Lot 124. A peachbloom-glazed 'beehive' waterpot, Kangxi mark and period (1662-1722). Diameter 5 in., 12.7 cm. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000. © Sotheby's.

finely potted of classic domed 'taibai zun' form, the slightly tapered sides rising to a rounded shoulder and short waisted neck below a lipped mouth rim, the exterior evenly applied overall save for the rim and base with a glaze of deep rose shading to grayish-rose and mottled with raspberry tinged flecks, the body faintly incised with three stylized archaistic dragon roundels, the recessed base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue.

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 30th April-1st May 1996, lot 375. 

Lot 125. A famille-verte'Prunus' month cup, Kangxi mark and period (1662-1722). Diameter 2 1/2  in., 6.5 cm. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000. © Sotheby's.

finely potted with deep rounded sides rising from a short foot to a flared rim, the exterior delicately enameled with prunus trees growing beside rockwork, the reverse inscribed in underglaze blue with a poem reading suyan xueningshu, qingxiang fengmanzhi ('its simple beauty is that of a tree frozen with snow, its branches moving in the wind are full of a clear fragrance'), followed by a seal mark reading shang ('to appreciate'), the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue.

Provenance: Sotheby's Olympia, 13th November 2003, lot 429. 

Lot 127. A famille-verte'Crabapple' month cup, Kangxi mark and period (1662-1722). Diameter 2 1/2  in., 6.5 cm. Estimate 60,000 — 80,000. © Sotheby's.

the delicate bell-shaped sides rising from a short foot to an everted rim, one side of the exterior finely painted with a blossoming young crabapple tree amidst rocks and burgeoning vegetation all executed in soft underglaze blue and precisely applied overglaze enamels, the other side inscribed in underglaze blue with a poem reading qing xiang he su yu, jia se chu qing yan ('the fragrance blends with the flavor of evening rain; the beautiful color stands out in clear weather like in mist'), followed by a seal mark reading shang ('to appreciate'), the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle.

Property from the Estate of Aron and Elizabeth Landauer

Provenance: Christie's New York, 28th October 1977, lot 157. 

Note: 'Month' cups were produced in the Kangxi period (1662-1722) in both famille-verte and blue and white palettes. Variation in the sizes, colors, inscriptions, and proportional representation of different months, suggests that the cups were issued consecutively rather than as complete sets of twelve. The present cup is associated with the second lunar month of the year. Another cup of this type symbolizing the second month sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2013, lot 3274; one formerly in the collection of Sir Harry Garner sold in those same rooms, 7th October 2015, lot 3703; and an example from the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation Collection sold at Christie's New York, 14th-15th September 2017, lot 1224.

Lot 154. A pair of doucai'figural' dishes, Kangxi marks and period (1662-1722). Diameter 6 1/4  in., 15.8 cm. Estimate 6,000 — 8,000. © Sotheby's.

each with shallow rounded sides rising from a tapered foot, finely enameled to the interior with a lady sitting in a pavilion overseeing a child grasping a branch of bamboo with a phoenix perching atop, beside a carp leaping above waves, the exterior with three further carp leaping above crashing waves, the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle (2).

Note: Compare a doucai dish of this type sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 26th September 1989, lot 728.

Lot 151. A doucai'Lady' dish, Qing dynasty, Kangxi-Yongzheng period (1662-1735). Diameter 6 1/2  in., 16.5 cm. Estimate 5,000 — 7,000. © Sotheby's.

with shallow rounded sides resting on a slightly tapering foot, the interior enameled with an elegant lady in flowing robes seated comfortably alongside a table, in a terraced garden beneath a willow tree, the exterior enameled with two leafy bamboo sprays, the base with an apocryphal six-character Chenghua mark in underglaze blue.

Provenance: Acquired in China during the first half of the 20th century, and thence by descent.

Mosque lamp, Syria or Egypt,  1322–1328, glass with enamel painting and gilding, height 32,1 cm. Gemeentemuseum Den Haag.

THE HAGUE.- This autumn Gemeentemuseum Den Haag showcases the stunning ornamental delights of Islamic art in a new exhibition entitled Splendour and Bliss – Arts of the Islamic World. Literature and the Arabic script are important in the world of Islam, and so too are music, and eating and drinking together. The museum has therefore challenged eighteen writers, chefs and musicians to create something inspired by objects in the exhibition. The result is a set of stories, poems, recipes and music that wil heighten the senses. 

Koran texts, prose and poetry, and calligraphy are all prominent features of Islamic art. Six writers with their roots in the countries of origin in the objects on display were therefore asked to write a short story or poem. They include established names like Kader Abdolah and Rodaan Al Galidi, and emerging new talents like seventeen-year-old Sumai Yahya of Syria, who recently won the Young Campert Prize.  

How the writers fulfilled the commission was entirely up to them. Rashid Novaire wrote a short story about a king and a dancer inspired by two bowls from 10th-century Iran and Iraq. Eighteen-year-old Hizir Cengiz has written a personal tale based on a sixteenth-century Turkish rug, and Naema Tahir was inspired by three eighteenth-century glass bottles manufactured in Western Europe and decorated with gold and enamel in India.  

The six chefs chose a bowl or dish from the Islamic art collection and devised a Syrian, Algerian, Moroccan, Turkish or Iranian recipe to go with it. Well-known TV chef Nadia Zerouali was inspired by an Iranian bowl with a pomegranate motif, and Laurent Khellout, who has written a book of Nomadic recipes, produced a table full of mezze. Syrian chef Zina Abboud, who recently launched her book of Syrian recipes this month, took a Syrian bowl from circa 1200 as her inspiration. Eighteen-year-old Kevin Patti, who is studying to be a chef at ROC Mondriaan college in The Hague, has also contributed a recipe.  

Besides ceramics, glass, metal, rugs and wooden doors, the Islamic art collection also includes a number of extraordinary musical instruments. To reflect the prominent role of music in Islamic culture and to give visitors an impression of the sound of a kamancheh or sitar, the museum has invited six musicians to play the instruments. They all live in the Netherlands, but know the instruments from the country of their birth. The musicians include Syrian-Palestinian oud (a lute-like instrument) player Amer Shanat, and young Arash Aria, who plays one of the most ancient and revered Persian string instruments, the tar.  

The literary texts, recipes and personal accounts of the contributors will be included in the exhibition catalogue, and will play an important role in the activities offered in association with the exhibition. All the contributors will be photographed by talented photographer Mounir Raji.  

‘It’s really inspiring to see these people’s personal and artistic responses to our magnificent collection’, says museum director Benno Tempel. ‘They reveal it to be a collection full of bliss and show what fabulous stories lay hidden in the artworks. This highlights a side of Muslim culture that is rarely considered in the public debate: the exuberance and the positive message of Islamic art.'

Tile in the shape of a star, Eastern Iran, mid 15th century, siliceous earthenware, cuerda seca decorative technique, diameter 38.5 cm. Gemeentemuseum Den Haag.

Dish with arabesque pattern, Turkey, c. 1480, siliceous earthenware, diameter 44 cm. Gemeentemuseum Den Haag.

Tile with calligraphy in relief, Iran, 1200–1400, earthenware, height 42 cm. Gemeentemuseum Den Haag.

Tile with religious inscription, Iran, 1902–03, earthenware, height 19,9 cm. Gemeentemuseum Den Haag.

Mosque lamp, Syria or Egypt,  1322–1328, glass with enamel painting and gilding, height 32,1 cm. Gemeentemuseum Den Haag.

Bowl with calligraphy, East Iran, 900-1000, pottery, diameter 14.8 cm. Gemeentemuseum Den Haag.

Bowl with calligraphy and stripe decoration, Iran, 1200-1250, siliceous earthenware, diameter. 21.4 cm. Gemeentemuseum Den Haag.

Jug, Iran, circa 1200, siliceous earthenware with luster glaze, height 21.5 cm. Gemeentemuseum Den Haag.

Lot 126. A pair of enameled and underglaze blue bowls, Yongzheng marks and period (1723-1735). Diameter 3 7/8  in., 9.6 cm Estimate 5,000 — 7,000. © Sotheby's.

each with rounded sides rising from a slightly tapered foot, the exterior brightly enameled with a green leafy vine suspending red fruits, the interior painted in underglaze blue with a 'flaming pearl' at the well surrounded by a pair of striding four-clawed dragons and flame scrolls, the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle (2).

Property from the Estate of Aron and Elizabeth Landauer. 

Provenance: C. T. Loo, Paris and New York. 
Parke-Bernet Galleries New York, 10th-11th October 1962, lot 112.

Lot 128. A 'clair-de-lune'-glazed dish, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735). Diameter 6 1/4  in., 16.9 cm. Estimate 8,000 — 12,000. © Sotheby's.

the shallow rounded sides rising from a short foot, the exterior coated in a rich lavender-blue glaze suffused with minute specks of cobalt, the interior white, the base with a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue within a double circle.

Property from the Estate of Aron and Elizabeth Landauer. 

Lot 129. A famille-rose'peony' bowl, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735). Diameter 7 1/8  in., 18.1 cm. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000. © Sotheby's.

the rounded sides sweeping up from the straight foot to an everted rim, the exterior painted in brilliant enamels with resplendent pink peony blooms surrounded by teal and kelly-green leaves, peony buds, and sprays of blossoming asters and bright yellow buttercups, the interior centered with two leafy orchid sprigs bearing pink buds, the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle, wood stand (2).

Property from the Estate of Aron and Elizabeth Landauer. 

Lot 131. A small 'Ru'-type bottle vase, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735). Height 5 3/8  in., 13.7 cm. Estimate 50,000 — 70,000. © Sotheby's.

the gently compressed globular body encircled at the shoulder by a raised ring, surmounted by a tall slender neck with flaring rim, flanked on each side by zoomorphic handles, covered overall in an even, lustrous pale-blue glaze, the base with a four-character seal mark in underglaze blue.

Lot 142. A pair of copper-red 'wufu' bowls, Yongzheng marks and period (1723-1735). Diameter 6 in., 15.3 cm. Estimate 120,000 — 150,000. © Sotheby's.

each delicately potted with deep curved sides rising from a straight foot to a gently flared rim, the exterior boldly painted with four bats swooping and soaring in copper-red silhouettes, the intensity of the red deftly shifting from deep crimson to a pale pinkish-gray at the wing tips, all reserved on a white ground, the interior center with a further bat in flight, the base with a six-character mark within a double circle in underglaze blue (2).

Note: Designs created through red-glaze silhouettes originated in the early Ming dynasty and are best known from the Xuande (1426-35) period, but the technique had already been developed during the Yongle reign (1403-24), when silhouettes of animals and fish were used in combination with underglaze-blue designs; for an example excavated from the late Yongle stratum of the Ming imperial kiln site, see Imperial Porcelain of the Yongle and Xuande Periods Excavated from the Site of the Ming Imperial Factory at Jingdezhen, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1989, cat. no. 38  and a Xuande period example recovered from the Xuande stratum of the Ming imperial kiln site at Jingdezhen and included in the exhibition Jingdezhen chutu Ming Xuande guanyao ciqi [Xuande Imperial Porcelain Excavated at Jingdezhen], Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1998, cat. no. 101-2.

Notoriously difficult to achieve, copper-red glazes had been largely abandoned at Jingdezhen since the early Ming dynasty and were revived during the Kangxi reign. Recent research by Peter Lam and other leading scholars indicate that the inspiration to revisit the celebrated but technically challenging pigment occurred during the early years of the Kangxi period under the direction of Zang Yingxuan, who was sent to Jingdezhen in 1681 to oversee the rebuilding of the kilns and serve as imperial supervisor. It was in these early years of the Qing dynasty that a series of copper-red mythical beasts appear, their abstracted rich-red forms boldly contrasting with white porcelain body covered with a pale blue-tinged transparent glaze.

By the Yongzheng period, the technique had been perfected and achieved its finest form of expression with the crimson-red glaze silhouettes of fish, pomegranates and most rare of all, bats, appearing on bowls, stem bowls and dishes, and bearing imperial reign marks. This silhouette technique, which makes use of the copper-red glaze, possibly sandwiched between layers of clear glaze, is different from the more common method of painting designs in copper-red pigment directly onto the body before the glaze is applied. The present technique, if successfully handled, results in intensely red designs which do not allow for the rendering of detail and are best suited for silhouettes.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 12 sept. 2018, 10:30 AM

Lot 143. A pair of copper-red 'fish' dishes, Yongzheng marks and period (1723-1735). Diameter 6 in., 15.2 cm. Estimate 60,000 — 80,000. © Sotheby's.

each with low, rounded sides set over a slightly tapered foot, the exterior painted in underglaze copper red with three fish swimming gracefully against the white ground, their tails sweeping gently up and fins extended, the varying blush tones of the copper red enhancing the naturalism, the interior unadorned, the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle (2).

Provenance: Acquired in Hong Kong, 1990. 

Note: This sophisticated pair of dishes encapsulates the Yongzheng emperor’s (r. 1723-35) fervent interest in antiquities. The design of three red fish against an undecorated white ground has its roots in the Xuande period (r. 1424-25), when a select group of imperial cups, stem cups and stem bowls embellished with such distinct silhouettes were produced. This iconic style of decoration was rarely used until it was revived in the early Qing dynasty. According to Taocheng jishi bei [Commemorative Stele on Ceramic Production] compiled in 1735 by the great Tang Ying (1682-1756), the most accomplished superintendent of the imperial kiln at Jingdezhen in the 18th century, the three fish decoration, along with three fruits, three lingzhi fungus and five bats, were the four copper-red designs from the Xuande reign that were specifically replicated at the imperial kilns during the Yongzheng period.

Compare a closely related pair of dishes included in the Hong Kong Oriental Ceramic Society Exhibition of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain and Related Underglaze Red, City Museum and Art Gallery, Hong Kong, 1975, cat. no. 129; a pair sold in these rooms, 23rd March 2011, lot 724; and another sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th November 2011, lot 2949. See also a closely related dish sold in our London rooms, 15th May 2013, lot 232; and another sold at Christie’s New York, 24th March 2004, lot 228.

Lot 144. A blue and white 'medallion' bowl, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735). Diameter 5 5/8  in., 14.2 cm. Estimate 15,000 — 25,000. © Sotheby's.

delicately potted, the steeply rounded sides deftly painted in varying tones of underglaze blue on the exterior with five chrysanthemum medallions each composed of four flowerheads wreathed by broad leaves, enclosed by interlaced foliate scrolls, all set between double lines encircling the rim and foot, the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 12 sept. 2018, 10:30 AM

Lot 145. A blue and white 'melon' dish, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735). Diameter 8 1/4  in., 21 cm. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000. © Sotheby's.

the rounded sides resting on a gently tapering foot, the exterior delicately painted in washes of cobalt blue with two flowering scrolling vines with ripe melons, all between line borders, the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle, wood stand (2).

Provenance: Hong Kong Private Collection. 

Lot 146. A blue and white 'melon' jar, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735). Height 3 5/8  in., 9.2 cm. Estimate 30,000 — 50,000. © Sotheby's.

the globular body molded with six lobes rising to a compressed neck with a rolled rim, each lobe painted in underglaze blue with leafy vines suspending ripe melons and spindly tendrils, the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 12 sept. 2018, 10:30 AM

Lot 147. A fine blue and white jarlet, Yongzheng mark and period(1723-1735). Height 2 7/8  in., 7.5 cm. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000. © Sotheby's.

Folio Describing the Prophet Muhammad’s Epithets; Page from a dispersed Mathnawi (‘spiritual couplets’) of Mir Hasan, late 18th century, India (probably Hyderabad), ink, colors, and gold on paper, Cincinnati Art Museum; Gift of JoLynn M. and Byron W. Gustin, 2016.421a-b.

CINCINNATI, OH.- Explore the craftsmanship, skill, beauty and function of calligraphy from the ninth to the twentieth centuries in the special exhibition Collecting Calligraphy: Arts of the Islamic World, on view at the Cincinnati Art MuseumSeptember 7, 2018–January 27, 2019. 

The exhibition features 55 works on paper including richly-illuminated folios from historic manuscripts, pages from the Qur’an, calligraphic practice sheets and political decrees from a myriad of countries, including Spain, Turkey, Syria, Iran and India. This diverse collection of artworks from the museum’s collection have never before been seen together. Many of these items are on public display for the first time. 

Folio from a Pink Qur’an Describing the People of Paradise and Those of Hell; Sūrat Yūnus (Chapter: Jonah) 10: verses 26–7,early-mid 13th century, Spain (possibly Granada or Valencia), colored inks and gold on pink paper, Cincinnati Art Museum; Gift of JoLynn M. and Byron W. Gustin, 2016.369a-b.

The Cincinnati Art Museum has been acquiring Islamic calligraphy since the 1940s and houses one of the most significant collections in the Midwest. Collecting Calligraphy celebrates a recent gift to the museum from JoLynn and Byron Gustin. The Gustins, Cincinnati residents and active museum patrons, have been collecting Islamic calligraphy since the 1970s. The exhibition also includes works from the permanent collection, including a 1977 acquisition from Edwin Binney 3rd (1925–1986), the progenitor of one of the most important encyclopedic collections of South Asian and Persian painting in the US, now housed at the San Diego Museum of Art. 

Collecting Calligraphy is on view in The Manuel D. and Rhoda Mayerson Gallery and Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell Gallery (G124 and 125), across from the museum’s Terrace Café, September 7, 2018–January 27, 2019. Admission is free and photography is permitted. A free catalogue is available to visitors in the exhibition galleries.

Lot 130. A pair of fine famille-rose'balsam pear' bowls, Qianlong seal marks and period (1736-1795). Diameter 4 3/8  in., 11.1 cm. Estimate 60,000 — 80,000. © Sotheby's.

each with deep rounded sides rising from a straight foot to an everted rim, finely enameled with a balsam pear vine twisting around the exterior suspending ripe fruit bursting with seeds and issuing verdant leaves and pale yellow blossoms, bamboo shoots rising to one side of the vine and a butterfly fluttering nearby, the motif repeated at the interior, the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue (2).

Property from the Estate of Aron and Elizabeth Landauer. 

Provenance: Alberts-Langdon, Boston, 17th January 1969.

Note: A pair of bowls of this type, from the Percival David Collection and now in the British Museum, London, is illustrated in Catalogue of Ch’ing Enamelled Wares, London, 1958, pl. 897; a bowl in the Musée Guimet, Paris, is illustrated in Oriental Ceramics. The World Great Collections, vol. 7, Tokyo, 1981, pl. 91; and another is published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Tokyo National Museum. Chinese Ceramics, vol. 2, Tokyo, 1980, pl. 660. A fine pair of bowls from the Alfred Beit Collection, sold in our London rooms, 6th November 2013, lot 78; another fine pair sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2014, lot 3646; a single bowl of this type sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 27th May 2014, lot 724; another, from the Wen Tsan Yu Collection, sold at Christie's New York, 18th-19th September 2014, lot 959; and a third sold in these rooms, 21st March 2018, lot 543.

Lot 132. A rare 'Ru'-type lotus pod-mouth vase, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). Height 9 1/4  in., 23.4 cm. Estimate 30,000 — 50,000. © Sotheby's.

finely potted with the globular body rising from a short foot to a tall cylindrical neck surmounted by a lotus pod-shaped mouth sealed on top save for seven pierced holes, covered overall with a smooth grayish-celadon glaze accentuated with occasional pale golden crackles, the foot ring dressed in brown imitating Song stoneware, the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue, Japanese wood box (3). 

Note: The Japanese wood box cover has an inscription to the interior stating the vase was formally collected by Abe from the Edo period (1603-1868), signed by Ōba Iwao (1899-1975) and dated 1968.

Vases of this type are particularly rare. Compare a Qianlong mark and period flambé-glazed vase of very similar shape sold at Christie's New York, 15th September 2011, lot 1600. See a related Yongzheng clair-de-lune vase of a different shape but also with a lotus pod-head pierced with seven apertures, from the Meiyintang Collection, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 2, pl. 845; and also a Jiaqing celadon-glazed example with carved designs, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 17th November 1975, lot 153; and another, or possibly the same one, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 29th April 2001, lot 554.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 12 sept. 2018, 10:30 AM

Lot 133. A green-glazed saucer dish, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795). Diameter 5 1/2  in., 14.1 cm. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000. © Sotheby's.

finely potted, the rounded sides set on a short, straight foot, covered overall in a lustrous apple-green glaze, the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue. 

Provenance: Collection of Anthony du Boulay (b. 1929).
Marchant, London, 9th June 2004.
European Private Collection.
Sotheby's London, 15th May 2013, lot 236.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 12 sept. 2018, 10:30 AM