Compare a similar figure attributed to the Qianlong period, but depicted kneeling on one knee, published in I.L. Legeza, A Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue of the Malcolm MacDonald Collection of Chinese Ceramics, London, 1972, pl. CXLI, no. 384; and a pair sold at Christie's New York, 24th/25th March 2011, lot 1748. For a seated figure of Buddha, see one in the Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, published in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p. 322.

 

Lot 31. A superb inlaid huanghuali 'huntsman' box and cover, attributed to Zhou Zhu, Ming dynasty, Jiajing period (1522-1566); 6.8 by 13.8 by 10.8 cm, 2 5/8  by 5 3/8  by 4 1/4  in. Estimate HK$1,000,000 - 1,500,000. Sold for HK$2,250,000 (286,762 USD) to an Asian Private. Courtesy Sotheby's

the cover finely inlaid in mother-of-pearl, soapstone, malachite, stained horn and other hardstones with a hunting scene, depicting the legendary archer, Yang Youji, on a galloping horse, loosing an arrow and bringing down a deer, detailed with a crane in flight, the rims bordered with wire-inlaid key-fret bands.

Note: This exquisitely crafted tray belongs to a group of inlaid objects likely to have been created at the workshop of Zhou Zhu, a master carver and artist active in the Jiajing period. By skilfully utilising kaleidoscopic materials to depict extraordinarily vivid scenes adorning precious woods, Zhou pioneered a range of beautifully inlaid works of art distinctive for their three-dimensional quality with eye-catching effects. His work provided inspiration for numerous subsequent interpretations.   

A circular box and cover with closely related decoration, attributed to the School of Zhou Zhu, was sold in our Olympia rooms, 17th July 2003, lot 433, and again in these rooms, 2nd June 2016, lot 42, from the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection. Compare also several boxes inlaid with multi-coloured materials, attributed to the late-Ming period, from the Qing Court collection, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings, Hong Kong, 2002, cat. nos 219-25.

The design on the present tray, fashioned with a leafy branch bearing clusters of lychee, is rich in auspicious symbolism. Lychee, with its Chinese name, lizhi, is homophonous with the phrase ‘establish a son’ (lizi) and represents abundance of offspring.

 

Lot 3. An imperial inscribed zitan stand, yuti mark and period of Qianlong, dated guiwei year (corresponding to 1763); 34 cm. Estimate: HK$80,000-120,000. Sold for HK$1,250,000 (159,312 USD) to an Asian Trade. Courtesy Sotheby's.

Cf. my post: Sotheby's Hong Kong Chinese Works of Art Sales to take place on 31 May and 1 June

Lot 29. A pair of jade-inlaid and canton enamelled zitan hatstands, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795); 29.4 cm, 11 5/8  in. Estimate: HK$300,000 — 500,000. Sold for HK$1,125,000 (143,381 USD) to an Asian Private. Courtesy Sotheby's.

 each with a domed canopy centred with a jade lotus floret, encircled by a lappet band in canton enamel, the slender zitan shaft with a baluster mid-section, enamelled with lotus blossoms between archaistic scrolls, all supported on a thick circular jade and zitan base, the stone of an even white colour.

Note: This sumptuous pair of hat stands demonstrates the remarkable skill of craftsmen in all media during the Qianlong period, and their ability successfully to transform utilitarian vessels into visually striking works of art. Constructed from jade, painted enamel, zitan and silver, every step of the manufacturing process required careful planning, from the composition of the different elements into a harmonious whole to the manufacturing and assemblage of these elements. Complexly constructed and splendidly designed objects of this type were probably produced in Guangzhou, where some of the most experienced artisans were active. 

Hat stands of this type with a domed top and an elongated baluster form vertical shaft appear to be an innovation of the Qianlong period and are known to have been produced in various mediums; see a carved jade and inlaid zitan example, sold in our New York rooms, 17th/18th March 2015, lot 230; another, in the British Museum, London, included in the Oriental Ceramics Society exhibition Chinese Jade throughout the Ages, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1975, cat. no. 463; a tortoiseshell version mounted with gilt-copper decoration, included in the exhibition Tributes from Guangdong to the Qing Court, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1987, cat. no. 78; and a Beijing enamel example painted with floral scrolls and a shou character, illustrated in Qingdai Gongting Shenghuo [Life in the Palace during the Qing Dynasty], Hong Kong, 1985, pl. 183.

Lot 43. An exceptional carved ivory 'Wen Chang and Kui Xing' group on a zitan stand, 17th century; figure: 7.3 cm, 2 7/8  in. Estimate: HK$350,000 — 450,000. Sold for HK$812,500 (103,533 USD) to an Asian Private. Courtesy Sotheby's.

the scholar Wen Quxing depicted seated wearing long flowing robes and a cap, his right arm supported by the kneeling demon Kui Xing with large bulging eyes, the ivory patinated to a warm honey tone, all supported on a finely carved and reticulated zitan stand in the form of a rocky grotto.

Note: Wen Chang (also referred to as Wen Quxing) is the patron deity of literature whose heavenly task, assigned by the Jade Emperor (Yudi), was to keep a record of all the meritorious men of letters. He was also believed to have power over the destinies of scholars and officials and was venerated by those in need of help with their examinations, particularly for obtaining the jinshi degree which was an essential requirement for any position in the official bureaucracy. In this carving he is shown pictured with his assistant, Kui Xing, who is responsible for issuing official testimonials.

A boxwood carving of Wen Chang and Kui Xing was included in the exhibition Series of Exceptional Carvings. Selected Ming and Qing Wood Carvings, National Museum of History, Taipei, 2005, cat. no. 78; and another was offered at Christie's New York, 17th September 2008, lot 110.

For an ivory carving of Kui Xing in the Palace Museum, Beijing, attributed to the late Ming dynasty, see one illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 107; and another published in S.E. Lucas, The Catalogue of Sassoon Chinese Ivories, vol. 1, London, 1950, pl. 166, where the author notes that the scholar Kui leapt into a river in humiliation after he was denied first place in the jinshiexaminations by the Emperor due to his repulsive features. After being saved by the mythical monster Ao, he was later deified to become the stellar patron of the literati. 

 

Lot 19. A superbly inlaid zitan 'Flowers of the four seasons' brushpot, 17th century; 12.7 cm, 5 in. Estimate: HK$600,000 — 800,000. Sold for HK$687,500 (87,622 USD) to an Asian Private. Courtesy Sotheby's.

supported on four low feet, each side elegantly carved with a cartouche inlaid with semi-precious stones including malachite, carnelian and amber, one side with a spray of white orchids and lingzhi sprigs with a butterfly hovering above, the second with a gnarled flowering tree, the third with branches of chrysanthemum stemming from a jagged rock, and the last with a gnarled prunus tree and small stalks of bamboo, the wood of a rich dark-brown colour streaked with gold and russet veining.

Lot 32. A rare blue-glazed lobed 'chrysanthemum' teapot, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795); 20.8 cm, 8 1/8  in. Estimate: HK$120,000 — 180,000. Sold for HK$525,000 (66,911 USD) to an Asian Trade. Courtesy Sotheby's.

of compressed globular form, subtly moulded with two rows of narrow lobes in the form of chrysanthemum petals, flanked by a short spout opposite a loop handle, the exterior evenly covered in an unctuous blue glaze save for a circular panel on the base reserved white and inscribed with a seal mark, the base with six spur marks.

Note: Teapots of this type were first produced in the Yongzheng period, and continued to be produced, although in smaller number during the Qianlong reign. Compare a Qianlong mark and period teapot and cover of this form, but with a celadon glaze, from the collection of Robert Chang, included in An Exhibition of Important Chinese Ceramics from the Robert Chang Collection, Christie's, London, 1993, cat. no. 66, and sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 2nd November 1999, lot 508; and an unmarked apple green-glazed version, from the collection of Fong Chow, sold at Christie's New York, 21st/22nd March 2013, lot 1206. For the Yongzheng prototype see one sold twice in these rooms, 18th May 1982, lot 291, and 2nd May 2005, lot 673; and a flambé-glazed example from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, pl. 112. 

Lot 42. An inlaid huanghuali 'dragon' canted top table cabinet, Qing dynasty, 18th century; 42 by 41 by 27 cm, 16 1/2  by 16 1/8  by 10 5/8  in. Estimate: HK$400,000 — 600,000. Sold for HK$500,000 (63,725 USD) to an Asian Private. Courtesy Sotheby's.

finely inlaid with an array of multi-coloured hardstones and mother-of-pearl, the removable front cover carved in relief with a ferocious five-clawed dragon writhing amidst clouds and flames in pursuit of a flaming pearl, within a border of beribboned bajixiang and bats, the top with a raised panel enclosing a pavilion scene accented with rockwork and gnarled trees, further surrounded by detached flower sprays around the canted border, two sides embellished with birds and butterflies hovering among flower branches, flanked by a pair of C-shaped handles, set with seven similarly decorated drawers behind the front cover, the straight sides with exposed dovetail joints.

Note: Striking for the intricately carved and inlaid decoration that extends over the entire broad surface, the present piece is unusual for the carefully composed and chosen design rendered in varying levels of depth. It demonstrates the level of creative freedom exercised by Qing craftsmen, who deliberately utilised mother-of-pearl to resemble white clouds, as well as the horns of the five-clawed dragon. The result is striking as the ferocious animal appears as if leaping off the surface of the cabinet.

Compare a huanghuali table cabinet with two doors and inlaid with various hardstones and mother-of-pearl, depicting boys at play, from the collection of Philip Ng, illustrated in Karen Mazurkewich, Chinese Furniture. A Guide to Collecting Antiques, Rutland, 2006, pl. 408; and another example, from the collection of Erica Phillips, sold at Christie’s New York, 25th March 2010, lot 815.

Table cabinets of this type, guanpi xiang (official boxes), were used for various functions, such as dressing cases to store toiletries, jewellery and other valuables, as well as on desks for storage of stationary, writing implements and seals.

Lot 8. A pair of gilt-lacquer vases, Qing dynasty, Early 18th century; 28 cm. Estimate: HK$350,000-450,000. Sold for HK$437,500 (55,759 USD) to an Asian Private. Courtesy Sotheby's.

Cf. my post: Sotheby's Hong Kong Chinese Works of Art Sales to take place on 31 May and 1 June

 

 Lot 23. An ivory hexagonal brushpot, Ming dynasty, 16th century; 13.3 cm, 5 1/4  in. Estimate: HK$80,000 — 120,000. Sold for HK$437,500 (55,759 USD) to an Asian Private. Courtesy Sotheby's.

of compressed hexagonal section, carved with straight sides and supported on six short bracket feet.

 TOP TEN of 'Chinese Art', 31 may 2018 - 01 june 2018

Lot 459. A large bronze tripod incense burner, Ding, Late Ming dynasty; incense burner h. 47 cm, 18 1/2 in., overall h. 70 cm, 27 1/2 in. Estimate 80,000 — 100,000 HKD. Sold for 3,000,000 HKD (382,350 USD) to an Asian Private. Courtesy Sotheby's. 

Cf. my post: A large bronze tripod incense burner, Ding, Late Ming dynasty

Lot 422. A brown-splashed figure of a tiger, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127); 14 cm, 5 1/2  in. Estimate 40,000 — 60,000 HKD. Sold for 1,312,500 HKD (167,278 USD) to an Asian Private. Courtesy Sotheby's. 

the recumbent animal with its head turned backwards, with incised details, covered in a transparent glaze liberally splashed in russet-brown.

Exhibited: In Pursuit of Antiquities: Thirty-fifth Anniversary Exhibition of the Min Chiu Society, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1995, cat. no. 108.

Note: See a figure of a tortoise and snake and one of a stork perched on rocks in the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, illustrated in Brian McElney, Inaugural Exhibition Volume 1, Chinese Ceramics, Bath, 1993, nos 65 and 67. The aforementioned examples, attributed to the Northern Song dynasty, were also executed in a similar brown-splashed glaze. See also a figure of a hen and another of a dog belonging to the same group, sold in these rooms, 30th November/1st December 2017, lot 468.

Lot 477. A pair of celadon jade table screens on cloisonné enamel stands, Qing dynasty, 19th century; screen w. 33.7 cm, 13 1/4  in., overall h. 40.9 cm, 16 1/8 in. Estimate 80,000 — 120,000 HKD. Sold for 1,225,000 HKD (167,278 USD) to an Asian Trade. Courtesy Sotheby's. 

each carved with a landscape scene with figures engaging in various activities among jagged cliffs and pine trees, featured with an elephant and a Buddhist lion respectively, the reverse incised with a gilt landscape, the slab mottled with icy inclusions, raised on cloisonne enamel stands decorated with the bajixiang and lotus scrolls.