Wucai

A rare and large wucai cylindrical vase, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Height 29 1/4  in., 74.5 cm. Photo Sotheby's Provenance: Collection of John L. Severence (1863-1936).Cleveland Museum of Art, prior to September 2000.Christie's New York, September 21, 2000, lot 322. Exhibited: Cleveland Museum of Art, Realm of the Immortals: Daoism in the Arts of China, February 10 - April 10, 1988, no. 17. Literature: Henry S. Francis, et al, Catalogue of the John L Severance Collection; Bequest... [Lire la suite]

A wucai cylindrical vase, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Height 17 1/4  in., 44 cm. Photo Sotheby's. Provenance: Vermeer & Griggs Asian Art, Georgia. Exhibited: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Colors of Earth, Kangxi Era Porcelain from the Stamen Collection, 2002, no. 22. Note: Aprofusion of butterflies, die, conveys a wish for great joy. The present vase amply illustrates the auspicious sentiment with a dazzling array of butterflies, not one like another. The artist has... [Lire la suite]

A wucai wine pot, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Height 5 in., 12.8 cm. Photo Sotheby's Provenance: Ralph M. Chait Collection, New York.Luis Alegria, Portugal, 2006. Note: Although wine pots and teapots are virtually indistinguishable, the large form of the present vessel would indicate its use for wine rather than tea. There is a saying, ‘Jiu yu tiandi tongshi' which means that ‘wine is as old as the Earth.’ Recent research has revealed that while this old saying is not literally... [Lire la suite]

A wucai stembowl and cover, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Height 6 1/8  in., 15.5 cm. Photo Sotheby's Provenance: Collection of Duncan Beresford-Jones, Esq.Christie's London, June 6th, 2000, lot 358. Note: The enamels of the present piece are sparingly applied and contained to simple bands of fruiting peach boughs on the exterior. The imagery immediately evokes the celestial peach orchard of Xiwangmu and conveys wishes for longevity. The interior reinforces the sentiment with a central medallion... [Lire la suite]

A wucai baluster vase, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Height 17 3/4  in., 45.3 cm. Photo Sotheby's Provenance: Rockefeller Collection.Ralph M. Chait Galleries, New York, 2002. Note: This vase is painted with a rarely depicted story featuring Guanyin.  It is a typical blend of reality and fiction involving a Song dynasty prefect, Cai Xiang (1012-1062), who designed the marble stone beam bridge spanning the Luoyang River just outside of Quanzhou city, Fujian province. The enormity... [Lire la suite]

A wucai cylindrical vase, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Height 18 1/8  in., 46 cm. Photo Sotheby's. Provenance: Qing Court Collection (pledged as collateral and forfeited to the Salt Industry Bank, Peking, in the early 1900s).Tonying and Company, New York.Collection of Allen J Mercher (Chairman of the Board Yamanaka & Co. 1943).Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 1st-2nd November 1956, lot 332 (illustrated).Ralph M. Chait Galleries, New York, 2001. Note: The subject matter of the present... [Lire la suite]

A pair of wucai  rectangular table screens and stands, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period (1662-1722). Height 10 1/2  in., 26.7 cm. Photo Sotheby's. Provenance: D & M Freedman, London, 2000. Note: From the Song dynasty onwards, scholars pursued luxury objects to display in their studios.  Although Ming dynasty critics decried excess as beyond the bounds of good taste, the new mercantile wealth of the seventeenth century happily ignored such warnings.  In addition to the traditional ‘four... [Lire la suite]

A large wucai phoenix-tail vase, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period (1662-1722). Height 29 3/8  in., 75.3 cm. Photo Sotheby's. Provenance: Vok Collection.Berwald Oriental Art, London, 2000.. Note: Sweeping mountainous blocks of greens and blues spiral around the undulating form relieved by open areas punctuated only by swirling polychrome clouds and flocks of birds in orderly flight. The painting, while reminiscent of classical literati style landscapes, exemplifies deliberate early Qing aesthetic criteria.  It... [Lire la suite]

A wucai phoenix-tail vase, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period (1662-1722). Height 16 1/2  in., 47 cm. Photo Sotheby's. Provenance: Christie's Hong Kong, 29th April 2002, lot 622. Sotheby's. Embracing Classic Chinese Culture: Kangxi Porcelain from the Jie Rui Tang Collection, New York, 14 march  2014

Lot 1454. A rare wucai 'Dragon' dish, Wanli six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1573-1619); 12½ in. (31.8 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 115,000 - USD 25,000. Price realised USD 43,750. © Christie's Image Ltd 2013.  The dish has shallow rounded sides that rise to an everted rim and is decorated in the interior with a dragon supporting a basket of peaches flanked by two dragons holding wan emblems below two further dragons mutually holding a lotus blossom... [Lire la suite]