Lot 120. A grisaille and gilt ‘Hongs of Canton’ punchbowl, circa 1785. Estimate $30,000 - $50,000. Price Realized $87,500. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

A continuous scene of the Canton waterfront, small junks moored in the foreground and the foreign factories flying their flags, including American (possibly later), Dutch and British, the interior with the British East Indiaman 'PITT', named on the stern - 14 in. (35.5 cm.) diameter

Provenance: Acquired from The Art Exchange, New York, in 1952.

THE COLLECTION OF J. JEFFERSON AND ANNE WEILER MILLER 

Anne and Jeff Miller shared a life-long enthusiasm for the decorative arts, building a significant collection of American folk art (sold in a major one-owner auction at Pook & Pook Inc in April 2015) as well as a charming collection of European subject Chinese export porcelain. Jeff claimed that receiving a "Lowestoft" platter as a wedding present in 1948 sparked his interest in porcelain. In their 57 years of collecting, the couple enjoyed attending numerous auctions and symposia and formed close relationships with knowledgeable dealers, scholars, and fellow collectors. Jeff, a decorated WWII veteran, returned home to study at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland.  Following a number of years in the legal profession, Jeff subsequently left the practice of law to follow his passion and enrolled in the American Material Culture program at Winterthur Museum. In 1962 Jeff became a curator in the Department of Ceramics and Glass at the Smithsonian Institution. Some years later, when Jeff retired, the couple returned to Baltimore and Jeff became Acting Director of the Maryland Historical Society. The couple remained deeply involved in a number of arts institutions in their native Baltimore. For the whole of their lives, Anne and Jeff enjoyed living amidst their multiple collections and entertaining family and friends in their wonderful home. As Jeff wrote, "There is sustained enjoyment in just having these old things around me, and in having knowledge about them."

Notes: This view of the hongs is more painterly than the more familiar Mandarin palette bowls, with less sky and sea. Though fewer in number, other grisaille bowls are at The British Museum, Temple Newsam in Leeds, the Art Institute in Chicago and the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts (illustrated by K. I. Choi, The Magazine Antiques, October 1999, Hong Bowls and the Landscape of the China Trade). Most have a floral center or an unnamed ship. ThePitt was launched in 1780 and sailed to China in 1786 under Captain George Cowper and in 1788 under Captain Edward Manning. Her owner, George Mackenzie Macauley, was a Lloyd's underwriter, London merchant and alderman.

CHRISTIE'S. CHINESE EXPORT ART, 21 January 2016, New York, Rockefeller Plaza