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14 novembre 2016

3,000 years of Chinese Art celebrated at Bonhams Hong Kong sale

HONG KONG - Bonhams' Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art sale will be held in Hong Kong on 29 November. The sale will include works that once graced the Imperial Ming and Qing palaces. Many of the items come to the market for the first time in generations, having been held in important European, American and Asian private collections.

One of the most significant collections, ranging from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE) to the celebrated Qianlong reign in the Qing dynasty (1736-1795), was formed by a European collector with particular links to Russia and Japan. With the help of leading Kyoto based dealer Kusaka Shogado, this Chinese art enthusiast formed his collection in the 1930s. It has remained in the family for the past 80 years.

Three archaic bronze ritual food and wine vessels are among the most prized pieces in the collection, dating from the late Shang / early Western Zhou dynasty (c.1100-1000 BCE). Due to the cost required to cast these bronzes and the social status associated with owning such vessels, their use and distribution was confined to the ruling classes. Amongst the three vessels, the archaic bronze ritual food vessel, fangding, late Shang/early Western Zhou dynasty, estimated at HK$1,400,000-1,800,000, is particularly rare. The piece is cast with a three-character pictogram in homage to the deceased ancestor Fuyi. Ink rubbings of the inscription, either of this vessel or one belonging to the same group were previously in the collections of Zhang Xiaobin (1882-1968) and Chen Banghuai (1897-1986).

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Lot 27. A very rare archaic bronze ritual food vessel, fangding, Late Shang-early Western Zhou Dynasty. Estimate HK$ 1,400,000 - 1,800,000 (€170,000 - 210,000). Photo: Bonhams. 

Robustly cast in rectangular section supported on four columnar feet decorated with cicada blades, the body cast with taotie masks in relief below pairs of confronted kui dragons, all reserved on leiwen ground, centred and flanked at the edges with flanges, the top rim set with a pair of upright loop handles, the interior cast with a three-character inscription, with olive and light green patina and malachite encrustations. 22.8cm (9in) high 

ProvenanceAn important European private collection formed during the first half of the 20th century, and thence by descent.

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NotesThe European collector (1880-1952) was an entrepreneur with early links to Russia and Japan. From 1911-1917 he lived in St. Petersburg where he owned a company selling high-quality stainless steel, and where he learned the Russian language. 

Although he first visited Japan in 1907, it was in 1920 that he returned home to set up a sales operation similar to that in St. Petersburg which had been halted three years earlier due to the political upheaval. He spent several years in Osaka and Kobe, when his interest in Japanese works of art commenced. Once again he realised the benefit of learning the language in order to facilitate the acquiring of works of art. The result was a fine collection of woodblock prints, netsuke, inro, porcelain (in particular Kakiemon vases), swords, lacquer and silver.

It was in the 1930s, when back in Japan, that he extended his collection to include Chinese art. Fine porcelain, Tang silver, and early bronzes were his particular interests, and he studied these subjects both in books and through his discussions with his friend Kusaka Shogado, who was a leading dealer based in Kyoto, and from whom he made many purchases. He visited Japan for the last time in 1938, when he bought numerous items for his collection.

Cast to the interior with an inscription which reads: [X] fu yi, and which may be translated as 'made for my father Fuyi of clan [X]'.

The fangding has been in the collection of the same European family for nearly eighty years and was almost certainly originally acquired in Japan between 1930-1938, most probably from the Kyoto dealer Kusaka Shogado. 

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An identical cast inscription, very possibly the one on the present lot or on a vessel which belonged to the same group, appears on two ink rubbings: the first, previously in the collection of Zhang Xiaobin 張效彬 (1882-1968), now in a private collection; and the second, formerly in the collection of Chen Banghuai 陳邦懷 (1897-1986), is published in 'yin zhou jinwen quanji, vol.4 (The Complete Collection of Chinese Bronze Inscriptions), Shanghai, 1986, p.11, no.1548, noting it was taken from a fangding.

Fangding are among the scarcest ritual vessels of the Bronze Age, and the present piece with its powerful taotiemask comprising kui dragons and robust shape is a rare example. Food vessels of square ding form were first produced in pottery as food containers in the Erlitou period and were later made in bronze in the Erligang period. In the Shang and Western Zhou dynasties, fangding were made for use in ancestral worship or other sacrificial ceremonies, and their ownership appears to have been strictly regulated; Li Xixing in The Shaanxi Bronzes, Xi'an, 1994, p.35, notes that in the Western Zhou, the gentry were allowed to acquire three ding, high-ranking officers five, Dukes seven and the emperor nine. 

Compare a very similar, but larger (29.6cm high) fangding, Shang dynasty, from the Qing Court Collection and originally housed in the Yiheyuan (頤和園), which is cast with an inscription stating that the Shang King gifted his minister five years of grain, and that the vessel was made by the minister for his ancestral temple in veneration of his father; see Collections of the Palace Museum: Bronzes, Beijing, 2007, p.29, no.12. For other similar examples from important museum and private collections, see one dated to the late Anyang period/ early Western Zhou dynasty, illustrated in Shang Ritual Bronzes in the National Palace Museum Collection, Taipei, 1998, pp.564-569, no.97; and another illustrated by B.Karlgren, 'Some Bronzes in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities', published in The Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, 1949, no.21, pp.1-2, pl.1. A further example, from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, is illustrated by R.L.d'Argence, Bronze Vessels of Ancient China in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1977, pp.74-75, pl.XXIX; and compare also another illustrated by Takayasu Higuchi and Minao Hayashi, ed., Ancient Chinese Bronzes in the Sakamoto Collection, Tokyo, 2002, pl.108.

Also from this collection is an Imperial tianqi and qiangjin lacquer 'phoenix' chest and cover with six-character mark from the Jiajing period, estimated at HK$1,000,000-1,500,000. A rare item dating from the Jiajing reign (1522-1566) in the Ming dynasty, the chest is comprised ten drawers, decorated on all sides with phoenixes, the mythical bird associated with the Empress. It was likely made for the use of a high ranking lady of the Imperial family.

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Lot 26. A very rare Imperial tianqi and qiangjin lacquer 'phoenix' chest and coverJiajing six-character mark and of the period  (1522-1566). Estimate HK$ 1,000,000 - 1,500,000 (€120,000 - 180,000). Photo: Bonhams. 

The chest of rectangular section with a detachable front panel concealing ten graduated drawers in four tiers, each carved with single or confronted pairs of phoenixes, the top, rear, two sides and front panels each carved through layers of red, black and yellow lacquer with a barbed cartouche enclosing a pair of flying phoenixes amidst stylised lotus scrolls, further encircled by four phoenixes at the four corners within a vine-scroll border, the plinth base carved with a band of lotus petals, the interior of the front panel incised with a six-character kaishu mark.24.6cm (9 3/4in) high x 26.4cm (10 3/8in) wide x 20.5cm (8 1/8in) deep (13).

ProvenanceAn important European private collection formed during the first half of the 20th century, and thence by descent.

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NotesThe European collector (1880-1952) was an entrepreneur with early links to Russia and Japan. From 1911-1917 he lived in St. Petersburg where he owned a company selling high-quality stainless steel, and where he learned the Russian language. 

Although he first visited Japan in 1907, it was in 1920 that he returned home to set up a sales operation similar to that in St. Petersburg which had been halted three years earlier due to the political upheaval. He spent several years in Osaka and Kobe, when his interest in Japanese works of art commenced. Once again he realised the benefit of learning the language in order to facilitate the acquiring of works of art. The result was a fine collection of woodblock prints, netsuke, inro, porcelain (in particular Kakiemon vases), swords, lacquer and silver.

It was in the 1930s, when back in Japan, that he extended his collection to include Chinese art. Fine porcelain, Tang silver, and early bronzes were his particular interests, and he studied these subjects both in books and through his discussions with his friend Kusaka Shogado, who was a leading dealer based in Kyoto, and from whom he made many purchases. He visited Japan for the last time in 1938, when he bought numerous items for his collection.

The present lot is an exceptionally rare and impressive example of lacquer ware made for the Imperial Court during the Jiajing reign period (1522-66). The decorative tianqi and qiangjin technique, the design layout, the shape, including the graduating inner-drawer arrangement of four-three-two-one, are all clearly inspired by early Imperial Ming lacquer ware, such as the 'dragon and phoenix' chest, Xuande period, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, which is illustrated by C.Clunas and J.Harrison-Hall, ed., Ming: 50 Years That Changed China, London, 2014, p.104, fig.94, where it is noted that the chest of drawers has been made portable by the addition of carrying handles, such as on the present lot, as the Ming Court was regularly on the move between Beijing and Nanjing. 

Chests of similar form and design are exceptionally rare and only one other appears to have been published; see the example from the A.Breuer collection, Berlin, exhibited in the 1929 Berlin exhibition and illustrated in the catalogue Ausstellung Chinesischer Kunst, Berlin, 12 January - 2 April 1929, p.290, no.774. 

Compare also two related tianqi and qiangjin decorated polychrome lacquer chests, with a top hinge, Jiajing mark and of the period, the first from the Qing Court collection, decorated with dragons, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Shanghai, 2006, pp.202-203, no.160; and the second, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, with a shou-character design, illustrated by H.Garner, Chinese Lacquer, London, 1979, p.186, pl.132 (with a Xuande over a Jiajing mark).

The principal phoenix motif of the design suggests it may have been made for the use of the empress or one of the high ranking ladies of the Imperial family. There are very limited numbers of tianqi and qiangjin lacquerwares in the Jiajing period. The 'double phoenixes in flight amidst floral scrolls' motif was an established motif during the Jiajing period; see for example, from the Qing Court Collection, a carved cinnabar lacquer dish, with an apocryphal Qianlong mark, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Shanghai, 2006, p.164, no.123; see also related carved polychrome lacquer chest, Jiajing, carved with double-phoenix in the main cartouche, illustrated in Layered Beauty: The Baoyizhai Collection of Chinese Lacquer, Hong Kong, 2010, p.197, fig.8a.

A similar qiangjin and tianqi-decorated polychrome box, Jiajing mark and of the period, but in restored condition, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong on 26 April 2004, lot 927; see also a related carved polychrome lacquer 'dragon' stationery chest, Jiajing, sold at Christie's Hong Kong on 27 November 2013, lot 3557.

A further highlight from this collection is an exceptionally rare Imperial famille rose yellow-ground 'floral' bowl with six-character mark from the Qianlong period, estimated at HK$800,000-1,200,000. The bowl bears the very rare Kaishu six-character mark which appears on only three other ceramics - all held in important museums and private collections. This example is superbly enamelled in the opulent style typical of the porcelain production of the Qianlong reign.

An exceptionally rare Imperial famille rose yellow-ground 'floral' bowl, Qianlong six-character mark and of the period

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Lot 25. An exceptionally rare Imperial famille rose yellow-ground 'floral' bowl, Qianlong six-character mark and of the period (1736-1795) Estimate HK$ 1,000,000 - 1,500,000 (€120,000 - 180,000). Photo: Bonhams. 

Superbly enamelled in vibrant colours of pink, white, blue, coral-red and green with various blossoms including lily, narcissus, lotus and anemone, all borne on dense leafy scrolls with further florets reserved on a bright yellow ground, the interior decorated with five iron-red bats. 15cm (6in) diam.

Provenance: An important European private collection formed during the first half of the 20th century, and thence by descent.

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NotesThe European collector (1880-1952) was an entrepreneur with early links to Russia and Japan. From 1911-1917 he lived in St. Petersburg where he owned a company selling high-quality stainless steel, and where he learned the Russian language. 

Although he first visited Japan in 1907, it was in 1920 that he returned home to set up a sales operation similar to that in St. Petersburg which had been halted three years earlier due to the political upheaval. He spent several years in Osaka and Kobe, when his interest in Japanese works of art commenced. Once again he realised the benefit of learning the language in order to facilitate the acquiring of works of art. The result was a fine collection of woodblock prints, netsuke, inro, porcelain (in particular Kakiemon vases), swords, lacquer and silver.

It was in the 1930s when back in Japan, that he extended his collection to include Chinese art. Fine porcelain, Tang silver, and early bronzes were his particular interests, and he studied these subjects both in books and through his discussions with his friend Kusaka Shogado, who was a leading dealer based in Kyoto, and from whom he made many purchases. He visited Japan for the last time in 1938, when he bought numerous items for his collection.

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The present bowl is exceptionally rare and only three other examples with a Qianlong regular kaishu six-character mark and of the period appear to have been published; see one in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated by Wang, Zhongguo Taoqi, Jingdezhen Caihui Ciqi, Shanghai, pl.III and Chugoku Toji Zenshu, vol.21, pl.111; for the second, in the Wang Xing Lou Collection, see Imperial Perfection: The Palace Porcelain of Three Chinese Emperors, Kangxi - Yongzheng - Qianlong, Hong Kong, 2004, pp.158-159, no.57; and the third example, previously with S.Marchant & Son, Ltd., London, in 2006, was later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong on 4 April 2012, lot 3190.

Superbly enamelled with full flowering blossoms, demonstrating the exceptional level of aesthetic and technical craftsmanship achieved during the Qianlong reign, the same design is also shared by a number of bowls with a Qianlong underglaze-blue seal mark as well as by bowls with a Qianlong blue-enamel four-character seal mark; for bowls with underglaze-blue six-character seal marks, see one in the British Museum, London (14cm diam.), illustrated by H.Moss, By Imperial Command, Hong Kong, 1976, pl.6; another example from the Qing Court collection, Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The All Complete Qianlong: The Aesthetic Tastes of the Qing Emperor Gaozong, Taipei, 2013, pp.220-221, pl.II-3.28; and another one is in the Nanjing Museum (18.5cm diam.), illustrated in Treasures in the Royalty: The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p.243; for an example of a blue-enamel four-character seal mark bowl see Geng Baochang, Ming Qing Ciqi Jianding, Hong Kong, 1993, p.281, fig.485.

This decorative design on bowls continued onto the Daoguang period, indicating the particular popularity of this design in the Imperial Court; see S.G.Valenstein et al., The World's Great Collections: Oriental Ceramics, Vol.11: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Tokyo, 1982, pl.163; see also a pair of famille rose yellow-ground 'floral' bowls, Daoguang seal marks and of the period, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong on 5 October 2011, lot 2069.

Also up for sale are a large pair of exquisitely painted and enamelled doucai jardinières with six-character marks from the Kangxi period (1662-1722), estimated at HK$500,000 - 800,000. These come from an English stately home in Kent where they were used to hold wood logs either side of the dining room fireplace. Replete with Daoist imagery, the jardinières would have been suited to an important Imperial birthday celebration and may be those specially commissioned for the Kangxi Emperor's seventieth birthday, held on the third month of 1723.

A very rare pair of large doucai jardinières, Kangxi six-character marks and of the period (1662-1722)

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Lot 19. A very rare pair of large doucai jardinières, Kangxi six-character marks and of the period (1662-1722).  Estimate HK$ 500,000 - 800,000 (€59,000 - 95,000). Photo: Bonhams. 

Each heavily and deeply potted on a tapering pedestal and flared towards a wide, flat and foliate rim, the exterior superbly painted in soft underglaze-blue with delicate outlines, colourfully enamelled in shades of green, iron-red, yellow, black, brown, grisaille and gilt with six scenes of Daoist Immortals gathering in an idyllic landscape amidst rocks, overhanging pine trees and swirling waves, each bearing their associated attributes and engaging in various leisure and religious pursuits, the flattened rim decorated with four shou characters on a floral diaper ground, the splayed foot moulded with four foliate cartouches enclosing scrolling lotus, with metal liners. Each 32.8cm (12 7/8in) high x 59.3cm (23 3/8in) wide x 42.7cm (16 7/8in) deep (4). 

Provenance: An English private collection, acquired circa 1950s-1960s and thence by descent.

Notes: This remarkable pair of hexagonal jardinières is an outstanding example of the ambitious Imperial porcelain commissioned towards the end of the Kangxi period. It has been suggested that this group of sturdily-potted hexagonal jardinières, Kangxi mark and of the period, may be identified with those specially commissioned for the Kangxi emperor's seventieth birthday, which would have occurred in the third month of 1723; see J.Watt, Possessing the Past: Treasures from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, New York, 1996, p.504; and P.Y.K.Lam, 'Lang Tingji and the Porcelain of the Late Kangxi Period', Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol.68, 2003-2004, p.44. The design on the vessels, bursting with Daoist representations and auspicious wishes for long life, would have been highly suitable for such an important Imperial birthday celebration. The special character of the jardinières is further demonstrated in the masterful composition and skilful painterly style, utilising (in addition to the underglaze-blue), a particularly diverse palette of enamels and subtle tones.

Compare a doucai jardinière of similar form and related design, Kangxi mark and of the period, from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of the Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Shanghai, 2007, pp.210-211, pl.192. See three further jardinières of similar form and related design but resting on four bracket feet, Kangxi marks and of the period; one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated by J.Watt, Possessing the Past: Treasures from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, New York, 1996, pl.289; and two other examples in the Nanjing Museum, the first illustrated in Treasures in the Royalty: The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, pp.94-95; and the second illustrated in Qing Imperial Porcelain of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, Hong Kong, 1995, pl.27.

It is interesting to note that large jardinières made for the Imperial Court were inscribed with the Imperial Kangxi mark, both in underglaze-blue and occasionally in overglaze black enamel, as demonstrated on a famille verte octagonal jardinière from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of the Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Shanghai, 2007, pp.104-105, pl.95.

A related doucai jardinière, Kangxi mark and of the period, but decorated with female Immortals, was sold at Christie's London on 15 May 2007, lot 282; and compare with another single doucai jardinière, Kangxi mark and of the period, raised on four bracket feet, and decorated with male Immortals, which was sold at Christie's New York on 15 September 2011, lot 1549.

From the period following the Kangxi period, that of the Yongzheng Emperor (1723-1735), comes an exceptionally rare Imperial doucai 'Eight Buddhist Emblems' stem bowl, Yongzheng with six-character mark, estimated at HK$2,000,000 - 3,000,000. This jewel-like bowl is adorned with the auspicious Eight Buddhist Emblems and is likely to have been specially commissioned by the Emperor. Only one other example, possibly the pair to the present lot, is known to have been published. This one was in the hands of S. Marchant & Son, Ltd. (London) in 1962 and later in the Anthony Evans Collection.

An exceptionally rare Imperial doucai 'Eight Buddhist Emblems' stem bowl, Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period (1723-1735)

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Lot 20. An exceptionally rare Imperial doucai 'Eight Buddhist Emblems' stem bowl, Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period (1723-1735).  Estimate HK$ 2,000,000 - 3,000,000 (€240,000 - 350,000). Photo: Bonhams. 

Superbly potted with gently rounded sides raised on a tall spreading foot, the exterior delicately and precisely decorated with the Eight Buddhist Emblems, bajixiang, each beribboned Emblem set on a lotus blossom borne on scrolling branches, all between a circular band of flower heads and a ruyi-head border, the interior meticulously decorated with a central medallion enclosing four lotus flower-heads amidst meandering foliage, all enamelled in delicate colourful shades of yellow, green, iron-red, and aubergine. 15.8cm (6 1/4in) diam.

Provenance: S. Marchant & Son, Ltd., London
Anthony Evans Collection, Kent, no.403, acquired from the above in 1962

Notes: This exquisite doucai bajixiang stem bowl is of exceptional quality, displaying a masterfully well-proportioned design, showcasing the skilfully decorated emblems precisely painted in cobalt pencilled lines decorated with delicate shades of enamels, contrasting with the jewel-like lustre of the elegant porcelain successfully fired by the master-potters. 

It is exceedingly rare as only one other example, (possibly the pair to the present lot), appears to have been published, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong on 14 November 1989, lot 220. 

The Yongzheng emperor practiced a balanced combination of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daosim. He enjoyed discussing Buddhism, referring to himself as 'Head of the Shakya' (the kingdom from which Buddha came) and engaging in Chan studies. The emperor also adopted Buddhist names such as 'Layman of Aloofness from the Dusty World' and 'Layman of Yuanming [Garden]', as well as bestowing one on his son Hongli, 'Layman of Everlasting Spring'. Amongst the depictions of Yongzheng is a painting of him wearing the Buddhist ceremonial robe of an esoteric high lama. The Yongzheng emperor regularly issued instructions on Buddhism, like his father before him had Buddhist scriptures printed; and personally contributed prefaces for Buddhist texts; see Harmony and Integrity: The Yongzheng Emperor and His Times, Taipei, 2009, pp.139 and 145. 

See a doucai stem bowl, Yongzheng seal mark and of the period, decorated with the Eight Buddhist Emblems, but with a wider bowl and shorter stem, in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo lidai Jingdezhen ciqi: Qing juan, Beijing, 1998, p.120. This stem bowl was made under Imperial command in the tenth year of the Yongzheng reign (AD 1733) as a gift to Mongolian nobles. Therefore, it is likely that the present stem bowl was specially commissioned for the emperor's personal use or as an Imperial gift.

Although the decoration does not follow a specific Chenghua design, it nonetheless draws its inspiration from the Chenghua period through the bajixiang motif executed with the doucai technique; see for example, a doucai bowl, Chenghua mark and of the period, with the bajixiang motif also issuing from lotus flowers, included in the exhibition A Legacy of Chenghua: Imperial Porcelain of the Chenghua Reign Excavated from Zhushan, Hong Kong, 1993, pp.334-335, pl.C123.

A private European collection formed between 1930 and 1960 includes a selection of Imperial porcelain from the Ming dynasty Zhengde period (1506-1521) to the Qing dynasty Yongzheng period (1723-1735). These include rare yellow-glazed porcelains, a colour associated with the Emperor. Highlights from the collection include a unique pair of magnificent and rare large Imperial yellow-glazed incised 'Auspicious Emblems' dishes with six-character marks from the Yongzheng period, estimated at HK$500,000 – 800,000.

A pair of magnificent and rare large Imperial yellow-glazed incised 'Auspicious Emblems' dishes, Yongzheng six-character marks and of the period (1723-1735)

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Lot 9. A pair of magnificent and rare large Imperial yellow-glazed incised 'Auspicious Emblems' dishes, Yongzheng six-character marks and of the period (1723-1735)Estimate HK$ 500,000 – 800,000 (€59,000 - 85,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Each superbly potted with shallow rounded sides rising from a short tapered foot to a broad everted lipped rim, the interior brilliantly and meticulously incised with a central shou medallion surrounded by a band of five bats interspersed with lotus blooms amidst foliate tendrils, further encircled by a row of the Eight Buddhist Emblems at the cavetto, each emblem tied with ribbons and supported on lotus blooms, all below a border of confronted pairs of stylised dragons separated by shou medallions, the exterior finely incised with three fruiting peach branches alternating with pairs of bats, covered overall in a rich glaze of egg-yolk-yellow tone, the base glazed white, wood stands. 40.6cm (16in) and 41cm (16 1/8in) diam. (4).

ProvenanceAcquired from Henry, 6th Earl of Carnarvon (1898-1987), by repute
A distinguished European private collection, and thence by descent

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Notes: The European private collection to which these rare Imperial porcelains belong, ranging from the Zhengde to the Yongzheng period, was formed by a highly discerning collector, mostly between the 1930s and the 1960s. 

The pieces forming the collection in its entirety, were acquired from some of the foremost dealers of their generation, including in London John Sparks, Bluett's and William Clayton, in Paris L.Wannieck and Pierre Saqué and in New York Frank Caro (as successor to C.T. Loo). In a correspondence between John Sparks and the owner in 1930, the former was informed that a recently acquired piece has arrived safely despite the hard landing of the aeroplane...

The exceptional rarity of many of the pieces stand as a testament to the connoisseur's eye of the collector. The collection moved with the owner and her family across three continents, always beautifully displayed around the home to be enjoyed and admired daily.

The present pair of exquisite dishes is exceedingly rare; no other similar yellow-glazed dish of the same design, dating to the Yongzheng period, appears to have been published. However, two dishes of the same form, size and design, but decorated in yellow, green and aubergine glazes, Yongzheng marks and of the period, are recorded: the first, from the Edgar collection, which was sold in our London rooms on 8 June 2004, lot 119, illustrated in Encompassing Precious Beauty: The Songzhutang Collection of Imperial Chinese Ceramics, Hong Kong, 2016, no.26; and the second, from the Edward H. Bennett collection which was sold at Sotheby's New York on 16 March 2016, lot 306.

The elaborate design, which appears to have been devised during the Yongzheng reign, demonstrates the consummate skill of the craftsmen, creating a perfectly balanced composition, precisely executed on each charger in finely incised lines. 

The highly auspicious symbolism particularly powerful in the wishes for long life, suggests they were most probably specially commissioned for an important Imperial occasion such as an Imperial birthday. The shou character, forming the centre of the dish, symbolises longevity; bats represent 'good fortune' and five bats are especially auspicious, representing 'The Five Blessings' of prosperity, long life, love of virtue, health and a natural death. Combined, the decoration of five bats surrounding the shou character forms a rebus for wu fu peng shou (五福捧壽), which may be translated as 'longevity held up by the five blessings'; the bat, fu (蝠) and peach shoutao (壽桃) form the pun fushou shuangquan (福壽雙全) or 'may you have both blessings and longevity'; the 'Eight Buddhist Emblems', bajixiang, represent the offerings presented to Shakyamuni by the gods upon his enlightenment, and the motif entered Chinese design around the time of the Yuan dynasty, when they became symbols of good fortune. 

The design was repeated during the Qianlong reign on yellow, green and aubergine glazed dishes; see J. Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, vol.2, Geneva, 1999, no.205.

Chinese sculptures with devotional Buddhist or Daoist images were rarely carry political messages. A large pair of bronze figures of the Hehe Erxian, circa 1645-1660, estimated at HK$3,000,000-5,000,000 break that rule with powerful political, patriotic statements. Each of the towering figures of the Twins of Unity and Harmony are inscribed with a message calling for loyalty to the Ming dynasty in defiance of the Qing forces during a period of upheaval and the transfer of the 'Mandate from Heaven' from one dynasty to another.

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Lot 31. An exceptionally rare and large pair of bronze figures of the Hehe Erxian, Circa 1645-1660. Estimate HK$ 3,000,000 - 5,000,000 (€350,000 - 590,000). Photo: Bonhams. 

Each cast standing on a hexagonal pedestal raised on six lion-mask cabriole legs, the monumental twins wearing loose robes incised with meandering floral scrolls and butterflies tied at the waist and suspending a pouch at the back carved with an eight-character kaishu inscription, the finely detailed hair neatly fastened with headbands, each carrying a double-gourd swung over the shoulder, one holding a basket-weave box and cover revealing a bat within, the other holding a lotus bud. The taller 88.5cm (34 3/4in) high (2).

ProvenanceA European private collection assembled in China in the 1920s, by repute.

Notes: The Hehe Erxian are considered by many scholars to be an iconic manifestation of the legendary eccentric monk-poet Hanshan (寒山) and his friend Shide (捨得) who are said to have lived during the Tang dynasty; see for example a 14th century ink on paper album leaf, depicting Hanshan and Shide by Yintuoluo (因陀羅) (accession no.TA-343), in the Tokyo National Museum, illustrated in 100 Masterpieces of Asian Art from the Tokyo National Museum Collection, Tokyo, 2009, p.103, no.82. The representation of the two figures as the Hehe Erxian seems to have been more firmly established in the Ming dynasty, when the pair began to be depicted as two boys with joyous facial expressions, holding a stem of lotus flower and a round lidded box. Their symbolism was officially recognised during the Qing dynasty when in 1733, the Yongzheng emperor decreed that they should be known as the two Immortals of harmony and unity, forming part of the pantheon of Daoist Immortals. 

Traditionally they have come to symbolise a long, happy marriage: the box, he (盒) is a homonym for 'harmony', he(和), and box and cover when closed also symbolise 'togetherness', bestowing upon the recipient auspicious blessings of marital bliss. The symbolism of unity and harmony is particularly poignant in the context of the present monumental pair of figures, taking on a hidden political statement of support for the embattled Ming dynasty.

The double-lined inscription incised on the back of each of the figures reads 建炎紀元,李克榮玩, ('First year of the Jianyan reign, refined article belonging to Li Kerong').

The inclusion of an apocryphal Southern Song dynasty inscription on a bronze figure or vessel is exceptionally rare. It poses an intriguing question as to the date of these figures and the reason for the inscribed Jianyan date by the dedicator Li Kerong. 

Let us compare two periods, about 500 years apart: that of the Southern Song dynasty's Jianyan era (1127-1130) and that of the self-proclaimed Southern Ming dynasty (1644-1662). 

Jianyan(建炎)refers to the first year of the Southern Song dynasty's Jianyan era (1127-1130), during the reign of the Gaozong emperor (1107-1187). According to the Daoist concept of the Five Elements, the Song dynasty was associated with the element of Fire: the character yan is written as 'double fire' and therefore Jianyan represents re-establishing the glory of the Song dynasty (in 1130 the Gaozong emperor changed the reign name for auspicious reasons to the 'Shaoxing' reign, which lasted until 1162 when he abdicated in favour of his son, the Xiaozong emperor). 

In 1127, the invading Jurchen Jin forces captured the capital Bianjing (Kaifeng) as well as the retired Huizong emperor and his successor, the Qingzong emperor. The remaining loyalist Song forces gathered under the newly-established Southern Song dynasty in Lin'an (Hangzhou) led by the Gaozong emperor. 

On 25 April 1644, the Chongzhen emperor hanged himself rather than being captured alive by the Shun rebels and Beijing was captured. Li Zicheng proclaimed the establishment of the Shun dynasty which lasted less than a year, at which point joint Manchu and Han forces defeated Li Zicheng in the battle of Shanhai Pass (27 May 1644). The victorious Manchus were quick to consolidate Qing control of Beijing, whilst Ming dynasty loyalist forces only re-established the capital in Nanjing, naming Zhu Yousong, the Prince of Fu, as the Hongguang emperor. However, his reign lasted briefly until 1645 when he was captured and executed; with the Southern Ming dynasty nevertheless continuing until the last emperor, Zhu Youlang, was caught in Burma and executed in 1662.

The comparison between the re-establishment of the Southern Song and the so-called Southern Ming dynasty would have strongly resonated amongst Ming loyalists after 1644 and before 1662, after which time these hopes were firmly quashed. A Ming loyalist living in Qing-controlled territory would have been able to demonstrate his hopes and support only in a subtle and hidden manner, such as through the unique inscription incised on the striking figures of unity. This would also strongly indicate that the figures date to circa 1644 and most probably before 1662.

Similarly, Ming loyalist symbolism was also conveyed during the late Chongzhen and Shunzhi periods through literary decoration on porcelain. See for example a blue and white jar and cover, Chongzhen, in the Butler Family Collection, illustrated in Seventeenth Century Jingdezhen Porcelain from the Shanghai Museum and the Butler Collections: Beauty's Enchantment, Shanghai, 2005, pp.92-93, no.14, painted with the story of Su Wu and Li Ling of the Han dynasty: 

Li Ling, a Han dynasty general, was captured after a battle by the Xiongnu tribe; the Han emperor believed he was guilty of a plot and had his family put to death and so Li decided not to return home. Later the emperor sent Su Wu as an envoy to the Xiongnu chief and sent Li to persuade him to switch loyalties. Su refused and remained imprisoned for 18 years when he was finally released. At a later meeting Li expressed admiration for Su's integrity and admitted to a bad conscience over his own conduct.

Other loyalist stories depicted on porcelain include that of Bo Yi and Shu Qi who pleaded with Wu Wang not to attack the Shang, and later refused to eat the grain of the Zhou; illustrated ibid., pp.98-99, 118-119, nos.17 and 27.

The apocryphal Southern Song inscriptions on the present figures, as well as such literary stories painted on porcelain vessels, would have conveyed a strong political message and call for loyalty to the Ming dynasty in general; and in the case of the present figures, most probably loyalty to the recently established Southern Ming in particular. Therefore, this magnificent pair of figures, joyous in their outward manner and inner symbolism, express through the hidden meaning of their inscriptions, a deeper meaning, capturing a historical moment in time of change between one dynasty and another.

Another exceptional devotional figure is a large and rare gilt-bronze figure of Maitreya, Kangxi (1662-1722), estimated at HK$5,500,000 - 6,500,000, formerly in the Speelman collection. The magnificent figure, opulently adorned with beaded jewellery is particularly rare in its posture and superb craftsmanship.

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Lot 32. A large and rare gilt-bronze figure of Maitreya, Kangxi (1662-1722). Estimate HK$ 5,500,000 - 6,500,000 (€650,000 - 770,000). Photo: Bonhams. 

Heavily cast and gilt, seated with legs crossed in dhyanasana and hands held in vitarka mudra atop an exquisite double-lotus base decorated with beaded rim and details in relief, wearing a dhoti overflowing onto the pedestal and incised at the hem with intricate floral decoration, with billowing scarf across both shoulders leaving the chest bare, wearing beaded necklaces, armlets, bracelets and earrings inset with semi-precious hardstones, the meditative facial expression with downcast eyes framed by pendulous ears and an elaborate crown holding the hair in a high chignon, box.
51cm (20in) high (2).

ProvenanceThe Jules Speelman Collection
An Asian private collection

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NotesThe Kangxi emperor's strong personal affinity to impressive gilt and semi-precious-stone-inlaid bronze figures is demonstrated by the four-armed Avalokitesvara Shadakshari, from the Qing Court Collection, dated by inscription to the bingyin year, corresponding to 1686, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Buddhist Statues of Tibet, Shanghai, 2003, p.237, no.226; the inscription, which is engraved in four different languages including Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan Sanskrit, reads: 

'大清昭聖慈壽恭簡安懿章慶敦惠溫莊康和仁宣弘靖太皇太后虔,奉三室福庇萬靈,自於康熙二十五年歲次丙寅恭奉聖諭不日告成,永念聖祖母仁慈垂佑眾生更賴菩薩感應萬壽無疆雲爾。'

The inscription states that the gilt-bronze figure was commissioned and presented in dedication to the Kangxi emperor's grandmother, the dowager empress Xiaozhuangwen (1613-1688).

The heavily cast figure of Maitreya is exceptionally rare as it combines the Tibetan love of ornaments, as seen through the luxurious design of the jewellery, which was derived from the Malla period Nepalese stylistic tradition, with Imperial Chinese characteristics such as the delicacy of detail and elegant casting, as seen by the detailing of the hems of the robes and the robustness of the impressive figure raised upon the double-lotus dais. The technical virtuosity is best exemplified in the exceptional craftsmanship achieved in the early Qing dynasty and lavished upon devotional images worthy for Imperial worship.

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Examples of comparable headdress are also found in gilt-bronze figures in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Buddhist Statues of Tibet, Shanghai, 2003, pp.238-241, nos.227-230; for a further example see a gilt-bronze figure of a Syamatara, 17th century, in the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, illustrated by U.von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p.542, no.153A.

The Maitreya is magnificently adorned with a multi-layered beaded necklace suspended from a beautifully incised collar around the neck, with floral and tear-drop shaped jewellery intricately inset with turquoise and coral stones. The waist, arms and feet are similarly bejewelled. The quality of the jewellery decoration is comparable to that on a large gilt-bronze standing figure of a Bodhisattva, illustrated by Wang Jiapeng, Buddhist Art from Rehol: Tibetan Buddhist Images and Ritual Objects from the Qing Dynasty Summer Palace at Chengde, Taipei, 1999, pp.74-75, no.16. 

Compare the similar tri-lobed lotus petals on the pedestal of a larger gilt-bronze figure of Buddha Dipankara, Kangxi, dated 1662, illustrated by U.von Schroeder, ibid., pp.540-541, pl.152E; and see also a smaller gilt-bronze figure of Buddha Shakyamuni, 17th/18th century, illustrated by the Chang Foundation, Buddhist Images in Gilt Metal, Taipei, 1993, p.42, no.14.

An Imperial gilt-bronze and cloisonné enamel 'elephant' incense burner and cover, Qianlong (1736-1795), estimated at HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000, is an outstanding example of cloisonné enamelling and casting from the Qing Palace Workshops, made specifically for the Qianlong Emperor. This piece hails from an important European collection.

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Lot 35. An exceptional Imperial gilt-bronze and cloisonné enamel 'elephant' tripod incense burner and coverQianlong (1736-1795). Estimate HK$ 4,000,000 - 6,000,000 (€470,000 - 710,000)Photo: Bonhams. 

Heavily cast with deep rounded sides supported on three elephant-head feet, each with a pair of protruding tusks and bejewelled harness, flanked at the shoulders with another pair of elephant-head handles, their upturned trunks ending in curled tips, the body interspersed with three lotus blossoms and hanging chimes amidst dense foliate scrolls and grapevines below a ruyi-head and key-fret border, decorated in vivid enamels of red, green, yellow, white, blue, pink and purple on a turquoise ground, the pierced cover with three ruyi-shaped panels decorated with similar lotus scrolls, surrounded by intricately cast gilt openwork with further scrolling lotuses, surmounted by a recumbent elephant richly adorned across the body with bejewelled harness and beaded garlands, the saddle with a miniature offering bowl with ornately decorated cover, box. 43.8cm (17 1/4in) high (3).

Provenance: An important European collection.

Notes: The present lot features the outstanding quality of enamelling and casting at the highest level, which is characteristic of cloisonné enamel vessels made in the Palace workshops, Qingdai Gongting Zaobanchu (清宮造辦處). 

Imperial works of art made for the Court during the Qianlong period often combine archaic-inspired form and design, reflecting the emperor's appreciation of the past, with the opulence and grandeur representing the Qing Court's taste, at the height of the Qing dynasty. The exceptional result was due to the technical virtuosity achieved at the cloisonné enamel ateliers during the Qianlong reign; nowhere better demonstrated than in the superb jewelled elephant feet and the tour de force of the recumbent elephant on top of the vessel, carrying a vase laden with a cornucopia of auspicious representations.

The elephant in China is one of the seven Buddhist Sacred Treasures and symbolises peace. The combination of an elephant xiang (象) and a vase ping (瓶), is a reference to 'peaceful times', taiping youxiang (太平有象), making pairs of elephants carrying vases an important part of the Imperial throne regalia, as can be seen for example in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Taihe Dian (太和殿) and the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yangxin Dian (養心殿); see Wan-go Weng and Yang Boda, The Palace Museum Peking: Treasures of the Forbidden City, London, 1982, pp.44-45 and 64-65. See also the powerful symbolism demonstrated in a detail from the Imperial Court painting Ten Thousand Envoys Come to Pay Tribute, 1761, showing a tribute of an elephant carrying a vase, illustrated by C.Ho and B.Bronson, Splendors of China's Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of the Emperor Qianlong, London, 2004, pl.82. It is most likely that the present incense burner would have formed part of a pair, which would have been placed in one of the Qing Palace halls; see for example the set of four large incense burners from the Qing Court Collection with tripod elephant-head feet, in situ at the Palace Of Heavenly Purity, Qianqinggong (乾清宫), illustrated in Classics of the Forbidden City. Imperial Furniture of Ming & Qing Dynasties, Beijing, 2008, no.363.

Compare a similar example illustrated in The Prime Cultural Relics Collected by Shenyang Imperial Palace Musem: The Enamel Volume, Shenyang, 2007, pp.100-101, no.IV-9; see also a related cloisonné enamel square incense burner and cover, Qianlong, from the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool, illustrated by B.Quette, ed., Cloisonné: Chinese Enamels from the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, New York, 2011, p.190, fig.10.5. 

A similar cloisonné enamel and gilt-bronze tripod 'elephant' incense burner and cover, Qianlong, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong on 27 May 2008, lot 1542; and another, most probably the pair to the Christie's Hong Kong example, was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong on 9 October 2007, lot 1308. 

Also bearing impeccable provenance is a white jade incense burner and cover, Qianlong/ Jiaqing (1736-1820), estimated at HK$2,500,000 - 3,500,000, which originates from the collection of Lieutenant General John H.F. Elkington CB (1830 – 21 February 1889); and a very rare yellow jade tapir, Qianlong (1736-1795), estimated at HK$500,000 - 800,000, from the collection of Sir William Burrell (1861-1958), and thereafter by descent from the Burrell family. Most of Burrell's collection, numbering over 9,000 objects, was donated to the City of Glasgow and a portion of it is displayed in a specially established museum. This rare yellow jade tapir has remained with the family.

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Lot 18. An exceptional white jade incense burner and cover, Qianlong-Jiaqing (1736-1820). Estimate HK$ 2,500,000 - 3,500,000 (€300,000 - 410,000). Photo: Bonhams. 

The hemispherical bowl raised on three gently tapering feet, superbly and crisply carved around the exterior with archaistic taotie masks separated by six vertical flanges, surmounting three pairs of confronting kuidragons alternating with mythical birds deftly carved in high relief, the shoulder flanked by a pair of intricately-carved dragon-head handles, the interior cavetto elegantly carved with billowing clouds in raised relief, the domed cover similarly carved and surmounted by a reticulated finial decorated with a coiled dragon. 19.5cm (7 5/8in) across the handles (2).

ProvenanceLieutenant General John H.F. Elkington CB (1830-1889), and thence by descent.

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NotesLieutenant General John Henry Ford Elkington CB (1830-1889), was a British Army officer who was later appointed Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey in 1885. Elkington became a Lieutenant with the 6th Regiment of Foot in 1849. He served with his Regiment during the 7th and 8th Xhosa Wars; was appointed Assistant Quartermaster-General to the Ottoman Contingent during the Crimean War; and was the Aide-de-Camp to Field Marshal Sir John Michel GCB, PC during the Indian Mutiny and the Second Opium War. In 1880 he became Deputy Adjutant-General for the Auxiliary Forces at Army Headquarters. Elkington passed away whilst still in service in 1889.

The present lot is an exceptional example of jade carving, representing the apex of Qing dynasty jade craftsmanship, reaching its peak during the celebrated reign of the Qianlong emperor, both in the masterful carving and the skilful use of the superb lustrous white jade stone.

The vessel is inspired in its liding form and design by archaic bronze ritual vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, as advocated by the Qianlong emperor, who proposed to 'restore ancient ways', suggesting that jade carvers turn to antiquity for models, which would enable them to imbue their designs with simplicity and honesty, and so achieve refinement and elegance. The 'ancient ways' referred to the intrinsic values of sincerity, simplicity, and happy exuberance; see Chang Li-tuan in The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1997, p.49.

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The present vessel was produced from some of the finest white jade stone available during the Qianlong reign. Such high quality jade stones became more available following the Qianlong emperor's conquest of the Dzungar Khanate between 1755 and 1759, renamed Xinjiang, where much of the jade was sourced. The jade carver whilst demonstrating his skills in the form and relief carving, ensured that the magnificent quality of the stone would be exhibited through the areas left unadorned, polished to a lustrous high sheen.

The carving of the incense burner in a liding form would have required particularly skilful carving compared to the more commonly seen incense burners in gui form or raised on the more simplified cabriole shaped feet. In the present lot the masterful carving is further demonstrated in the high relief kui phoenix carved between each of the lobes; compare the conical feet and lobed carving on an archaistic jade ewer and cover, he, Qianlong, from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated by Chang Li-tuan, ibid, pl.19.

The adroit hand of the master carver is further demonstrated in the unusually powerful dragon-shaped handles and the deft carving of the reticulated dragon finial.

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Mirroring the wispy clouds of the incense rising from the bowl to its domed cover, the imaginative carver has transformed the interior of the vessel into the heavens, carving in relief ruyi shaped cloud scrolls, further bestowing upon the owner auspicious wishes for long life. For a white jade incense burner featuring cloud decoration on the exterior, Qing dynasty, see Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 10. Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, no.103.

Compare also with a related calcified jade incense burner and cover with related elaborately carved dragon-head handles which does not feature original suspending loose rings, archaistic taotie motif and coiled dragon finial on the domed cover, which was sold in these rooms on 24 November 2012, lot 216.

Asaph Hyman, Bonhams' International Head of Chinese Art, said: "It is a privilege to bring to light exceptional objects, representative of some of the best in Chinese Imperial art, which have been kept for decades and in some cases for over a century, within private collections, and which now can be admired again by Chinese art connoisseurs."

Xibo Wang, Head of Chinese Works of Art, Bonhams, Hong Kong, said: "We very much look forward to sharing these rare Imperial porcelains and works of art with collectors worldwide in this specially curated sale."

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