Alain.R.Truong

A rare pair of slip-decorated white-glazed dishes, Qing dynasty, 18th century

A rare pair of slip-decorated white-glazed dishes, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Estimate 7,000 — 9,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

each with gently rounded sides terminating in everted rims, the interior applied with a delicately incised white slip decoration of a flowering prunus bough extending over the rim to the exterior (2) - Diameter 5 5/8  in., 14.5 cm

Provenance: Bluett & Sons Ltd., London, 1st April 1982.

Notes: The present rare slip-decorated dish is based on a Song dynasty motif of prunus decoration found on Jizhou paper-cut resist bowls and, more closely, on Qingbai wares with incised design. A Qingbai-glazed shallow bowl with carved prunus in the Jiangxi Museum is illustrated in Complete Collection of Ceramic Art Unearthed in China, Jianxi, vol. 14, Beijing, 2008, no. 75. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A small guan-type bowl, Ming dynasty

A small guan-type bowl, Ming dynasty. Estimate 8,000 — 12,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

of shallow form, standing on a neatly finished foot, the footrim burnt dark brown in the firing, the whole covered with a thick, vitreous greenish-gray glaze suffused with an irregular network of dark crackle - Diameter 4 in., 10.2 cm

Provenance: Collection of Henry Loew (1877-1943) New York and thence by descent.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A yellow-glazed bowl, Kangxi mark and period

A yellow-glazed bowl, Kangxi mark and period. Estimate 8,000 — 12,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

with deep rounded sides supported on a narrow slightly tapered foot, applied overall with a soft straw-yellow glaze slightly pooling to a deeper tone on one side of the rim and around the foot, the base reserved in white and with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle - Diameter 4 5/8  in., 11.9 cm

Provenance: Bluett & Sons, Ltd., London, 1st April 1982. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A small yellow-glazed dish, Jiajing mark and period

A small yellow-glazed dish, Jiajing mark and period. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

the shallow rounded sides rising from a low tapered foot to an everted rim, applied overall with a smooth egg-yolk yellow glaze pooling slightly to a darker tone towards the footring, the slightly convex base left white and with a four-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle - Diameter 5 in., 12.8 cm

Provenance: Bluett & Sons, Ltd, London, 13th July 1979.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A copper-red-glazed bowl, Yongzheng mark and period

A copper-red-glazed bowl, Yongzheng mark and period. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

delicately potted with rounded sides supported on a straight foot, the exterior covered with a rich red glaze stopping neatly at the foot, the interior and base glazed white, inscribed at the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double-circle - Diameter 4 5/8  in., 11.7 cm

Provenance: Collection of Henry Bar, Shanghai, 1940's. 
Oriental Fine Arts, Inc. New York, 1950s.
Mr. and Mrs. Mario Belloso and thence by descent.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A robins-egg-glazed 'Lantern' vase, Daoguang seal mark and period

A robins-egg-glazed 'Lantern' vase, Daoguang seal mark and period. Estimate 12,000 — 15,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

of elongated ovoid form, resting on a slightly splayed foot, molded on the sides with two attenuated beaker-form mock handles, covered overall with a rich, finely speckled turquoise glaze, the base with incised six-character seal mark - Height 9 1/4  in., 23.5 cm

Provenance: Acquired by a New York Collector in the early 20th century and thence by descent. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A rare white-glazed 'Anhua' dish, Qing dynasty, 18th century

A rare white-glazed 'Anhua' dish, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Estimate 12,000 — 15,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

the shallow rounded sides rising to a gently everted rim, the sides delicately incised with two pairs of dragon and phoenix, covered overall with a luminous and fine white glaze, the base with an apocryphal six-character Chenghua mark in underglaze blue within a double circle - Diameter 7 7/8  in., 20.3 cm

Provenance: Ralph M. Chait Galleries Inc., New York, 1980s

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A peachbloom-glazed bowl, Kangxi mark and period

A peachbloom-glazed bowl, Kangxi mark and period. Estimate 15,000 — 20,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

he steeply rounded sides supported on a slightly tapered foot, the exterior covered with a rich copper-red glaze characteristically mottled and speckled with flecks of dark green, the interior glazed white and the countersunk base bearing a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle - Diameter 7 1/4  in., 18 cm

Provenance: Ralph M. Chait Galleries, Inc., New York, 1980s. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A fine and rare white-glazed anhua-decorated stembowl, Yongzheng mark and period

A fine and rare white-glazed anhua-decorated stembowl, Yongzheng mark and period.  Estimate 30,000 — 0,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

the rounded sides flaring towards the rim, delicately incised on the exterior with the bajixiang (Eight Buddhist Emblems), each tied with ribbons and supported on a stylized leafy lotus bloom, a band of ruyi-heads surrounding the base above the splayed foot incised with further lotus and a band of florets encircling the raised ridge around the midsection, covered overall in a lustrous, even white glaze, the interior of the foot with a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue in a line - Diameter 7 in., 17.8 cm

Provenance: Ralph M. Chait Galleries, Inc., New York, 1980s.

Nots: A similarly incised white stem cup is illustrated in Exhibition of Ch'ing Porcelain from the Wah Kwong Collection, Hong Kong, 1974, no. 51. A closely related example similarly incised but yellow enameled is illustrated by John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, Geneva, 1999, p. 212, no. 315 (A450). Other bajixiang-incised bowls raised on a splayed stem foot are known, such as the one illustrated in Chinese Porcelain - The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 134 (without the raised ridge on the splayed foot); and another formerly from the Greenwald Collection was sold in our Hong Kong rooms 29th October 2001, lot 622 and again Christie's Hong Kong, 1st December 2010, lot 2821.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM

A rare guan-type vase, hu, Qianlong seal mark and period

A rare guan-type vase, hu, Qianlong seal mark and period. Estimate 70,000 — 90,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

of archaistic hu form, the ovoid body tapering to a waisted flared neck, set to either side with a lion-head-form loop handle at the shoulder, applied overall in a thick pale bluish-gray glaze suffused with a bold network of steel gray and pale gold crackles stopping at the unglazed footring dressed in a dark brown wash in imitation of Song dynasty guan ware, a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue - Height 11 3/4  in., 30 cm

Provenance: Yamanaka & Company, New York, 1943.
Henry Dourif (1881-1967) Huntington, West Virginia and thence by descent.

Exhibition: Yamanaka & Company, Collection of Chinese and Other Far Eastern Art, (in liquidation under the supervision of the Alien Property Custodian of the U.S), New York, 1943, cat. no. 1237.

Yamanaka & Company Catalogue, 1943

Nots: The crisply molded lion-form loop handles on the present piece are striking and appear to be a unique feature varying from the usual shallow applied lion-mask handles with pendent rings or the rarer elephant-head loop handles. The bold feature is a charming 18th century innovation on a vase that in both form and glaze references two well-known early accomplishments of Chinese art: the iconic hu form derived from the great bronzes of the Shang dynasty and the rich crackled glaze of the famed Guan wares of the Southern Song dynasty. The official or Guan ware was produced for the court in the capital, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province. Laohudong in southern Hangzhou appears to have been the most important Guan kiln creating wares with an attractive crackled glaze, a version of which is seen on the present piece. The crackle was purposefully made utilizing refined technical skill to calibrate a cooling rate for the wares that would produce the different layers of fissures and allow them to be filled with two to three different colors. The present piece with its two tones references the jinsi tiexian (gold thread and iron wire).

Such a pointed allusion to the past served to both pay homage to the past while simultaneously noting the technical achievements of the present. Archaism enjoyed a major revival during the height of the Qing dynasty under the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors. The combination of a precious glaze and ancient form suggests a deep appreciation and respect for the past, together with the want for its preservation. 

Harry Dourif (1881-1967)

Henri Dourif, co-founder of Standard Ultramarine and Color Company in Huntington, West Virginia, was born in France on April 15, 1881.  He graduated from École Centrale in 1904 with the degree of Ingénieur des Arts et Manufactures and then took military training at Nimes.  In 1906 he began his industrial career as an engineer with Deschamps Frères, a French company that produced the ultramarine blue pigment.  During World War I he was a pilot, promoted to Captain and later awarded the prestigious Croix de Guerre. After the war he returned to the United States and the Standard Ultramarine and Color Company where his talent and dedication helped expand the business earning it a strong international reputation and supplying its products all around the world.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 02:00 PM