Lot 25. A blue and white 'sanduo' vase, meiping, Qing dynasty, 18th century. Height 32 cm.  Price realised EUR 47,880 (Estimate EUR 10,000 – EUR 15,000). © Christie's 2024

Note: Despite of the polished base which probably bore an imperial mark, this elegant vase is characteristic of the exceptionally fine porcelains made for the Qianlong emperor in the style of early 15th century Ming dynasty wares. Emperor Qianlong greatly admired the imperial porcelains of the early Ming reigns, and the design of this vase was inspired by blue and white meiping of the Ming dynasty Yongle reign (1403-1424) decorated with sprays of fruit and flowers, such as the examples in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (I), Hong Kong, 2000, p. 32, no. 30, and the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Porcelain of the National Palace Museum, Blue and White Ware of the Ming Dynasty, Book II, part 1, Hong Kong, pl. 1, as well as the Ardebil Shrine in Iran. See J. A. Pope, Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, London, 1981, pl. 51, no. 29.413. A Qianlong blue and white meiping of the same size as the current vase, and bearing the same decoration, formerly in the collection of Edward T. Chow, is illustrated by M. Beurdeley and G. Raindre in Qing Porcelain, London, 1987, p. 108, no. 153. A slightly smaller Qianlong meiping with the same underglaze blue decoration in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (III), Hong Kong, 2000, p. 131, no. 117. Compare, also, the Qianlong marked example sold at Christie's Paris, 9 June 2015, lot 105 (EUR 721,500).

Lot 26. Property from a French private collection. A blue and white Chenghua-style 'flower scroll' 'palace' bowl, Qing dynasty, Yongzheng six-character mark within a double circle in underglaze blue and of the period (1723-1735). Height 7.2 cm; Diameter 15 cm.  Price realised EUR 113,400 (Estimate EUR 15,000 – EUR 20,000). © Christie's 2024

Note: The father of the present owner lived in Beijing from 1939 to 1944 where he was a prominent diplomat at the French Embassy. He and his wife met French consul Jean-Pierre Dubosc and his wife Janine who was the daughter of famous Chinese dealer based in France, C.T. Loo. They became very close, and the couple advised them in acquiring important Chinese paintings and works of art including this blue and white bowl (lot 26) and the Fang Cong painting (lot 113).

Covered in a thick unctuous glaze fired to a waxy finish, this bowl is masterfully potted with smooth rounded sides, gracefully rising from a tapered foot to a slightly flared rim, superbly painted in characteristic soft tone of cobalt-blue in outlines infilled with wash. The exterior is painted with a gently undulating meander of flowers with the blossoms in full bloom with tender flaring petals, all between double line bands at the rim and foot. The interior is painted with a central medallion enclosing a single flower head within a double circle, beneath a double-line band at the rim.

This model exemplifies the deft ability of Yongzheng potters to adapt and modify Ming design in a distinctly contemporary manner. The inspiration can be found in Chenghua mark and period pieces : there are four bowls preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, recorded in the museum's porcelain catalogue Gugong ciqi lu, part II: Ming, vol.1, Taipei, 1962, p.214, three of which have been published with illustrations, two in the Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Ch'eng-hua Porcelain Ware, 1465 – 1487, Taipei, 2003, cat.nos.33 and 34; the third in the exhibition catalogue Ming Chenghua ciqi tezhan [Special exhibition of Ming Chenghua porcelain], Taipei, 1976, no. 80.

Two similar Chenghua bowls are also in the British Museum, London, one, from the collection of Sir Percival David, was included in the exhibition Flawless Porcelains: Imperial Ceramics from the Reign of the Chenghua Emperor, Percival David Foundation, London, 1995, catalogue, no.1; the other from the collection of Mrs. Winnifred Roberts, given in memory of A.D. Brankston, is published in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Catalogue of Late Yuan and Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, no. 6:4.

See a pair of closely-related examples sold at Sotheby’s London, 7 June 2000, lot 125.

Lot 29. Property from a private UK collection. A blue and white 'lanca' stem bowl, Qing dynasty, Qianlong six-character seal mark in a line in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). Height 13.9 cm; Diameter 14.5 cm.  Price realised EUR 10,710 (Estimate EUR 10,000 – EUR 20,000). © Christie's 2024

Provenance: Private UK Collection, acquired in the 19th century, then by descent within the family.

Note: The Qianlong emperor's devotion for Buddhism led to the creation of numerous sophisticated artifacts inspired by sacred ritual objects. The current stem bowl seems to have drawn inspiration from the metal butter lamp, a significant ritual item in Tibetan Buddhism symbolizing the wisdom of enlightenment.
A stem bowl closely related to this one is showcased at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, as depicted in He Li's Chinese Ceramics: The New Standard Guide, London, 1996, pl. 595. Another similar piece is housed in the Roemer-Museum, Hildesheim, as featured in Chinesisches Porzellan, Mainz am Rhein, 1981, pl. 59. Additionally, a smaller version of this vessel can be found at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, as illustrated in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch’ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, Republic of China: Ch’ien-lung Ware and Other Wares, vol. 2, Tokyo, 1981, pl. 13.

Lot 30. Property from a private UK collection. A blue and white 'lanca' stem bowl, Qing dynasty, Qianlong six-character seal mark in a line in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). Height 13.3 cm; Diameter 14.4 cm.  Price realised EUR 8,190 (Estimate EUR 8,000 – EUR 12,000). © Christie's 2024

Provenance: Private UK Collection, acquired in the 19th century, then by descent within the family.

Note: The Qianlong emperor's devotion for Buddhism led to the creation of numerous sophisticated artifacts inspired by sacred ritual objects. The current stem bowl seems to have drawn inspiration from the metal butter lamp, a significant ritual item in Tibetan Buddhism symbolizing the wisdom of enlightenment.
A stem bowl closely related to this one is showcased at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, as depicted in He Li's Chinese Ceramics: The New Standard Guide, London, 1996, pl. 595. Another similar piece is housed in the Roemer-Museum, Hildesheim, as featured in Chinesisches Porzellan, Mainz am Rhein, 1981, pl. 59. Additionally, a smaller version of this vessel can be found at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, as illustrated in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch’ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, Republic of China: Ch’ien-lung Ware and Other Wares, vol. 2, Tokyo, 1981, pl. 13.

Lot 31. Property from a French private collection. A blue and white vase, Yuhuchunping, Qing dynasty, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). Height 28.2 cm.  Price realised EUR 27,720 (Estimate EUR 15,000 – EUR 25,000). © Christie's 2024

Note: The design and form of the current vase are closely modelled after early-Ming examples, such as a Yongle yuhuchunping in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Hong Kong, 2000, no. 33. For other Qianlong-marked yuhuchunping of this design, see one formerly housed at the Palace of Tranquil Longevity in the Forbidden City, included in the exhibition A lofty retreat from the red dust: the secret garden of emperor, Hong Kong, 2012, Catalogue, no. 51; one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in The National Palace Museum: Blue and White Ware of the Ch’ing Dynasty, Book II, Taipei, 1968, no. 12; and one sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 December 2010, lot 3053.
Vases of this type form an important part of imperial furnishing in the Qing palaces, see a pair of vases of the same design displayed on a side table in the Eastern Chamber of the Palace of the Gathered Elegance, and one on the curio display cabinet in the Studio of Pure Fragrance, illustrated in Qingdai gongting shenghuo, Taipei, 1986, figs. 214 and 224, respectively.

Christie's. Art d'Asie, Paris, 13 june 2024