Pearls and jades of this world cannot be compared to the clay of Yixing
Wang Wenbo, Tao Qi Xing Zeng Chen Mingyuan
人間珠玉安足取，豈如陽羨溪頭一丸土
汪文柏 《陶器行贈陳鳴遠》
Lot 84. A rare Yixing signed and dated square seal, signed You Qinqing, dated to autumn of the bingxu year of Daoguang, corresponding to 1826, and of the period; 2 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) square. Estimate GBP 12,000 - GBP 18,000 (USD 15,516 - USD 23,274). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.
The tortoise-form knop is worked with a textured carapace and pierced horizontally for stringing. The seal is inscribed on one side with the maker's name, You Qinqing, and the date autumn day of bingxu year of Daoguang (1826). The base is inscribed with a nine-character seal reading ting song ge Hainan Zhou shi zhi yin, that might be translated as the 'Seal of Zhou of the 'Hall of Listening to the Pines' in Hainan'. The stoneware is of reddish-brown colour.
Provenance: With John Sparks Ltd., London, 1985.
Auspicious Treasures for Scholars and Emperors, Selections from the Robert H. Blumenfield Collection; Christie's New York, 22 March 2012, lot 1245.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Exhibited: Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Sumptuous Elegance: Art of the 18th Century Qing Dynasty, 17 March-30 June 1992.
Lot 85. An Yixing stoneware brushrest, Qing dynasty (1644-1911); 3 ¾ in. (9.5 cm.) long. Estimate GBP 8,000 - GBP 12,000 (USD 10,344 - USD 15,516). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.
The curved brush rest is modelled in shades of beige and dark brown, and is applied with a lychee, peanut, lotus pod and lotus shoot. The underside is impressed with a two-character seal mark reading Ming Yuan.
Provenance: With Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London.
Yixing Stoneware from the Mr. & Mrs. Gerard Hawthorn Collection; Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 November 2011, lot 272.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Literature: P. Moss, 'I-Hsing-Tea-Taste', in Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, vol. 10, no. 3, September 1978, p. 9. fig. 9.
Lot 86. An Yixing model of a mythical beast, Qianlong period (1736-1795); 2 3/8 in. (6 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 8,000 - GBP 12,000 (USD 10,344 - USD 15,516). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.
The animated beast is naturalistically modelled in a crouching position with its bushy tail flicked over its haunches. It has piercing black eyes, barred teeth and white fangs and its fur is finely detailed with incised lines. Its claws are picked out in white and the stoneware is of a pale brown colour.
ProvenanceYixing Stoneware from the Mr. & Mrs. Gerard Hawthorn Collection; Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 November 2011, lot 207.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Note: The current lot may be compared to an Yixing stoneware mythical beast dated to the Qianlong period in the Palace Museum and recorded as being in the Qing court collection, illustrated in Yixing Zisha Wares in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 2009, p.234, pl.143.
Lot 86. An Yixing model of a toad, Chen Mingyuan, Early Qing dynasty (1644-1911); 3 ¾ in. (9.5 cm.) long. Estimate GBP 15,000 - GBP 25,000 (USD 19,395 - USD 32,325). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.
The toad is naturalistically modelled with a raised head, bulging eyes and a fixed, alert gaze. It has webbed feet and skilfully textured, warty skin and the stoneware is of a greyish-brown tone. The underside is impressed with two seals.
Provenance: Hugh M. Moss Ltd., London, 1977.
Yixing Stoneware from the Mr. & Mrs. Gerard Hawthorne Collection; Bonhams, Hong Kong, 28 November 2011, lot 226.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Note: Chen Mingyuan was active during the mid-17th to early 18th century and is one of the most accomplished Yixing potters. He is admired both for his technical skill and for his creativity as an artist. An Yixing model of a turtle by Chen Mingyuan in the Shanghai Museum with a similar 'Chen' seal is illustrated in Themes and Variations: The Zisha Pottery of Chen Mingyuan, Hong Kong, 1997, p. 196, pl. 94.
Lot 88. A small rectangular Yixing teapot and cover, Qianlong period (1736-1795); 3 in. (7.8 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 6,000 - GBP 10,000 (USD 7,758 - USD 12,930). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019
The teapot is applied with a curved spout on one side, and a square handle on the other. The stoneware is of reddish-brown colour.
Provenance: Yixing Stoneware from the Mr. & Mrs. Gerard Hawthorn Collection; Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 November 2011, lot 201.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Lot 89. A pair of Yixing silver-lined cups and saucers, Early Qing dynasty (1644-1911).The saucers 4 ¼ in. (10.9 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 20,000 - GBP 30,000 (USD 25,860 - USD 38,790). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.
The silver-lined cups each have handles modelled in the form of a dragon with a bifurcated tail grasping a lingzhi in its mouth above seal marks. The saucers are each impressed with the same seal mark in the centre and one saucer has a silver rim. The potter's seal mark reads 'Dicheng'.
Provenance: Hugh M. Moss Ltd., 1966.
Yixing Stoneware from the Mr. & Mrs. Gerard Hawthorne Collection; Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 November 2011, lot 227.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Lot 90. A very rare Yixing compressed famille rose blue-ground teapot and cover, Qianlong impressed six-character seal mark and of the period (1736-1795); 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 50,000 - GBP 70,000 (USD 64,650 - USD 90,510). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.
The teapot is of compressed, rounded form and the exterior is covered with an unctuous blue enamel and decorated in bright red, white, yellow and green enamels with chrysanthemums and other flowers, all between decorative borders. The domed cover is similarly decorated and surmounted by a round finial.
Provenance: Yixing Stoneware from the Mr. & Mrs. Gerard Hawthorn Collection; Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 November 2011, lot 251.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Note: Yixing pottery rarely enjoyed Imperial patronage although a small group of surviving teapots with Kangxi and Qianlong marks are known. It was during the Qianlong emperor's reign that Yixing pottery became a part of court life and the Emperor showed a clear admiration for the material. The Qianlong Emperor seemed to have a preference for decorating the Yixing body in a variety of media including enamels, monochrome glazes, metal and lacquer.
Lot 91. An Yixing peach-form water pot, Qing dynasty (1644-1911); 5 ¼ in. (13.4 cm.) wide. Estimate GBP 20,000 - GBP 30,000 (USD 25,860 - USD 38,790). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.
The pale beige body is finely modelled as two peaches, one halved and one whole, on a gnarled, leafy branch. The halved peach is applied with a peach stone on the interior wall which forms a receptacle that pierced to allow water to flow in from the whole peach reservoir. The vessel is speckled with reddish slip to suggest the 'blush' of ripeness, and the base is stamped with a seal reading shouwen.
Provenance: Yixing Stoneware from the Mr. & Mrs. Gerard Hawthorne Collection; Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 November 2011, lot 270.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Note: The form of this elegant water pot modelled as two peaches attached to a branch with a peach stone inside the open fruit was carefully chosen both for its symbolic meaning and as a demonstration of technical ingenuity. Peach trees have a sacred connotation in China and in ancient times the wood of the peach tree was used as a charm against evil. Thus, the branch of this water pot serves both as a representation of the tree, and as a naturalistic feature joining the two peaches. The peaches themselves are symbols of longevity, and the fact of there being two of these fruit doubles the wish. The association of peaches with longevity arises from the fact of their being symbols of the Star God of Longevity Shou Lao, and linked with the legend of the peaches which grew in the orchard of Xiwangmu, the Queen Mother of the West. These latter peaches took three thousand years to ripen, but conveyed immortality on anyone who ate them. Items decorated with or in the form of peaches were a popular birthday gift in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Small items for the scholar's table in the form of a single peach or two peaches, were especially popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. Another similar yixing double peach-form water pot was in the Robert Blumenfield collection and sold at Christie's New York in Auspicious Treasures from the Blumenfield Collection, 22 March 2012, lot 1253.
Lot 92. An Yixing 'Hundred-Fruit' teapot and cover, signed Ge Zhengxiang, Qianlong period (1736-1795); 4 ½ in. (11.4 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 20,000 - GBP 30,000 (USD 25,860 - USD 38,790). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.
The globular teapot is modelled in the form of a pomegranate applied with fruits and nuts. It has a water-chestnut-form handle and a lotus shoot-form spout that is impressed with two seals. The cover is fashioned as a mushroom. The teapot is incised with poetic inscriptions in kaishu eulogising the pomegranate and other fruits. The base is impressed with the seal marks 'Jiangxi' and 'Xiaoxiang'. The stoneware is of a speckled beige-brown colour.
Provenance: Yixing Stoneware from the Mr. & Mrs. Gerard Hawthorn Collection; Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 November 2011, lot 203.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Note: The potter Ge Zhengxiang was recorded as a native of Yixing who produced teapots and bowls during the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods (1736-1820).
The current lot may be compared to an Yixing stoneware teapot also applied with fruits and nuts and dated to the Qianlong period in the Qing court collection, and illustrated in Yixing Zisha Wares in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 2009, p. 87, pl. 27
Lot 93. An Yixing double gourd-form brush washer, signed Chen Mingyuan, Early Qing dynasty (1644-19112); 5 ¼ in. (13.3 cm.) long. Estimate GBP 60,000 - GBP 80,000 (USD 77,580 - USD 103,440). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.
The vessel is potted in the form of a double-gourd on a leafy vine. A beetle is depicted amidst six small holes on the leaf. The stoneware is of dark brown colour with some pale speckles. The base is inscribed with a four-character inscription in kaishu which reads Chen Mingyuan zuo (made by Chen Mingyuan) accompanied by a seal mark.
Provenance: Hugh M. Moss, Ltd., London, early 1970s.
Yixing Stoneware from the Mr. & Mrs. Gerard Hawthorn Collection; Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 November 2011, lot 209.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Literature: P. Moss, 'I-Hsing-Tea-Taste', in Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, vol. 10, no. 3, September 1978, p. 6, fig. 3.
Note: Chen Mingyuan, the maker of this brush washer, was active during the Kangxi and Yongzheng reigns in the mid-17th to early 18th century. He was a highly-celebrated ceramic artist and is generally regarded as one of the finest Yixing potters. He was particularly known for his ingenious use of natural forms, from teapots to models of fruits and nuts.
Chen Mingyuan's skill in carving naturalistic forms from Yixing clay is well attested by the peach-form cups, lotus leaf-form cups, pomegranate-form cups, and models of nuts in The Chinese University of Hong Kong illustrated by Lai Suk Yee and Theresa Bartholomew in The Bei Shan Tang Legacy: Yixing Zisha Stoneware, Hong Kong, 2015, pp. 354-365 and 368 - 381, nos. 137-142 and 144-151. The double gourd in the current water pot displays equal artistic skill.
Lot 94. A rare and finely-painted Yixing brush pot signed Yang Jichu, Qianlong period (1736-1795); 6 1/8 in. (15.4 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 300,000 - GBP 500,000 (USD 387,900 - USD 646,500). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.
The vessel is potted in the form of a double-gourd on a leafy vine. A beetle is depicted amidst six small holes on the leaf. The stoneware is of dark brown colour with some pale speckles. The base is inscribed with a four-character inscription in kaishu which reads Chen Mingyuan zuo (made by Chen Mingyuan) accompanied by a seal mark.
Provenance: Hugh Moss Ltd. 1970s.
Yixing Stoneware from the Mr. & Mrs. Gerard Hawthorne Collection; Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 November 2011, lot 208.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Literature: Paul Moss, I-Hsing-Tea-Taste, Journal of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, vol. 10, no. 3, September 1978, p. 10, fig. 17.
Amongst the rarest of vessels from the famous Yixing kilns of southern Jiangsu province are those decorated with fine surface painting using multicoloured slip. However, the names of a small number of artists working in this medium are documented. This brush pot bears the seal of one of those artists, Yang Jichu, who is recorded in the 1797 Chongkan jingxi xianzhi (Republished Jingxi Gazetteer) Jiangsu province, compiled by Tang Zhongmian and Ning Lishan, who both gained their jinshi degrees in 1793. Yang Jichu, who was active in the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns of the 18th century, was particularly admired for his fine painting in slip on Yixing wares. Surviving examples of Yang Jichu’s Yixing painted wares show that he painted on both pale-bodied brush pots, like the current example, and also darker so-called ‘purple’-bodied brush pots, such as the vessel decorated with landscape, formerly in the collection of Chen Keli, sold by Christie’s Hong Kong on 1st June 2016, lot 3374, and another decorated with crabs sold by Christie’s Hong Kong on 30th November 2016, lot 3346 – both of which bear Yang Jichu’s seal. Another dark-bodied brush pot with slip painted decoration and bearing a Yang Jichu mark preserved in the collection of the Palace Museum Beijing is illustrated in Purple Sandy Ware, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2008, no. 115. Further slip painted, dark-bodied, brush pots bearing the seal of Yang Jichu are in the collections of the Suzhou Museum and the Yangzhou Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji – 23 – Yixing, Tokyo and Shanghai, 1982, nos. 24 and 70, respectively. A further dark-bodied brush pot bearing a Yang Jichu seal and decorated with a slip painted landscape is illustrated in Yangxian shaqi jingpin tupu, Taipei, 1985, pl. 40.
The landscape on the current brush pot is a very accomplished composition showing a scholar in summer robe seated on a day bed in a lakeside pavilion, gazing out over the water, in which lotuses bloom, towards a group of swimming ducks and a fisherman in his sampan. The mood of tranquil contemplation is suggested not only by the relaxed posture of the scholar, but by the two large wine jars, which can be seen within the pavilion. There is also a large white screen on what appears to be a wooden stand, and a rolled rattan curtain, which would have served to provide shade when unrolled. A servant is shown crossing the bridge from the rocky outcrop on the banks of the lake to the pavilion, which is built on stilts into the lake itself. The roof of the pavilion is thatched in keeping with imagery which occurs frequently in literati poetry and paintings. The branches of an old willow tree overhang the pavilion and on the other side of the rocky outcrop a gnarled cypress tree overhangs the water. The whole scene encapsulates the literati idyll of escape from the cares of official duties and the enjoyment of bucolic tranquillity.
The scene on the brush pot is laid out like a handscroll and is particularly reminiscent of paintings by the Ming dynasty artist Shen Zhou (1427–1509), whose courtesy names were Qi’nan and Shitian. Shen Zhou came from an honoured and wealthy family in Suzhou, and was able to devote his life to painting, calligraphy and poetry. He is regarded as one of the Four Masters of the Ming, along with Wen Zhengming (1470-1559), Tang Yin (1470-1524) and Qiu Ying (1494-1552). He is closely associated with the ideals of the wenren literati tradition. His paintings usually reflect a restrained calmness and an underlying appreciation of nature. The painting on the current brush pot evokes aspects of the handscroll in ink on paper known as Joint Landscape, painted by Shen Zhou and Wen Zhengming, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Even closer similarities can be seen between the scene on the current brush pot and an album leaf in ink and colour on paper, Landscape with Pavilion and Willows, also in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is attributed to Shen Zhou. In the case of the album leaf, comparisons may be made not only with the subject matter on the brush pot, but certain aspects of painting style and even the choice of pigment colour.
This very rare Yixing brush pot is remarkable example of literati aesthetics expressed in clay by a ceramic artist of unusual skill.
Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, London, 14 May 2019
