Lot 613. Property from The Edward T. Chow Family Collection. A rare copper-red 'dragon' lobed washer, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722); d. 18 cm, apocryphal Xuande mark. Lot Sold 889,000 HKD (Estimate 500,000 - 700,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2023

Provenance: Collection of Dr Carl Kempe (1884-1967).
Sotheby's Paris, 12th June 2008, lot 63.

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Ceramics in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1964, pl. 782.
Chinese Ceramic Treasures. A Selection from the Ulricehamn East Asian Museum, Including the Carl Kempe Collection, Ulricehamn, 2002, p. 395, pl. 972.

Lot 614. Property from The Edward T. Chow Family Collection. A pair of doucai 'butterfly and lily' wine cups, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722); d. 6 cm, h. 4.8 cm, apocryphal Chenghua marks. Lot Sold 1,651,000 HKD (Estimate 600,000 - 800,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2023

Provenance: Collection of Edward T. Chow (1910-80).
Sotheby's Paris, 12th June 2008, lot 63.

Literature: Sekai Toji Zenshu [Ceramic Art of the World], vol. 14: Ming, Tokyo, 1976, p. 189, fig. 44 right.

Exhibited: Three Thousand Years of China: The Beauty of Beauty, Mitsukoshi, Tokyo, 1973, cat. no. 77.

Note: Delicately painted with butterflies fluttering above flowering lily plants, the present pair of charming cups is a testament of the Qing Emperor’s penchant for classic styles of the past. Their fine and thinly potted bodies, smooth glaze, and delicate decorations were inspired by prototypes of the Chenghua reign, which were especially treasured by the Kangxi and Yongzheng Emperors.

Compare a related Changhua mark bowl with a similar doucai decoration, illustrated in Ch'ing Polychrome Porcelain, Hong Kong Oriental Ceramic Society, Hong Kong, 1977, cat. no. 57. For the Chenghua prototype of this design, see a doucai cup illustrated in Enamelled Ware of the Ming Dynasty. Porcelain of the National Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1966, pl. 17.

Lot 616. The Edward T. Chow Collection. A celadon glazed lobed 'peony' dish, Late Ming - early Qing dynasty; 26.3 cm. Lot Sold 15,240 HKD (Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2023

Lot 617. Property from The Edward T. Chow Family Collection. A teadust-glazed double-gourd vase, Qing dynasty, 19th century; h. 29.4 cm, apocryphal Qianlong mark. Lot Sold 48,260 HKD (Estimate 30,000 - 50,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2023

Lot 619. Property from The Edward T. Chow Family Collection. A pair of doucai 'scholars' wine cups, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722); d. 5.7 cm, h. 4 cm, Chenghua marks, wood stands. Lot Sold 2,540,000 HKD (Estimate 600,000 - 800,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2023

Provenance: Collection of Edward T. Chow (1910-80).
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 19th May 1981, lot 563.

Literature: Three Thousand Years of China: The Beauty of Beauty, Mitsukoshi, Tokyo, 1973, cat. no. 79.

Note: This pair of charming cups, with delicate pencilled outlines in underglaze blue that have been filled with coloured enamels, is a fine example of the simple ye elegant style of decoration which took its inspiration from doucai porcelain produced during the renowned Chenghua period. Compare a related doucai wine cup, mark and period of Kangxi, formerly in the Collection of Mary Porter Walsh, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 3 April 2018, lot 3612.

Lot 620. The Edward T. Chow Collection. A blue and white polychrome-enamelled 'fish' dish, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722); d. 22.3 cm. Lot Sold 25,400 HKD (Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2023

Lot 622. The Edward T. Chow Collection. A pair of famille-rose trompe l'oeil pumpkins, Qing dynasty, Guangxu period (1875-1908); l. 16.4 cm. Lot Sold 152,800 HKD (Estimate 120,000 - 150,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2023

Lot 623. The Edward T. Chow Collection. A small yellow-glazed garlic-mouth vase, Qing dynasty, 19th century; h. 9.5 cm, with an apocryphal Yongzheng six-character mark, wood stand. Lot Sold 82,550 HKD (Estimate 30,000 - 40,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2023

Lot 624. Property from The Edward T. Chow Family Collection. An enamelled figure of the God of Wealth and a gilt-enamelled tea boat, Republican period (1912-1949); 21.2 and 15.5 cm, wood stand. Lot Sold 15,240 HKD (Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2023

Sotheby's. A Selection of Chinese Art from the Edward T. Chow Collection, Hong Kong, 6 December 2023