Lot 118. A rare wucai 'Five Poisonous Creatures' saucer dish, Wanli six-character mark and of the period (1573-1620); 14.3cm diam. Sold for £15,300 (Estimate £2,000 - 3,000). © Bonhams 2001-2023
The dish finely decorated in the centre with a landscape scene featuring an Immortal riding a mythical animal amidst pine trees, floral shrubs and the 'Five Poisonous Creatures', also depicted on the exterior alternating with floral sprays, the base with the six-character mark within a double circle in underglaze blue.
Provenance: Hans F. Goldstein (1915-1985), and thence by descent.
Note: This lot and those offered at Bonhams London in May 2023 form the remaining collection of H. F. Goldstein, an earlier part of which was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong and London in 2015-2016. Hans Goldstein's work during the 1950s took him to all parts of the Far East and this in turn stimulated his interest in Oriental art and in particular Chinese porcelain. His collection developed gradually and initially concentrated on inside-painted snuff bottles. As he became more knowledgeable, he began to collect blue and white porcelain and other Chinese ceramics and works of art. He came to London in the mid-1960s and continued to collect by regularly visiting art dealers and the main auction houses in London.
The 'Five Poisons' depicted on the present dish refer to 'Five Poisonous Animals' comprising the snake, the three-legged toad, the centipede, the scorpion and the lizard. The practice of using the 'Five Poisons' to 'defeat poison with poison' (以毒攻毒 yi du gong du) was applied in Chinese medicine since the earliest times; see Yan Liu, Healing with Poisons, Washington, 2021, p.8. The Five Poisons were thought to possess the power to counteract any pernicious influences and their protective qualities were called upon on the occasion of the Dragon Boat Festival, which occurs on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.The 'Five Poisons' depicted on the present dish refer to 'Five Poisonous Animals' comprising the snake, the three-legged toad, the centipede, the scorpion and the lizard. The practice of using the 'Five Poisons' to 'defeat poison with poison' (以毒攻毒 yi du gong du) was applied in Chinese medicine since the earliest times; see Yan Liu, Healing with Poisons, Washington, 2021, p.8. The Five Poisons were thought to possess the power to counteract any pernicious influences and their protective qualities were called upon on the occasion of the Dragon Boat Festival, which occurs on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
Compare with a similar wucai dish, Wanli mark and period, also decorated with the 'Five Poisonous Creatures', which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27 October 2003, lot 614.
Bonhams. ASIAN ART, 15 May 2023, London, Knightsbridge
