Chinese Monochrome sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 26 November 2024

1 janvier 2025

Chinese Monochrome sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 26 November 2024

Lot 3824. A rare pair of blue-glazed bowls, Marks and period of Kangxi (1662-1722); 15 cm. Lot Sold 660,000 HKD (Estimate 550,000 - 700,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2024

Provenance: Collection of Edward T. Chow (1910-1980).
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 19th May 1981, lot 499.

Note: Compare a bowl from the Baur Collection exhibited in A Millennium of Monochromes: From the Great Tang to the High Qing. The Baur and the Zhuyuetang Collections, The Baur Foundation, Geneva, 2018, cat. no. 106. A pair from the Bei Shan Tang Collection was exhibited in Monochrome Ceramics of Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties , Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1977, cat. no. 28. A single bowl from the collection of ET Hall, no. 303, was sold at Christie's London, 7th June 2004, lot 33, and again in our London rooms, 7th November 2012, lot 266.

Referring to the blue-glazed bowl of the same style from the Bauer Collection, exhibited in "Thousands of Colors: Glazes from Tang to Qing Dynasties from the Collection of Bauer Museum of Oriental Art and Zhuyuetang", Bauer Museum of Oriental Art, Geneva, 2018, No. 106. A pair is in the collection of Beishan Hall and is included in the exhibition catalog "Ming Ming Monochromatic Ceramics" at Minqiu Jingshe, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1977, no. 28. There is also a bowl in the old collection of ET Hall, No. 303. It was sold at Christie's in London on June 7, 2004, as No. 33. It changed hands again at Sotheby's in London on November 7, 2012, as No. 266.

Lot 3832. A pair of small white-glazed cups, Marks and period of Kangxi (1662-1722); d. 4.2 cm, h. 3.6 cm ; wood stands. Lot Sold 600,000 HKD (Estimate 500,000 - 800,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2024

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 April 2011, lot 3028.

Note: This charming pair of cups, seemingly simple in form and colour, is a testament to the technical perfection achieved by potters during the Kangxi reign. Deliberately left undecorated except for the gold-foiled mouthrim, the cups evoke the aesthetics of the Song dynasty Dingyao white ware. The successful production of such delicate monochrome wares, a result of refinement of the materials and precision in potting and firing, is a true marvel.

White Kangxi cups with gold-foiled mounts, such as the present pair, are exceptionally rare, with only a handful of other known examples. See two comparable pairs of Kangxi-marked cups with gold-mounted rims: one in the Shanghai Museum, published in Wang Qingzheng, ed., Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection , Hong Kong, 1998, pl. 230; and another pair from the Wang Xing Lou collection, exhibited at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, illustrated in Imperial Perfection. The Palace Porcelain of Three Chinese Emperors: Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong. A Selection from the Wang Xing Lou Collection , Hong Kong, 2004, pl. 62, and recently sold in Hong Kong.

The small cup is simple in shape and plain in color, with gold buckles around the rim. It imitates the aesthetics of Ding porcelain in the Northern Song Dynasty and testifies to the skills of craftsmen during the Kangxi period. From porcelain clay, drawing and firing, one must be meticulous in order to make such a delicate small cup.

Kangxi small wine glasses decorated with gold buckles are very rare. Two pairs are rare examples, both dated Kangxi: the pair is collected in the Shanghai Museum, included in Wang Qingzheng's "Illustrated Catalog of Kangxi Porcelain from the Shanghai Museum", Hong Kong, 1998, plate 230 ; Pair of cups from Wangxinglou Collection, once loaned to the Minneapolis Museum of Art, included in "Qing Dynasty Kangxi, Yongzong and Qianlong Official Kiln Porcelain: Porcelain from Wangxinglou Collection", Hong Kong, 2004, No. 62, recently traded in Hong Kong host.

Lot 3825. Property from the collection of Dr. Chan Chi Chin. A lemon-yellow enameled bowl, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735); 10 cm. Lot Sold 1,320,000 HKD (Estimate 150,000 - 260,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2024

Provenance: Christie's Hong Kong, 8th October 1990, lot 605.

Note: Lemon-yellow enamel was a Yongzheng innovation, achieved when the antimoniate of iron was combined with tin oxide, resulting in an opaque yellow color of vibrant hue. It was created at the enamelling workshops in Beijing, resulting from experiments with pigments imported by Jesuit missionaries , who worked alongside Chinese craftsmen in the palace workshops. The enamel was introduced to the potters of Jingdezhen around the time Tang Ying (1682-1756) was appointed Resident Manager of the imperial kiln factory in 1728. This pastel tone was particularly favored by the Qing emperors.

The lemon yellow ware is simple in shape and dull in color, but it is not easy to bake. The body, glaze and fire must be cooked carefully before the finished product can be seen. If there are any slight flaws, all the previous efforts will be wasted. The yellow glaze was decided by the court and was colored with iron. It was first fired in the early Ming Dynasty. During the Yongzheng Dynasty, antimony oxide was used as the material to create a lemon yellow glaze. The color is pure, delicate, uniform and soft, and is pleasing to the eye.

Lot 3826. A small white-glazed carved ' sanduo ' vase, meiping , Qing dynasty, Yongzheng period (1723-1735); 17.7 cm. Lot Sold 384,000 HKD (Estimate 200,000 - 400,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2024

Provenance: S. Bulgari Collection, Rome, label.
A private Hong Kong collection, acquired prior to 2000.

Lot 3826. A fine celadon-glazed double gourd vase, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795); 31.5 cm. Lot Sold 1,560,000 HKD (Estimate 400,000 - 600,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2024