) has an auspicious meaning of 'Forever Spring', and was probably added during the 17th or 18th century.

The high-relief carving of the dragon and Lady Immortal, dynamically carved around the beautifully proportioned cup, demonstrates an exceptional level of craftsmanship and ingenuity of carving. In its superb modelling and carving style it is comparable to some of the finest jade cups of the Song and Yuan dynasties, extant in important museum collections. 

The form and style of the present cup is comparable to an example of a white jade cup with two handles in the form of a dragon and a boy, Southern Song dynasty, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated by M.Wilson, Chinese Jades, London, 2004, p.43, pl.40.

White jade cup with two handles in the form of a dragon and a boy, Southern Song dynasty, C.1894&A-1910 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2017 

See another example of a white jade cup with two female immortals flanking as handles, Yuan dynasty, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, illustrated by J.C.Y.Watt, Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, New York, 1980, p.159, pl.131. Compare also a white jade cup flanked by two female Immortals forming the handles, Song dynasty, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jades 5 Tang, Song, Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, Beijing, 2011, pl.56, and which clearly was greatly admired by the Qianlong emperor, who had it reproduced, as demonstrated in a similar cup bearing a Qianlong fanggu mark and period, from the Qing Court collection, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jades 10 Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pl.148.

Jade cup with the two handles each in the form of a fairy, Qing Dynasty. Collection of China National Palace Museum, Beijing.

Lot 65. A very rare jade carving of a foreigner riding an elephant, Yuan Dynasty. Estimate HK$ 300,000 - 400,000 (€35,000 - 47,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Masterfully carved as a bearded Turkic foreigner with a powerful facial expression, finely detailed with protruding eyes and adorned with a pair of disc earrings and a fur hat, wearing an armoured short jacket and holding a scoop in his right hand, superbly modelled sitting on an elephant standing foursquare with one foot lifted, its head turned slightly to one side with the trunk curled to the other side, caparisoned with an elaborately embroidered saddlecloth, the stone of an attractive grey tone suffused with black inclusions, wood stand. 8cm (3in) wide (2).

Provenance: Christie's New York, 3 December 1992, lot 58
Acquired in Hong Kong in 1994
The Songzhutang collection, no.82

Published and Illustrated: Virtuous Treasure: Chinese Jades for the Scholar's Table, Hong Kong, 2008, pl.97
T.Fok, The Splendour of Jade: The Songzhutang Collection of Jade, Hong Kong, 2011, pl.82

Exhibited: Virtuous Treasure: Chinese Jades for the Scholar's Table, University Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Hong Kong, 17 November 2007 - 17 February 2008, no.97

Note: The present jade carving of a foreigner and an elephant is an extraordinarily rare example of Yuan date, executed with superb intricacy and delicacy. The compelling sculptural quality is emphasised by the combination of the vivid facial features of the figure, the bold modelling of the elephant with sensitive attention to details including the front lifted foot as if ready to walk. The present lot demonstrates the significant development in jade craftsmanship accomplished in the Yuan dynasty, compared to earlier periods, as exemplified in a simpler modelling of a jade carving of a similar subject matter, showing a foreigner on a recumbent elephant, Tang dynasty, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 5 Tang, Song, Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, Beijing, 2011, pl.15. 

The facial features and clothing style of the figure in the present lot are characteristic of the Yuan period. See a jade group of a foreigner and horse, Yuan dynasty, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated by Gufang, The Pictorial Handbook of Ancient Chinese Jades, Beijing, 2007, p.342.  

A related jade group of a foreigner and elephant, Yuan/Ming dynasty, was sold at Christie's New York, 19 September 1996, lot 112; however, whilst the facial features of the figure are stylistically similar to the present lot, the elephant is depicted recumbent.

The Songzhutang Collection will be sold alongside Bonhams auction of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. Both sales will take place on Tuesday 30 May.

Bonhams International Head of Chinese Art, Asaph Hyman, commented: "This distinguished and outstanding collection, having been cherished for years, now offers collectors an exciting opportunity to acquire pieces of historical significance, rarity and provenance".

Lot 602. An Important And Rare Pair of 10.91 and 10.26 carats Colombian Emerald and Diamond Earrings. Estimate HK$ 3,800,000 - 4,800,000 '€450,000 - 560,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Accompanied by an AGL (American Gemological Laboratories) report stating that the natural emeralds have insignificant indications of traditional clarity enhancement and originate from Colombia. Report number CS 43656 A and B, dated 12 July 2011..

Bonhams. RARE JEWELS & JADEITE, 31 May 2017, 15:00 HKT, HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

Lot 601. A Fine Pair of 6.85 and 6.18 carats Colombian Emerald and Diamond Earrings, by Harry Winston. Estimate HK$ 3,100,000 - 3,800,000 (€360,000 - 450,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Lot 600. A Fine 6.04 carats Colombian Emerald and Diamond Brooch-Pendant Necklace, by Harry Winston. Estimate HK$ 3,100,000 - 3,800,000 (€360,000 - 450,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Lot 599. An 6.06 carats Colombian Emerald and Diamond Ring, by Marina B. Estimate HK$ 850,000 - 1,200,000 (€100,000 - 140,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Bonhams. RARE JEWELS & JADEITE, 31 May 2017, 15:00 HKT, HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

Lot 598. An Impressive 7.42 and 4.51 carats Colombian Emerald and Diamond Necklace.  Estimate HK$ 1,600,000 - 2,000,000 (€190,000 - 230,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Bonhams. RARE JEWELS & JADEITE, 31 May 2017, 15:00 HKT, HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY 

Lot 597. An Impressive 24.49 carats Brazilian Emerald and Diamond Ring. Estimate HK$ 1,100,000 - 1,500,000 (€130,000 - 180,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Lot 120. The Skinner Moonflasks. An exceptionally rare pair of Imperial blue and white 'Bajixiang' moonflasks, bianhu, Qianlong seal marks and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate HK$ 20,000,000 - 30,000,000 (€2,300,000 - 3,500,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Provenance: William Skinner Family, Wistariahurst, Holyoke, Massachusetts 
William Cobbett Skinner (1857-1947) and Ruth Isabel (Belle) Skinner (1866-1928) Katharine Skinner Kilborne (1873-1968) 
Belle Skinner Kilborne Taylor (1926-2016) 

The moonflasks at the Great Hall of the Skinner family home at Wistariahurst, on display either side of the fireplace, beneath portraits of William Skinner and his wife, circa 1930.

Note: Imposing blue and white bajixiang moonflasks, Qianlong seal marks and of the period, such as the present lot, are rare and it is exceptional to find a surviving pair. 

 Single moonflasks of this impressive size can be found in important museum collections; see Porcelain of the National Palace Museum: Blue-and-White Ware of the Ch'ing Dynasty, vol.II, Hong Kong, 1968, pp.50-51, pls.15 and 15a-c (measuring 49.3cm high); another from the Qing Court collection is illustrated in The Prime Cultural Relics Collected by Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum: The Chinaware Volume I, Shenyang, 2007, pl.35 (measuring 49.5cm high); a further moonflask in the Nanjing Museum, is illustrated in Treasures in the Royalty: The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p.295 (measuring 50cm high); another similar moonflask is illustrated in Studies of the Collections of the National Museum of China, Shanghai, 2007, pl.83 (measuring 49.2cm high); a further example is published in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl.949 (measuring 49.2cm high); and another is illustrated in The Tsui Museum of Art: Chinese Ceramics IV Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1995, pl.75 (measuring 49.6cm high). 

Similar moonflasks were also produced in a smaller size measuring approximately 34.5cm high, such as the one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated by N.Berliner, The Emperor's Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City, New Haven, 2010, pl.66; and see also a further large moonflask, Qianlong seal mark and period, with similar design but with the motifs on the front and reverse of the body carved and under a celadon glaze, also around the rims, illustrated in The Tsui Museum of Art: Chinese Ceramics IV Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1995, pl.87 (measuring 48cm high).  

The shape of the moonflasks is inspired by early Ming dynasty blue and white flasks, which in turn were inspired by early Islamic metal prototypes; see J.A.Pope, 'An Early Ming Porcelain in Muslim Style', in R.Ettinghausen, ed., Aus der Welt der Islamischen Kunst: Festschrift für Ernst Kühnel, Berlin, 1959, pp.357-375. In decoration these imposing moonflasks were also inspired by early Ming dynasty blue and white wares, as exemplified in a blue and white basin, Yongle, from the Avery Brundage collection in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, painted to the interior with a similar design of eight petals enclosing the Buddhist Emblems radiating from a central medallion enclosing a double-vajra. In the Qianlong moonflask, the master potters interpreted the double-vajra to depict a flowerhead and altered the order of the Emblems; see He Li, Chinese Ceramics, San Francisco, 1996, pl.398; and see also the interpretation of the central boss and overall form, related to the Yongle period blue and white flasks, which were flattened on one side, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (I), Shanghai, 2010, pls.34-37. More directly, the Qianlong period moonflasks were produced after Yongzheng period ones, such as the one in the Qing Court collection, in the Palace Museum, Beijing (museum no.GU00156642).  

Blue and white Buddhist ablution basin with Eight Treasures, dynasty (1368-1644), Reign of the Yongle Emperor (1403-1424), The Avery Brundage collection, B60P33+, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Image courtesy of the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

Image courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing

Image courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing

Image courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing

Image courtesy of the Shenyang Palace Museum, Shenyang.

After The Tsui Museum of Art: Chinese Ceramics IV Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1995, pl.75.

The moonflasks would have graced one of the Imperial halls, conveying a threefold message: in taking its inspiration from early Ming dynasty vessels - the status of the Qing dynasty and its Mandate of Heaven to rule in continuation of the Ming dynasty; in depicting the bajixiang - the Buddhist devoutness of the emperor and auspicious wishes symbolised by the Emblems; and in their imposing size, the skill of the master potters to successfully produce such large vessels in porcelain and therefore the prosperity and prowess achieved at the height of the Qianlong reign.  

Only one other pair of blue and white bajixiang moonflasks, Qianlong seal marks and of the period, appears to have been sold at auction, see Sotheby's London, 15 May 2013, lot 222; a single similar moonflask, Qianlong seal mark and period, was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 April 2011, lot 3123; and another single similar moonflask, Qianlong seal mark and period, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 December 2010, lot 2826. 

A rare pair of blue and white ‘Bajixiang’ moonflasks, Qianlong seal marks and period. Sold sold 2,378,500 GBP at Sotheby's London, 15 May 2013, lot 222. Photo: Sotheby's

A Superb Blue And White 'Bajixiang' Moonflask, Seal Mark And Period of Qianlong. Sold17,460,000 HKD (2,238,462 USD) to an Asian Trade at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 April 2011, lot 3123. Photo Sotheby's

A fine Ming-style blue and white moonflask, Qianlong six-character sealmark and of the period (1736-1795). Price realised HKD 18,580,000 (USD 2,402,400) at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 December 2010, lot 2826. © Christie's Images Ltd 2010

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NEW RESEARCH: THE BLUE AND WHITE ‘BAJIXIANG’ MOONFLASKS, QIANLONG SEAL MARK AND OF THE PERIOD, IN THE QING COURT COLLECTION AT THE PALACE MUSEUM, BEIJING
Huang Weiwen
Senior Researcher, Department Of Ceramics, Palace Museum, Beijing.

The Palace Museum (Beijing Gugong) was established on 10 October 1925 in Beijing’s former ‘Forbidden City’, the Imperial Court location unchanged throughout both the Ming and Qing dynasties. The collection in the Palace Museum currently comprises some 1,800,000 cultural relics, most of which are well documented and are known collectively as the ‘Qing Court Collection’.1 The Palace Museum, Beijing also includes collections from other Qing dynasty Imperial Palaces, including the Summer Palace, the Chengde Summer Retreat, and the Mukden Palace complex (now known as the ‘Shenyang Palace Museum’). The Qing Court collection houses a very wide variety of objects, mostly of superb quality; they not only allow us to visualise the daily lifestyle at the Imperial Court, but also help us to understand the aesthetic taste of the Imperial family.

During the reign of the Qianlong emperor (1736-1795), the economy flourished, and therefore the dynasty was prosperous. The enormous Imperial revenues became the financial backbone of the extravagant lifestyle at the Imperial Court. Owing to the huge Imperial demand for porcelain pieces to be used as Palace furnishings, for religious ceremonies, and as gifts, Imperial porcelain designs which were approved and particularly admired by the emperor were specifically produced at the kilns in Jingdezhen under a successive number of very capable Court-appointed supervisors, including Tang Ying. Under stringent supervision, requiring the potters, painters and enamellers to use the best-quality raw materials regardless of cost, large numbers of extravagant and unique Imperial porcelain pieces were produced. A wide range of Imperial porcelains commissioned and created during the Qianlong period is still housed in the Palace Museum, including both fanggu and new innovative designs in various shapes, exhibiting virtuoso skills in both the potting and in the lavish decoration. At this time, porcelain production reached its all-time zenith in China. These Imperially-commissioned masterpieces reflected both the emperor’s personal taste, his high regard for the finest porcelains; and the essential concomitant that the emperor had himself directly intervened in the production of Imperial porcelain.

The Qianlong emperor treated the official requirements of running his government just as seriously as forming his collection of Chinese art. Among all the art categories on which the Qianlong emperor focussed his connoisseurship, porcelain was the most highly favoured. Not only did he set out to collect finest-quality ceramics of the Song and Ming dynasties, but he also ordered the Imperial kilns to  reproduce them. Ever since he had come to power, the ianlong emperor had devoted himself to the study of porcelain as a form of craftsmanship, noting carefully the achievements in the previous dynasties by the Courtappointed Jingdezhen-kilns supervisor Tang Ying, and inheriting the old Imperial tradition re-established by his grandfather, the Kangxi emperor, of commissioning porcelain. Following this tradition, the emperor questioned every little detail, and was directly involved with every single element of the porcelain production process. The Archive of the Imperial Household Department often recorded that ‘porcelain samples must be presented for the emperor’s personal inspection before they are submitted to be made in the Imperial kilns’. Therefore, many of the porcelains produced during this period reflected strongly the emperor’s personal taste and appreciation. The blue and white ‘Bajixiang’ moonflasks in the Qing Court collection at the Palace Museum are outstanding examples suggesting all these features of direct Imperial involvement.

The circular but flattened form, first seen in this exact shape during the Yongzheng period, was inventoried as a ‘moonhugging  flask’ or ‘horse-hanging flask’ in the Yongzheng Imperial archives, and the production of this precise shape continued into the Qianlong period. The original form, as used in much earlier 15th century porcelain predecessors dating from the Yongle and Xuande reigns of the Ming dynasty, was imported from Central Asia; the characteristic and prominent raised dome at the middle of each main face was recreated in these successor moonflasks three hundred years later. All the recorded Qing dynasty examples of such moonflasks share the following six features regardless of their size: a small mouth, a straight neck, a shoulder decorated with a pair of handles, the overall shape being flattened and circular, a round central dome on both main sides of the body, and an oval foot.

Moonflasks of this type were first made during the Yongzheng period, but production was halted for a short period by Imperial decree in the late Yongzheng period, the Archives recording: ‘Contact Jiangxi porcelain-making place [Jingdezhen], later moonflasks no need to continue firing processes’.2 Production was finally resumed during the second year of the Qianlong reign (1737), with limited numbers being created during the mid-Qianlong period. Examples are usually decorated in blue and white, but several yellow-ground and monochrome varieties are also documented and published. The pair of blue and white ‘Bajixiang’ moonflasks offered in this auction are therefore among the most outstanding examples of such objects produced during this period.

According to the inventory records of the Palace Museum collection, there are twenty-eight blue and white ‘Bajixiang’ moonflasks in the Qing Court collection (see Table 1 for details). Six additional similar moonflasks are on longterm loan to other museums and institutions. The original placement locations in the palaces of these six loaned examples can be traced in the records of the Chen She Dang (Records of Display) and Gugong Wupin Diancha Baogao (Palace Museum Auditing Report).3

The 28 Palace Museum examples mentioned above can be classified into two sizes. The larger versions are around 50cm high; the diameter of the mouth is 8cm wide, and the foot rim measures 16.5cm long and 12cm wide (fig.1). The smaller versions are around 34.5cm high; the diameter of the mouth is 5.5cm wide, and the foot rim measures 12.5cm long and 9cm wide (fig.2). Two of the smaller versions forming a pair, was originally placed on the shelf of ‘One Hundred Curios’ in the southern sector of the Forbidden City, at the
rear of the ‘Studio of Fresh Fragrance’ in the Chong hua gong or ‘Palace of Double Brilliance’ (fig.3),4 as recorded in the Daoguang-period Imperial Archives, Shu Fang Zhai Xianshe Chenshe Dang (Records of Display for the Studio of Fresh Fragrance) (fig.4)5 and in the Guangxu-period Imperial Archives (Shu Fang Zhai Chenshe Dang (fig.5)

fig.1 Blue and white ‘bajixiang’ moonflask, Qianlong seal mark and period, 50cm high; Image courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing.

fig.2 Blue and white ‘bajixiang’ moonflask, Qianlong seal mark and period, 34.5cm high; Image courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing.

fig.3 Palace Museum Auditing Report, Palace Museum, Beijing, 1929, vol.3, book 3, p.9, scroll 4., ‘Palace of Double Brilliance’ and other palaces.

figs.4 and 5 Cover and inside cover of Records of Display for the Studio of Fresh Fragrance, p.28, sixth month, nineteenth year of the Daoguang period (1839).

According to the gezuo chengzuo huoji qingdang: Jiangxi shao ciqi chu《各作承做活計清檔•江西燒瓷器處》(Imperial Palace Workshops Archives: Ceramics Production of Jiangxi), dated Qianlong second year (1737) and recorded by the Imperial Household Department: ‘On the thirteenth day of the tenth month, Secretary Liu Shanjiu, Head of Department Samuha, Tax Officer Bai Shixiu said, Eunuch Mao Tuan, Yu Shijie and Gaoyu, presented an iron-redglazed bowl… By Imperial decree: Vases, bowls and plates produced in the future must copy the quality of the red glaze and use the zhuanshu seal mark, also reproduce the smaller moonflasks, ‘horse-hanging’ flasks, in various glazes…’ (fig.6)6

fig.6 First Historic Archives of China, Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Archives of the Qing Imperial Household Department, 2005, p.798, scroll 7.

It is therefore evident that the pair of smaller moonflasks located at the rear of the ‘Studio of Fresh Fragrance’ were produced shortly after the tenth month of the second year of the Qianlong reign (1737). Unlike this pair of ‘smaller moonflasks’, the similar but larger moonflasks (50cm high) were originally kept in wooden containers as tongci in the Imperial storerooms at the Forbidden City;7 two examples of these larger moonflasks are recorded as located in the Imperial Storage for porcelains on the western side of the ‘the Palace of Tranquil Longevity’.8

According to the huo ji dang, dated to the Qianlong third year (1738): ‘on the twenty-fifth day of the sixth month, ….the Eunuch Gaoyu presented a blue and white bowl and cover with handles… a Xuande blue and white ‘horsehanging’ flask…By Imperial decree: Send it to Tang Ying to replicate… once done the original porcelain model is to be returned to the storage of the Imperial porcelain wares; for large objects, send only the drawing design; for small objects, carry [them to Tang Ying].’9

The larger moonflasks were therefore designed by enlarging the size of the smaller ones serving as models, an innovation dating after the sixth month of the third year of Qianlong’ (1738). The production, craftsmanship and decorative motifs of both the smaller and larger types of moonflasks are directly related to each other, and the introduction of both sizes date to the very early years of Qianlong’s reign. Other than slight differences in the size, decorative details around the neck and around the handles, almost all aspects of the workmanship and decorative motifs are very consistent. The shape of these moonflasks is very classical; the body potted and glazed pearl white, the blue and white decoration enclosed within key-fret scroll borders, the foot with lotus blossoms. The neck of the larger version is densely decorated with floral scrolls; the smaller size has ruyi-heads. The narrow sides of the vases are decorated with meandering lotus scrolls. The main ‘front and back’ sides each have a circular raised boss at the centre painted with a stylised ruyi-head medallion, enclosed within a small band of lotus lappets, and all within another larger band of lotus lappets painted with the Eight Buddhist Emblems: dharma wheel, conch, parasol, victory banner, endless knot, lotus flower, double-fish and vase. Around the foot are leafy scrolls, and the recessed interior of the foot is glazed white with the blue daqing Qianlong nianzhi six-character zhuanshu seal mark arranged in three columns. The cobalt blue used all over the vase is of a rich hue. The painted decoration deliberately incorporates irregular small dots of very rich blue colour. This consciously simulates the well-known ‘heaped and piled’ effect found almost invariably on 15th century Ming dynasty Yongle and Xuande blue and white wares, where dots of the insufficiently-ground pure cobalt
mineral occur haphazardly throughout the cobalt decoration.

In discussing the actual function of these moonflasks, we must notice the ‘Bajixiang’ motif. ‘Bajixiang’ originates from Tibetan Buddhist teachings, and the motif was first painted on ceramics as early as the Yuan dynasty. In the context of Qing dynasty porcelains, the ‘Bajixiang’ motif is often depicted paired with lotus designs which suggests a reference to religious imagery. The Imperial Court of the Qing dynasty practiced the Buddhist faith; hence it is assumed that these moonflasks were placed in one of the many Buddhist temples in the Forbidden City or in other Imperial Palaces.

Also, according to huo ji dang, hua er zuo (Imperial Palace Workshops Archives of the Flower Department), dated to the Yongzheng fifth year (1727): ‘On the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, Head Eunuch Dong Zigui presented two blue and white moonflasks with handles… Eunuchs Liu Xiwen and Wang Taiping delivered the Imperial order: Arrange appropriate flowers for the moonflasks,… By eleventh day of the fifth month, sixth year (1728), prepare a bouquet of adonis and catharanthus blossoms to accompany the blue and white moonflask, Head Eunuch Samuha is to carry over, pass to Eunuch Liu Xiwen, end. By fifth day of the seventh month, sixth year, prepare a bouquet of adonis and catharanthus blossoms to accompany the blue and white moonflask, Head Eunuch Samuha is to carry over, pass to Eunuch Liu Xiwen, end.’10

Hence it is correct to assume that these moonflasks functioned as flower-holders in the interior of the various Halls and Palaces.

In conclusion: according to the Imperial archives, the blue and white ‘Bajixiang’ moonflasks with Qianlong seal marks and of the period, now housed in the Qing Court collection at the Palace Museum, were produced by Imperial decree of the emperor during the early Qianlong period. These moonflasks successfully highlight both the emperor’s personal taste, and his appreciation of the aesthetic and technical brilliance represented by Imperial porcelain.

TABLE 1. Detailed list of inventory and statistics relating to the Qianlong seal mark and of the period blue and white ‘Bajixiang’ moonflasks in the Qing Court collection, Palace Museum, Beijing.

NOTES

1. The Palace Museum took seven years to complete the fifth round of stock-taking of the entire collection in 2010. At that time, the inventory contains a total number of 1,807,558 pieces. By using these statistics as a foundation for my work, I spent another three years between 2014 and 2016 audit the inventory list. As of 31 December 2016, the Palace Museum announced publically that the Imperial collection of cultural relics contained 1,862,690 pieces.
2. gezuo chengzuo huoji qingdang: jishi lu《各作成做活計清 檔•記事錄》(Imperial Palace Workshops Archives: Records on Matters), dated Yongzheng eleventh year (1733), fifteenth day of the sixth month, ‘According to message from Yuanming Yuan, Secretary Chang Bao, Head of Department Samuha said, Deputy Palace Supervisor Li Ying to pass on decree, to the porcelain kilns at Jiangxi, no need for the further production of moonflasks.’ First Historic Archives of China, Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Archives of the Qing Imperial Household Department, People’s Publishing House, 2005, p.776, scroll 5.
3. The ‘Palace Museum Auditing Report’ was the published inventory of contents in the Forbidden City compiled by Committee founded in 1924. The inventory was based on the Thousand Character Classics, qian zi wen to identify their locations within the Palace. Each character specifies a certain location within the Palace, for example: the character li is corresponding to the location of the fifth ‘antiques room’ of the Consorts Residence at the inner court of the Forbidden City. By using these qian zi wen characters, one can locate
the original position of the relics in the Palace.
4. Palace Museum Auditing Report, Palace Museum, Beijing, 1929, vol.3, book 3, p.9, scroll 4.
5. Records of Display for the Studio of Fresh Fragrance, p.28, sixth month, nineteenth year of the Daoguang period (1839).
6. First Historic Archives of China, Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Archives of the Qing Imperial Household Department, Beijing, 2005, p.798, scroll 7.
7. Tongci: term used to describe a method of wrapping Imperial porcelain for transportation used by Jingdezhen kilns during the Qing dynasty. Large amounts of porcelain from the Imperial kilns were lined and wrapped with straw and then inserted into wooden containers for transportation to the capital, hence known as tongci.
8. Palace Museum Auditing Report, Palace Museum, 1929, vol.5, book 1, p.12, scroll 2.
9. First Historic Archives of China, Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Archives of the Qing Imperial Household Department, Beijing, 2005, p.281, scroll 8.
10. First Historic Archives of China, Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Archives of the Qing Imperial Household Department, Beijing, 2005, p.785, scroll 2.

Lot 118. A fine Imperial blue and white 'lança character' stem cup, Qianlong seal mark and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate HK$ 700,000 - 900,000 (€82,000 - 110,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2 May 1995, lot 83
A European private collection
Christie's Hong Kong, 29 May 2007, lot 1470

Note: The present stem cup, inspired by Tibetan butter lamps or chang ming deng, is remarkable for the superb painting in lighter and darker tones of underglaze blue, simulating the 'heaped and piled' effect of the early Ming dynasty' imported cobalt blue. Also noteworthy is its unusual large size, measuring 14.7cm diam. and 13.2cm high, in comparison to the much smaller standard size of 8.5-10cm high. 

The Qing emperors publicly supported Tibetan Buddhism which brought both political and to varying extents personal benefits, by ensuring solidarity with Mongolian and Tibetan allies and providing personal spiritual guidance. The Qianlong emperor was particularly dedicated to the practice of Tibetan Buddhism and this is reflected in many ceramics and decorative arts produced for the court and as gifts during his reign. 

Compare a similar blue and white stem cup, Qianlong seal mark and period, of similar size, illustrated by U.Wiesner, Chinesisches Porzellan: Die Ohlmer'sche Sammlung im Roemer-Museum, Hildesheim, Mainz am Rhein, 1981, pl.59. See also a slightly smaller example, illustrated in Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, Tokyo, 1981, pl.13. Such cups were also made for the Imperial court in other materials, such as cloisonné enamel and lacquer: see a cloisonné enamel stem cup, Qianlong mark and period, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels 2 Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pl.280; and a carved cinnabar lacquer stem cup, Qianlong seal mark and period, in the Linden Museum, Stuttgart, illustrated in Im Zeichen Des Drachen von der Schönheit Chinesischer Lacke, Munich, 2006, pl.86.

A similar blue and white 'lança character' stem cup, Qianlong seal mark and period, but of smaller size, was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 October 2013, lot 3024.

A fine blue and white stem cup with 'lança character', Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). Lot sold 1,096,000 HKD at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 October 2013, lot 3024. Photo: Sotheby's.

 Bonhams. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 30 May 2017, 15:00 HKT, HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

Lot 119. A rare and large Imperial blue and white 'dragon' dish, Qianlong seal mark and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate HK$ 400,000 - 600,000 (€47,000 - 70,000). Photo: Bonhams.

 The well-potted body with rounded sides resting on a short slightly tapering circular foot, boldly painted in vibrant tones cobalt-blue tones with simulated 'heaped and piled' effect, the cavetto with a large full-face five-clawed winged-dragon pursuing the flaming pearl of wisdom, amidst dense leafy peony scrolls, the generously proportioned well superbly painted with two striding dragons amidst meandering lotus scrolls, all beneath the rim with a band of crashing and swirling waves, the reverse similarly decorated with two striding dragons amidst a blooming peony scroll, the base with a six-character zhuanshu seal mark in underglaze blue. 51.3cm (20 1/4in) diam.

Provenance: A distinguished European private collection

Note: The magnificent dish was made in direct continuation from the Yongzheng period, demonstrating the popularity of this design; see two large blue and white 'dragon' dishes, Yongzheng marks and of the period, which were sold at Christie's New York, 22 March 2007, lot 336 and at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 April 2009, lot 1607. In turn the Yongzheng examples drew their inspiration from early Ming dynasty designs as demonstrated in the design of five dragons amidst lotus and peony scrolls on a blue and white dish, Xuande mark and period, and the winged dragon amidst waves painted in the well of a bowl, Xuande mark and period, illustrated by Liao Pao-show, A Panorama of Ceramics in the Collection of the National Palace Museum: Hsüan-te Ware I, Taipei, 2000, pls.2 and 66.

A rare large blue and white dragon dish, Yongzheng mark and of the period (1723-1735). Price realised USD 384,000 at Christie's New York, 22 March 2007, lot 336. © Christie's Images Ltd 2007

A superbly painted large blue and white 'dragon' dish , mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Lot sold 4,940,000 HKD at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 April 2009, lot 1607. Photo: Sotheby's.

Plat à décor de dragons, Chine, Epoque Qing (1644-1911), Epoque Yongzheng (1426/1435). Porcelaine à décor bleu sous couverte qinghua. Don Jules Audéoud, 1885, 2716© Photo Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris/Jean Tholance.

Dishes of such large dimensions and powerful design were made to impress, and would have been used in Imperial banquets and celebrations, displaying the Imperial grandeur. The dish would have been specially commissioned and stand as testament to the ingenuity of the master potters. The winged dragon is known as ying long and is the longest-lived dragon according to the Kangxi literature Shu Yi Ji or 'Notes on Creatures'. 

A similar blue and white 'dragon' dish, Qianlong seal mark and period, is illustrated by A.du Boulay, Christie's Pictorial History of Chinese Ceramics, Oxford, 1984, p.203, no.2; see also another similar dish, Qianlong seal mark and period, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 October 2001, lot 813, and another example, which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 5 December 1995, lot 295. 

Related large blue and white dishes, Qianlong seal mark and period, were painted with a full-faced dragon pursuing a pearl enclosing a shou character, with eight further dragons to the sides and undersides, all amidst clouds; see one example illustrated by R.Krahl and C.von Spee, Chinese Ceramics from the Gulexuan Collection, Lünen, 2003, no.123; and another example, was sold at Christie's New York, 24 March 2011, lot 1667.

A rare large imperial blue and white 'dragon' dish, Qianlong seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). Price realised USD 1,314,500 at Christie's New York, 24 March 2011, lot 1667. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 30 May 2017, 15:00 HKT, HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

Lot 576. A Fine 10.83 carats Burmese Sapphire and Diamond Ring. Estimate HK$ 1,050,000 - 1,300,000 (€120,000 - 150,000). Photo: Bonhams.

The cushion-shaped sapphire, weighing 10.83 carats, between heart-shaped diamond shoulders, the gallery and hoop pavé-set with brilliant-cut diamonds, diamonds approximately 3.05 carats total, ring size 6½

Accompanied by a Gubelin report stating that the natural sapphire has no indications of heat treatment and originates from Burma (Myanmar). Report number 12120058, dated 13 December 2012.  

Also accompanied by a Gubelin appendix stating that unheated sapphires of this size are scarce. 

Accompanied by a GRS report stating that the natural sapphire has no indications of heat treatment and originates from Burma (Myanmar). Report number GRS2017-018860, dated 23 January 2017. 

Bonhams. RARE JEWELS & JADEITE, 31 May 2017, 15:00 HKT, HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

Lot 578. A Fine Early 20th Century 4.21 carats Kashmir Sapphire and Diamond Ring, Circa 1920. Estimate HK$ 1,300,000 - 1,800,000 (€150,000 - 210,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Lot 585. A 8.07 carats Madagascar Type 'Royal Blue' Sapphire and Diamond Ring. Estimate HK$ 780,000 - 980,000 (€91,000 - 110,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Lot 121. An exceedingly rare pair of Imperial Ming-style doucai'baoxiang' cups, Yongzheng six-character marks and of the period (1723-1735). Estimate HK$ 2,000,000 - 3,000,000 (€230,000 - 350,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Each finely potted with gently flared sides rising from a short tapered foot, the exterior exquisitely decorated with four radiating Ming-style baoxiang blossoms borne on meandering foliate scrolls, all painted in soft underglaze-blue outline, framing the delicate bright translucent iron-red, yellow, aubergine and light coral-red enamels, all within double underglaze-blue line borders, the interior plain, the base inscribed in underglaze-blue with a six-character kaishu reign mark within double squares. Each 7.4cm (2 7/8in) diam. (2).

Provenance: A distinguished Asian private collection

Note: The present pair of doucai 'baoxiang' cups is exceedingly rare and only one other example (which has not been published) in the Palace Museum, Beijing, appears to be recorded, museum no.GUXIN90595. 

The design of the cups follows similar ones produced during the celebrated reign of the Chenghua emperor, known for its strict standards requiring perfection of form and execution of design. The Yongzheng emperor, though a Manchu, was also a strong proponent of traditional Confucian thinking in Han Chinese culture, seeking to achieve cultural continuity, reflected in him continuing the project of compiling a history of the previous Ming dynasty to demonstrate the orthodoxy of Qing rule. His fascination with antiquity led him to repeatedly send antiques from the Palace to the kilns to serve as standards for quality, models for designs and as inspiration for innovation; see Harmony and Integrity: The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times, Taipei, 2009, p.159; and E.S.Rawski and J.Rawson, eds., China: The Three Emperors 1662 - 1795, London, 2005, p.245. 

According to Tao Cheng Jishi Beiji, 'Commemorative Stele on Ceramic Production', which was composed by Tang Ying (1682-1756), the renowned supervisor of the Imperial porcelain kilns, the Yongzheng emperor commissioned wucai cups after the type produced during the Chenghua period, of which the doucai style was originally probably referred to as wucai; see Jiang Jianxin, 'Revised Interpretation of Records on the Commemorative Stele on Ceramic Production by Tang Ying', in Jingdezhen Taoci Kaogu Yanjiu, The Institute of Ceramic Archaeology of Jingdezhen City, Beijing, 2013, pp.236-248. 

Cups of similar design to the present lot were made during the Chenghua reign, with three examples unearthed from Zhushan, Jingdezhen. See a doucai baoxiang cup, Chenghua six-character mark within a double square and of the period, illustrated in A Legacy of Chenghua, Hong Kong, 1993, no.C95; and two further similar blue and white baoxiang cups, Chenghua six-character marks within double squares and of the period, missing their enamels, illustrated in Special Exhibition of Ch'eng-hua Porcelain Ware, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2003, nos.129 and 130. 

A Legacy of Chenghua, Hong Kong, 1993, no.C95

Special Exhibition of Ch’eng-hua Porcelain Ware, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2003, nos.129 and 130

It is therefore very likely that the present pair of cups belong to a very rare small group of doucai cups commissioned by the Yongzheng emperor after the Chenghua period prototypes. 

Compare a related pair of Ming-style doucai 'lingzhi' cups, Yongzheng six-character marks and period, also made after a Chenghua period prototype, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 June 2011, lot 3523. 

A fine and rare pair of Ming-style doucai 'lingzhi' cups, Yongzheng six-character marks  and period (1723-1735). Price realised HKD 3,620,000 (USD 467,501) at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 June 2011, lot 3523. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

 Bonhams. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 30 May 2017, 15:00 HKT, HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY

Lot 546. A 3.01 carats Heart-Shaped Faint Pink Diamond and Diamond Ring. Estimate HK$ 860,000 - 910,000 (€100,000 - 110,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Lot 547. A Marquise-Cut Fancy Greyish Blue  Diamond and Diamond Ring. Estimate HK$ 1,200,000 - 1,500,000 (€140,000 - 180,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Lot 548. A Rare 5.03 carats Radiant-Cut Fancy Green Diamond and Diamond Ring. Estimate HK$ 3,100,000 - 3,800,000 (€360,000 - 450,000). Photo: Bonhams.