Lot 3603. A rare pair of polychrome enameled ruby-back wine cups, Marks and period of Kangxi (1662-1722); d. 9.8 and 9.9 cm. Lot Sold 3,048,000 HKD (Estimate 3,000,000 - 4,000,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2023

rouge-red exterior and pastel melon-and-fruit pattern horseshoe cups on the inside, "Made in the Kangxi Year of the Qing Dynasty".

Provenance: Sydney L. Moss, London, 1937 (£13.10).
Collection of Raymond FA Riesco (1877-1964), coll. no. 280, acquired in 1937.

Literature: Riesco Collection of Chinese Ceramics Handlist,  Croydon, 1987, p. 16, pl. 159.

Note: This exquisite pair of cups showcases not only exceptional level of craftsmanship but also stands as an early testament to a remarkable technological breakthrough that was initiated under the patronage of the Kangxi Emperor. Towards the end of the Kangxi reign, about 1720, the imperial workshops dedicated to glass and enamels succeeded in creating a new enamel that would revolutionise the color palette used in fine Chinese porcelain. This enamel, known as "rose-pink," would later lend its name to the corresponding European term. The sheer beauty of this new developed palette is evident not only on the interior design but also on the 'ruby' glaze of the exterior of the present cups.

It is extremely rare to find Kangxi-marked ruby-back wine cups with enameled 'fruit and seeds' on the interior, and there appear to be a total of four pairs recorded at auction. The four other pairs include those from the TY Chao Collection , sold in these rooms, 18th November 1986, lot 131; the Helen and Paul Bernat Collection, sold in these rooms, 15th November 1988, lot 49 and sold again at Christie's Hong Kong, 27th November 2007, lot 1759; the third pair from the Gerald M. Greenwald collection, sold in these rooms, 16th November 1988, lot 366, and again at Christie's Hong Kong, 1st December 2010, lot 2813; The fourth pair, probably from the Ton-Yin Collection of 1930, sold at Sotheby's New York, 1st June 1994, lot 390.

Paired, open, sloping wall, deep belly, circle feet. Apply carmine red glaze. White glaze is applied inside, and the heart of the cup is painted with lotus seeds, grapes, melons, melon seeds and other auspicious fruits. Carmine was introduced to Jingdezhen from the West in the late Kangxi period, and was later called "magenta". Because gold was used as the coloring agent, it was also called "golden red". The color of carmine glaze can be divided into dark and light, and the darker one is called "golden red". "Rouge Purple", the lighter ones are called "Rouge Water". According to the literature and existing objects, it can be seen that the rouge water glaze cup should be made during the mature period of the imperial kiln in the late Kangxi period. It is a precious color glaze variety from the late Kangxi period to the early Yongzheng period.

There are very few pairs of Kangxi horseshoe cups of the same type, and most of them are from the hands of big collectors. Currently, there are only four pairs on the market: including a pair from the original collection of Mr. Zhao Congyan, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong on November 18, 1986. , Lot 131; also see a pair originally from the collection of Paul & Helen Bernat, sold at Christie's Hong Kong on November 27, 2007, Lot 1759; a third pair originally from Greenwald ) old collection, first sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong on November 16, 1988, lot number 366, and later sold at Christie's Hong Kong in December 2010, lot number 2813. The fourth pair was sold at Sotheby's New York on June 1, 1994, lot 390.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 9 October 2023