Mrs. Barbara Jean and Mr. Lester A. Levy 

Barbara and Lester Levy were the quintessential ‘collector’ couple. She, bright and always cheerful, with a sharp eye for beauty and a love of surrounding them both with objects of fascination; he, quiet and yet acutely observant, missing nothing. Lester’s business, based in Dallas, Texas, took him around the world and Barbara often travelled with him opening his eyes to the cultural side of the exotic places they visited. In Hong Kong they visited the gallery of Patrick and Ellen Wang in the Mandarin Hotel where Lester noticed a photograph of a horse that turned out to be one of Patrick’s champions. Lester, too, loved horses, and a friendship of shared passions was born.

They would visit Hong Kong to see the auctions, buy pieces with Patrick and Ellen’s guidance, and always share time at the races. Together they focussed on small and elegant early Qing Imperial wares that they lived with decorating the library of their charming home in La Jolla, California. The choice was always based on quality, but the pieces had to ‘chime’ with each other and create an overall decorative ‘whole’ that became the room they most enjoyed entertaining in. It was Barbara’s meeting with Ron Longsdorf that spurred her own special focus on the surprisingly fine wares of the late Qing reigns, often associated with the Dowager Empress Cixi, with whom, as a successful and dynamic woman herself, she clearly identified. The collection grew to such a level that she and Lester created their own secret ‘gallery’ for the group – a secret place where only the most honored guests were brought to share the scintillating colours and dazzling array.

Lot 501. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A rare incised white-glazed biscuit 'dragon' dish, Mark and period of Hongzhi (1488-1505). Diameter 20 cm. Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 USD. Lot sold 27,940 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2nd May 2000, lot 605.

Note: Compare a dish of the same size in the British Museum, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics. Catalogue of Late Yuan and Early Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 7:3. Smaller examples include one (16.2cm diameter) in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated in Suzanne G. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989, pl. 155, and another (18.5cm) in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, illustrated in Porcelain of the National Palace Museum. Monochrome Ware of the Ming Dynasty, vol. 2, Hong Kong, 1968, pls 2-2c. For a fragment of a Hongzhi dish with biscuit-fired dragon design from the Ming imperial kiln site, see Porcelain from the Ming Dynasty Imperial Kilns at Jingdezhen, Beijing, 2009, pl. 102.

 

Lot 502. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A large yellow-glazed bowl, Mark and period of Hongzhi (1488-1505). Diameter 19.8 cm. Estimate 30,000 - 50,000 USD. Lot sold 88,900 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 10th June 1997, lot 40.

Note: The present bowl is notable for its large size and luminous, soft yellow glaze. Compare a similar bowl in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics. The World's Greatest Collections, vol. 8, 1982, pl. 91. Another example of the same size as the present lot was sold at Christie's New York, 23rd March 2018, lot 723.

Smaller examples, measuring approximately 18.5cm diameter, include one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 38; and another in the Percival David Collection, now in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Margaret Medley, Illustrated Catalogue of Ming and Ch'ing Monochrome in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1973, no. A558.

Lot 503. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A rare blue and white 'auspicious characters' jar, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566). Height 21.9 cm. Estimate 8,000 - 12,000 USD. Lot sold 15,240 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

Provenance: Collection of TT Tsui (1940-2010).
Orientique, Hong Kong, 2nd July 2010.

Note: Jiajing mark and period jars with this distinctive Daoist-inspired decoration are relatively rare. See a closely related pair, previously in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Clark and included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Ming Blue and White, London, 1946, cat. no. 71, sold in our London rooms, 7th June 1993, lot 49; another jar, previously in the collection of H. Treitel, was included in Ausstellung Chinesischer Kunst [Exhibition of Chinese Art], Berlin, 1929, cat. no. 712.

Lot 504. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A copper-red and underglaze-blue 'deer and lingzhi' meiping, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Height 21.5 cm. Estimate 8,000 - 12,000 USD. Lot sold 76,200 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

Provenance: Collection of Alfred Schoenlicht (d. 1955), by 1929.
Sotheby's London, 13th December 1955, lot 121.
Bluett & Sons Ltd., London.
Collection of Wilfrid Ariel Evill (1890-1963).
Sotheby's London, 30th November 1965, lot 71.
Bluett & Sons Ltd., London.
Nystad Oude Kunst, The Hague.
Marchant, London.

Exhibited: Ausstellung Chinesischer Kunst [Exhibition of Chinese Art], Berlin, 1929, cat. no. 815.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, prior to 1955 (on loan).

 

Lot 505. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A blue and white 'Eight Auspicious Emblems' foliate-rim dish, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Diameter 14.9 cm. Estimate 6,000 - 8,000 USD. Lot sold 25,400 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

Provenance: Orientique, Hong Kong, 6th January 1999.

Lot 506. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A fine and rare blue and white 'floral' circular box and cover, Mark and period of Kangxi (1662-1722). Diameter 16.8 cm. Estimate 40,000 - 60,000 USD. Lot sold 133,350 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

Provenance: Collection of John A. Pope (1906-1982).

Note: Circular blue and white boxes bearing Kangxi reign marks are extremely rare and no other example of this design appears to be published. A related box of the same size, with a denser design of prunus and butterflies, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2008, lot 2571; and a smaller (13.5cm diameter) example with a figural scene, formerly in the Edward T. Chow Collection, was sold twice in our Hong Kong rooms, 25th November 1980, lot 109 and 14th November 1989, lot 73.

Lot 507. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A fine and rare reserve-decorated café-au-lait 'sanduo' bowl, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Diameter 12 cm. Estimate 40,000 - 60,000 USD. Lot sold 107,950 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle.

Provenance: Collection of Lorant J. Goldschlager (1900-1990).
Christie's London, 4th June 1973, lot 201.
Marchant, London.
Property of a Gentleman.
Christie's London, 15th June 1998, lot 150.

Note: Compare a similar bowl sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 28th April 1992, lot 243, now in the Nezu Museum, Tokyo, illustrated in Nezu Bijutsukan zōhin sen:  Kōgei hen / Catalogue of Selected Masterpieces from the Nezu Collections: Decorative Art, Tokyo, 2001, pl. 104. The same technique was also used for a dish of Yongzheng mark and period in the Palace Museum, Beijing, with three fish reserved in white on a café-au-lait ground, illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 242, pl. 71; as well as a larger Yongzheng mark and period 'hibiscus and chrysanthemum' bowl, also reserved on a café-au-lait ground, first sold in our London rooms, 9th June 1987, lot 298, and later as part of the Meiyintang Collection in our Hong Kong rooms, 3rd April 2012, lot 8.

Lot 508. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A pair of café-au-lait-glazed ogee-form bowls, Seal marks and period of Qianlong (1736-1795). Diameter 15.9 cm. Estimate 30,000 - 50,000 USD. Lot sold 40,640 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base of each with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue (2).

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27th-28th April 1993, lot 99.

Lot 509. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A fine café-au-lait-glazed bowl, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Diameter 12 cm. Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 USD. Lot sold 57,150 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle.

Provenance: Collection of John F. Triepel (1899-1985).
Sotheby's New York, 22nd March 1995, lot 253.
Marchant, London, 12th June 1995.

Lot 510. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. An extremely rare café-au-lait-ground iron-red 'dragon' dish, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Diameter 13.4 cm. Estimate 80,000 - 120,000 USD. Lot sold 114,300 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double square.

Note: This dish is striking for its rare combination of iron-red enamels on a café-au-lait ground. The design follows earlier Kangxi period dishes, such as one with an iron-red dragon on a white ground, illustrated in Yuci yizhen / Treasures of Imperial Porcelain, Hangzhou, 2011, pp 26-27; and is also related to a group of Kangxi period 'dragon' dishes in underglaze blue and white slip on café-au-lait grounds, such as one in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Soame Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain, London, 1971, pl. XIII, and another formerly in the Goldschlager Collection, sold at Christie's London, 4th June 1973, lot 190.

Only a small number of Yongzheng dishes of this type are known. Compare a closely related example, formerly in the E. T. Hall Collection, included in the exhibition Iron in the Fire. The Chinese Potters' Exploration of Iron Oxide Glazes, Ashmolean Museum, London, 1988, cat. no. 81, and sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28th May 2021, lot 2931, from the Yidetang Collection. Two pairs of dishes of this type have sold at auction: the first at Christie's Hong Kong, 1st October 1991, lot 846; the second in the same rooms, 30th May 2005, lot 1470.

Lot 511. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A Ming-style copper-red 'three fish' stem bowl, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Diameter 16 cm. Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 USD. Lot sold 17,780 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the interior of the stem with a six-character mark in underglaze blue.

Provenance: Orientique, Hong Kong, 13th January 2010.

Note: Designs created through red-glaze silhouettes originated in the early Ming dynasty and are best known from the Xuande (1426-35) period, but the technique had already been developed during the Yongle reign (1403-24), when silhouettes of animals and fish were used in combination with underglaze-blue designs; see an example excavated from the late Yongle stratum of the Ming imperial kiln site, illustrated in Imperial Porcelain of the Yongle and Xuande Periods Excavated from the Site of the Ming Imperial Factory at Jingdezhen, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1989, cat. no. 38.

Compare several published Yongzheng period examples, including one illustrated in John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics, The Koger Collection, London, 1985, pl. 97; and another from the T.Y. Chao Collection, included in the exhibition Ming and Ch’ing Porcelain from the Collection of the T.Y. Chao Family Foundation, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1978, cat. no. 75, sold in our London rooms, 8th July 1974, lot 280 and then again in our Hong Kong rooms, 19th May 1987, lot 264. Compare also a closely related example, previously in the Meiyintang Collection, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th April 2013, lot 36.

Lot 512. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. An incised yellow-glazed 'floral' dish, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Diameter 11.4 cm. Estimate 8,000 - 12,000 USD. Lot sold 27,940 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle.

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 18th November 1998, lot 964.

 

Lot 513. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A rare Ru-type meiping, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Height 28.6 cm. Estimate 100,000 - 150,000 USD. Lot sold 95,250 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue.

Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 22nd-23rd March 1999, lot 382.

Note: From the first year of his reign, the Yongzheng Emperor commissioned items from the Palace Workshops, effecting change in its output. Antiques in the Palace Collection were used as standards for quality, models for archaistic designs and as inspiration for innovation. Simplicity of form and absence of decoration were stylistic trends introduced by Tang Ying, Superintendent of the Imperial kilns in Jingdezhen, and also endorsed by the Emperor.

The fresh modernity of this meiping, with its subtly cracked bluish-gray glaze imitating the treasured Ru wares of the Northern Song dynasty and its generously swelling form, is an excellent example of the deceptive minimalism that would have demanded the highest level of aesthetic conception and technical mastery from the potters.

Compare a meiping of the same size and profile, described as applied with a Guan-type glaze, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 29th April 1997, lot 579

Lot 514. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. An exceptionally rare Ming-style blue and white 'dragon' bowl, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period, dated to the 7th year, corresponding to 1742. Diameter 14.4 cm. Estimate 30,000 - 50,000 USD. Lot sold 114,300 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character Kang zihao qi nian yang (a sample made in the seventh year by Kang) mark in underglaze blue.

Provenance: Christie's Hong Kong, 29th April 2002, lot 628.

Note: The present bowl is exceptionally rare and belongs to a small group of imperial Qianlong period porcelains that reveal the names of their craftsmen assumed to be samples submitted to the court. The six-character inscription on the present bowl reads: 'A sample made in the seventh year by Kang', corresponding to 1742. A related eight-character mark reading 'Gu zihao pi liu nian hua yang' (A sample with the decorative pattern made in the sixth year by Gu), inscribed on the base of a blue and white 'phoenix' dish in the Shanghai Museum, is illustrated by Wang Qingzheng et. al., Underglaze Blue and Red: Elegant Decoration on Porcelain of Yuan, Ming and Qing, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 179, where the author also mentions an underglaze blue example in the Palace Museum, Beijing, bearing an inscription stating it was made by 'He' on the 25th year of Qianlong, illustrated in Sun Yue, 'Qing dai yuyao ciqi de xinshi 'guanyang’ sheji yu shiyong [The design and use of new 'imperial sample' for imperial kiln porcelain in Qing Dynasty], Art Panorama, vol. 12, 2021, fig. 11. Compare also two further porcelain 'samples' in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing: the first, an incised 'dragon' dish bearing an eight-character inscription reading: 'Wu ershiwu hao shiqi nian yang', suggesting it was made by 'Wu' in the 17th year of Qianlong; and the second a clair-de-lune-glazed dish inscribed 'Chun zihao qi nian pi yang' (A sample made by Chun in the 7th year of the reign), illustrated Sun Yue, op. cit., fig. 13.

The design closely follows Ming dynasty bell-shaped bowls of the Jiajing period, such as one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Minji Meihin Zuroku [Illustrated Catalogue of Important Ming Porcelains. Jiajing, Longqing and Wanli], vol. III, Tokyo, 1978, pl. 14. Bowls of this design and form were also produced bearing more standard Qianlong seal marks, such as one sold alongside the present bowl at Christie's Hong Kong, 29th April 2002, lot 629.

 Lot 515. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A fine and rare Ming-style yellow-ground and underglaze-blue handled cup, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Width across handles 10.3 cm. Estimate 100,000 - 150,000 USD. Lot sold 215,900 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle.

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 10th June 1997, lot 100.

Note: This exquisite cup with its crisp butterfly handles and tiers of lingzhi and floral blooms, belongs to a select group of wares from Yongzheng period that celebrate both tradition and innovation. While the form and design of this cup closely follow prototypes of the early Ming period, the brilliant lemon-yellow ground adds a sense of contemporaneity to the piece. This stunning glaze was an innovation of the Yongzheng period that was first introduced to the potters at Jingdezhen in 1728 when Tang Ying was appointed resident manager of the Imperial kilns.

Cups of this form and with a lemon-yellow ground are unusual, although two were sold in our London rooms, the first, 9th June 1992, lot 299, and again 15th May 2013, lot 172; the second, 10th June 1997, lot 100. See also two other closely related cups, but slightly smaller in size, one sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 29th April 1997, lot 703; the other sold most recently in our London rooms, 4th November 2020, lot 1.

For the prototype of this design, see a Xuande mark and period cup recovered from the waste heaps of the Imperial kiln factory in Jingdezhen, and included in the exhibition Imperial Porcelain of the Yongle and Xuande Periods Excavated from the Site of the Ming Imperial Factory at Jingdezhen, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1989, cat. no. 47.

Lot 516. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. An extremely rare blue and white 'shou medallion' meiping, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Height 20.6 cm. Estimate 80,000 - 120,000 USD. Lot sold 53,340 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle.

Provenance: Offered at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5th November 1997, lot 1447.

Note: This blue and white vase represents the innovative design of porcelains during the Yongzheng period. From the beginning of his reign, the Emperor took a keen interest in the work of various imperial manufactories in his empire, particularly the Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen where artistic direction was led by his personal taste.

Yongzheng vases of this design are extremely rare, and only one closely related example in doucai is known. Formerly in the W.W. Winkworth Collection, it was first sold in our London rooms, 12th December 1972, lot 121 and was later part of the British Rail Pension Fund, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 16th May 1989, lot 68. It was most recently sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 29th May 2007, lot 1464A. Compare also a related blue and white meiping of similar size, but decorated with prunus scrolls after a Ming prototype, from the Qing Imperial Collection, illustrated in Qinghua youlihong / Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 73.

Lot 517. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. An exceptionally rare blue and white three-tiered tripod box and cover, Mark and period of Kangxi (1662-1722). Height 18.7 cm. Estimate 150,000 - 250,000 USD. Lot sold 152,400 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue (4).

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 20th May 1981, lot 754.
Marchant, London.
Collection of Albert (1927-2022) and Pearl (1927-2018) Nipon.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2nd November 1994, lot 135.
Marchant, London, 12th October 1995.

Note: This present box with its phoenix design and formal diaper borders showcases an exciting combination of archaism and innovation in Kangxi imperial porcelain. Throughout the Kangxi period, the imitation of porcelain from previous dynasties was one of the key themes in the production of the imperial kilns. The form of this box originates from an ancient lacquer prototype, but tiered porcelain boxes can also be traced back at least to the mid-Ming dynasty. Two three-tiered boxes of the mid-late Ming period are found in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. The first, attributed to the Zhengde period, resting on a ring foot and painted with figures in landscapes, is illustrated in Geng Baochang ed., Qinghua youli hong (zhong) / Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (II), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 52; the second, attributed to the Wanli period, similarly resting on a ring foot but decorated with floral sprigs in cartouches against a geometric pattern ground, is illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji / The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics, vol. 12, Shanghai, 1999, pl. 197 (accession no. 故00145733).

The top of the present cover is decorated with a meticulously drawn phoenix roundel which is a pattern also found on other Kangxi imperial wares. See for example, a cup of Kangxi mark and period, illustrated in Chen Runmin ed., Qing Shunzhi Kangxi chao qinghua ci [Blue and White Porcelain from Qing Shunzhi and Kangxi Period], Beijing, 2005, pl. 158. However, it is unusual for the design to be contained within formal borders, as seen on the present piece, which further enhances the circular form of the entire box. Similarly, the hare-shaped feet are also extremely rare and make references to the bear-form feet commonly seen on Han archaic bronzes, see several examples of gilt bronze zun illustrated in Zhongguo qingtongqi quanji [Complete Collection of Chinese Bronzes], vol. 12, Beijing, 1998, pls 39–45.

Compare a related polychrome box and cover with an archaistic pattern of kui dragons between similar diaper borders on a yellow ground, of Kangxi mark and period, sold in our London rooms, 8th June 1993, lot 83. Similarly resting on three bear-shaped feet, it was perhaps formerly also a tiered box, now with some missing tiers. See another related Kangxi example with a dragon design but with a ring foot, illustrated in Chen Runmin, op.cit., pl. 187.

Lot 518. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A doucai 'peach' dish, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Diameter 15 cm. Estimate 10,000 - 15,000 USD. Lot sold 40,640 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle.

Note: For a closely related Yongzheng mark and period example, similarly decorated with peaches, butterflies and rockwork, see one sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 3rd October 2018, lot 3654.

Lot 519. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A doucai 'phoenix' dish, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795). Diameter 19.4 cm. Estimate 12,000 - 15,000 USD. Lot sold 20,320 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue.

Lot 520. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A doucai 'double lotus' dish, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Diameter 21 cm. Estimate 15,000 - 25,000 USD. Lot sold 66,040 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle.

Provenance: Collection of Mrs. and Mr. Peter W. (1932-2017) Scheinman.
Christie's New York, 23rd March 1995, lot 124.

Note: A pair of Yongzheng dishes of this pattern was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 12th October 2021, lot 41. See also a similar dish in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Illustrated Catalogue of the Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1980, pl. 92.

Lot 521. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A rare doucai 'birthday' dish, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Diameter 20.9 cm. Estimate 40,000 - 60,000 USD. Lot sold 139,700 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle.

Provenance: Collection of T.T. Tsui (1940-2010).
Orientique, Hong Kong, 2nd July 2010.

Literature: The Tsui Museum of Art: Chinese Ceramics IV, Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1995, cat. no. 133. 

Note: The present doucai 'birthday' dish of Yongzheng mark and period is extremely rare and no other example seems to be published, although Kangxi mark and period examples of this type are known. The motifs adorning this dish brim with auspicious meaning indicating it was clearly intended as a birthday gift. The type is traditionally associated with the large scale birthday celebrations for the Kangxi Emperor's 60th birthday in 1713, and in anticipation of his 70th birthday in 1723, had the Emperor not died unexpectedly a few months before. 

The closely related decoration and style of the present dish to Kangxi mark and period 'birthday' dishes suggest that the dish would have been produced during the very beginning of Yongzheng's reign as he ascended the throne following the Kangxi Emperor. For a Kangxi mark and period example, see one sold in these rooms, 23rd March 2022, lot 256. 

Lot 522. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A fine doucai 'magpie and prunus' conical bowl, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Diameter 19.5 cm. Estimate 40,000 - 60,000 USD. Lot sold 76,200 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle.

Provenance: Nagatani, Inc., Chicago, 1st November 1946.
Collection of Stephen Junkunc III (d. 1978).
Christie's New York, 21st September 1995, lot 257.

Note: Exquisitely painted with two magpies, flowering camellia and prunus branches, this present bowl embodies the Yongzheng Emperor's great passion for exacting designs and innovative shapes, insistence on outstanding quality and his advocacy of portents of good fortune. The precision of the cobalt penciled lines, which give texture to the birds and trees, and the harmonious arrangement of the motif reveal the craftsmen's mastery of techniques and materials as a direct result of the Emperor's personal patronage. 

A bowl and cover of this type in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, is illustrated in Lu Minghua, Qingdai Yongzheng – Xuantong guanyao ciqi [Qing dynasty official wares from the Yongzheng to the Xuantong reigns], Shanghai, 2014, pl. 3-20, where the author mentions two further examples in the Shanghai Museum, but one lacking its cover, p. 46; another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 223; and a third, in the British Museum, London, is illustrated in R.L. Hobson, The Later Ceramic Wares of China, London, 1925, pl. LV, fig. 1. See also a bowl with cover sold in our London rooms, 1st November 1966, lot 127; and another from the Pilkington Collection sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 5th April 2016, lot 55. 

The design on this piece is filled with auspicious symbolism. The magpie (xique) is known as the bird of joy, as its name is homophonous with the word for joy (xi), as well as a carrier of good omen. In the 18th century, this bird acquired great significance, as according to legend the founder of the Manchu dynasty was the son of a celestial maiden who became pregnant after consuming a red berry that a magpie had dropped on her robe.

Lot 523. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A pair of yellow-ground green-enameled 'dragon' foliate-rim dishes, Seal marks and period of Qianlong (1736-1795). Diameter 13.3 cm. Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 USD. Lot sold 19,050 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base of each with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue (2).

Provenance: Orientique, Hong Kong, 26th April 2005.

Lot 524. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A fine and small yellow-ground and underglaze-blue 'lança' bowl, Mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Diameter 9.3 cm. Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 USD. Lot sold 53,340 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double square.

Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27th April 1999, lot 506.

Note: Inspired by Chenghua period design, the present example is exceptionally rare. Two pairs of similar Yongzheng bowls but lacking the pale-yellow ground were sold in our Hong Kong rooms, the first on 7th April 2015, lot 3677 and the second on 6th April 2016, lot 3633. For a Chenghua period bowl of similar design, see one included in the exhibition The Emperor's Broken China: Reconstructing Chenghua Porcelain, Sotheby's, London, 1995, cat. no. 86.

Lot 525. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A rare doucai 'dragon and phoenix' double-gourd vase, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Height 30.2 cm. Estimate 50,000 - 70,000 USD. Lot sold 50,800 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

Lot 526. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A celadon-glazed drum-shaped vase, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795). Height 16.5 cm. Estimate 30,000 - 50,000 USD. Lot sold 21,590 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

Lot 527. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A pair of clair-de-lune-glazed dishes, Marks and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735). Diameter 13.4 cm. Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 USD. Lot sold 60,960 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

Note: Compare a pair of similar dishes from the Zhuyuetang Collection, included in the exhibition Shimmering Colours. Monochromes of the Yuan to Qing Periods: The Zhuyuetang Collection, Art Museum, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2005, cat. no. 72. Another pair, originally sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 17th November 1975, lot 130 and included in the exhibition Imperial Chinese Porcelain, Ceramics and Works of Art, Marchant, London, 2013, cat. no 27, was subsequently sold separately, one at Christie's New York, 14th September 2017, lot 732 and the other in our Hong Kong rooms, 29th April 2022, lot 3501.

Lot 528. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A brown-glazed bowl, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795). Diameter 18 cm. Estimate 8,000 - 12,000 USD. Lot sold 22,860 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue.

Exhibited: Exhibition of Qing Mark and Period Monochromes and Two-Coloured Wares, Marchant, London, 1992, cat. no. 41.

Note: The combination of form and glaze on the present Qianlong bowl is rare. Compare a similar example, formerly in the collections of Lorant J. Goldschlager and Edward T. Chow, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 25th November 1980, lot 72.

Lot 529. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A blue-ground polychrome-enameled 'dragon' bowl, Mark and period of Kangxi (1662-1722). Diameter 18 cm. Estimate 10,000 - 15,000 USD. Lot sold 16,510 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

Provenance: Orientique, Hong Kong, 10th January 2007.

Lot 530. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A flambé-glazed 'pomegranate' lobed vase, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1723-1735). Height 19.7 cm. Estimate 40,000 - 60,000 USD. Lot sold 69,850 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with an incised six-character seal mark.

Provenance: The Oriental Art Gallery Ltd., London, 7th June 1994.

Note: The pomegranate-inspired hexalobed form with an everted mouth is an innovation of the Qianlong period. A closely related example is published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, vol. 2, Taipei, 1981, pl. 75; one in the Capital Museum, Beijing, is published in Xiong Liao, Beauty of Ceramics. The Gems of Official Kilns, Taipei, 1993, pl. 148l and another is illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur Collection Geneva, Chinese Ceramics, vol. 3, Geneva, 1972, pl. A291.

Lot 531. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A copper-red-glazed bottle vase, Qing dynasty, 18th-19th century. Height 34.3 cm. Estimate 10,000 - 15,000 USD. Lot sold 10,160 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

Provenance: Orientique, Hong Kong.

Lot 532. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A blue and white 'floral' moonflask, Qing dynasty, 19th century. Height 27 cm. Estimate 6,000 - 8,000 USD. Lot sold 15,240 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

Provenance: Jan van Beers Oriental Art, London, 7th June 1994.

Lot 533. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A fine coral-ground reserve-decorated 'lotus' bowl, Seal mark and period of Daoguang (1821-1850). Diameter 13 cm. Estimate 10,000 - 15,000 USD. Lot sold 31,750 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue.

Provenance: Collection of Georg Weishaupt (1906-2004), no. 563.
Sotheby's Amsterdam, 16th October 1995, lot 132.

Exhibited: From the Dragon's Treasure: Chinese Porcelain from the 19th and 20th Centuries in the Weishaupt Collection, Museum für Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt and Museum für Kunsthandwerk, Berlin, 1987, cat. no. 75.  

Lot 533. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A lavender blue-glazed 'pomegranate' vase, Qing dynasty, Daoguang period (1821-1850). Height 17 cm. Estimate 6,000 - 8,000 USD. Lot sold 6,985 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

 the base with a three-character Haorantang mark in underglaze blue.

Lot 535. Property from the Barbara and Lester Levy Collection. A rare molded famille-rose 'wine jar' meiping, Seal mark and period of Daoguang (1821-1850). Height 19.6 cm. Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 USD. Lot sold 40,640 USD. © Sotheby's 2023

with eight inscribed cartouches imitating content labels: Zhuang Yuan Hong (a type of wine), Zhe Shao (Zhejiang and Shaoxing), De run zheng ji (shop mark), Shaoxing laojiu (old Shaoxing wine), the base with a six-character seal mark in iron red.

Provenance: Collection of Georg Weishaupt (1906-2004), no. 724.
Sotheby's Amsterdam, 16th October 1995, lot 188.

Exhibited: From the Dragon's Treasure: Chinese Porcelain from the 19th and 20th Centuries in the Weishaupt Collection, Museum für Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt and Museum für Kunsthandwerk, Berlin, 1987, cat. no. 35.

Note: Still produced and imbibed today, Zhuang Yuan Hong is a traditional rice wine from Shaoxing in Zhejiang province. In the Shaoxing region, it was customary for locals to bury a jar of wine when a child was born. The wine would be unearthed and enjoyed on his or her wedding day, or in the case of a son, if he returned home successful after the imperial examinations. Such wine jars were often colorfully decorated or carved with floral designs, hence Shaoxing wine has become synonymous with the term huadiao jiu ('floral carved wine').

The present vase faithfully imitates these wine jars, from the descriptive content labels to the surrounding elaborate wickerwork, a feature still found on large Shaoxing wine vessels today. Given the celebratory connotations of these wine jars, relating to births, marriages, and scholarly success, it is possible porcelain 'Zhuang Yuan Hong' vessels such as this piece were gifted as auspicious presents.