Lot 108. An Exceptionally Rare and Possibly Unique Robin's-egg Glazed Vase, Tianqiuping, Qianlong Seal Mark and of the Period (1736-1795); 54.3cm high. Estimate: HK$7,000,000 – 12,000,000 (€790,000 - €1,300,000). © Bonhams 

Hong Kong — On 5 May 2025, Bonhams Hong Kong will present the single-owner sale: Dr. and Mrs. Hu Shih-chang Collection of Chinese Art. Dr. Hu Shih-chang was a pioneering paediatrician in Hong Kong and a renowned collector and scholar of Chinese art. Known for his passion and scholarly dedication, Dr. Hu assembled a diverse collection with a focus on Chinese lacquer. Thirty exceptional pieces spanning the Han, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, will be on offer.

Leading the sale are An Exceptionally Rare and Possibly Unique Robin's-Egg Glazed Vase, Tianqiuping, from the Qianlong period, and An Important Carved Cinnabar Lacquer Bowl Stand from the Hongwu to Yongle period. The auctions not only celebrate Dr. Hu's legacy as a collector but also shed light on Hong Kong's early collecting culture.

"We are privileged to be entrusted with the Hu Collection—a testament to connoisseurship and scholarly dedication," said Gigi Yu, Head of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art at Bonhams Hong Kong. "This auction underscores Bonhams' commitment to presenting distinguished private collections with impeccable provenance, offering collectors a rare opportunity to acquire these exceptional works."

Dr. Hu Shih-chang (1924–2006) graduated from the University of Hong Kong in 1952 before pursuing further studies in the United Kingdom. Upon his return, he became one of Hong Kong's first-generation paediatricians, establishing a distinguished medical career in both public hospitals and private practice. His interest in collecting began in the 1970s, encompassing ceramics, jade, cloisonné, and lacquer. Over time, he directed his focus toward Chinese lacquer, emerging as a leading authority in the field. His collection spans centuries of Chinese art history, including works from the pre-Qin and Han periods through to the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Mrs. Dorcas Hu (1928–2024) played a pivotal role in the couple's collecting journey. Born into a distinguished medical family, she was the daughter of Dr. Zhou Huaizhang, one of the first graduates of the School of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong and a co-founder of the Yeung Wo Nursing Home, which later became the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital. As former director of the Fung Ping Shan Library at The University of Hong Kong, her rigorous training in librarianship were invaluable in supporting Dr. Hu's scholarly approach of forming their remarkable collection of Chinese art.

Dr. Hu pursued collecting with rigor and discipline, a reflection of his scientific and medical training. Despite the demands of his medical career, he devoted his spare time to the study of antiques and literature. Over the years, he published extensively in esteemed journals such as the National Palace Museum Monthly of Chinese Art, Oriental Art, and Journal of the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, making significant contributions to Chinese art history. Additionally, the couple also loaned and donated works to major institutions, including the British Museum and the Art Museum of The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The Hu family's journey as collectors reflects the rise of Hong Kong's art-collecting culture in the 1960s, driven by mainland Chinese entrepreneurs and cultural figures who had relocated to the city. This fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics shaped Hong Kong's distinctive collecting culture and inspired generations to follow.

Notably, a short film has been produced by the third son of Dr. and Mrs. Hu exclusively for the auction. He has skillfully integrated his vision both as a commercial director and his personal perspective as their son to realise the concept of the film with fitting narration and script. Evoking the nostalgic charm of Hong Kong's 1970s and 1980s, the film not only reflects on his parents' collecting journey but also celebrates their passion for Chinese art, honouring their legacy with affection and respect. Click HERE to watch the video.

SALE HIGHLIGHTS

Lot 108. An Exceptionally Rare and Possibly Unique Robin's-egg Glazed Vase, Tianqiuping, Qianlong Seal Mark and of the Period (1736-1795); 54.3cm high. Estimate: HK$7,000,000 – 12,000,000 (€790,000 - €1,300,000). © Bonhams 

Superbly potted, of impressive size and globular form rising to the high shoulders, set with a tall cylindrical neck, the exterior covered with vibrant robin's-egg glaze suffused overall with overlapping varying turquoise and purple splashes, also to the interior of the neck and base with the incised seal mark, box.

Exhibited, Published and Illustrated: The Min Chiu Society and Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Urban Council, Monochrome Ceramics of Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1977, p.101, no.110.

Note: The Hu Family robin's-egg tianqiuping, Qianlong seal mark and period, is arguably the rarest of all forms utilising the attractive robin's-egg glaze. Variously shaped robin's egg-glazed examples of the Qianlong period can be found in other forms, such as 'lantern', double-gourd, hu, gu, cong, meiping, and others. See, for example, a robin's-egg cong vase, Qianlong seal mark and period, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Ceramics Gallery of the Palace Museum: Part II, Beijing, 2010, p.476, no.380. See also a robin's-egg tripod incense burner, Qianlong seal mark and period, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Selected Porcelain of the Flourishing Qing Dynasty at the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1994, p.356, no.93.

The robin's-egg glaze was first introduced during the Yongzheng reign. It is a lead-based glaze, coloured with copper, and opacified with arsenic. It has been suggested that the Qing robin's-egg glaze may have been inspired by the Ming dynasty's Xuande period's 'speckled blue' or 'snowflake-blue' glaze; compare a 'speckled-blue' glazed bowl, Xuande mark and period, from the Sir Percival David Collection, the British Museum, London, illustrated in R.Krahl and J.Harrison-Hall, Chinese Ceramics: Highlights of the Sir Percival David Collection, London, 2009, pl.34. It has also been suggested that the robin's-egg glaze was a Yongzheng innovation of the Song and Ming dynasty's Jun glaze. The Taocheng jishi bei ('Commemorative Stele on Ceramic Production'), written in 1735 by Tang Ying, the Superintendent of the Imperial porcelain works in Jingdezhen, lists the 'robin's-egg' glaze first in a list of the nineteen most popular types of wares for the Imperial Court. Similarly, the tianqiuping form of the present vase, was also inspired by vessels produced during the Yongle and Xuande reigns, who themselves were influenced by Persian metal-wares; see an example, which was sold at Christie's New York, 19 September 2006, lot 242.

The present vase is also important for having been produced early in the Qianlong reign as demonstrated in the particular style of the incised seal mark. As noted by Huang Qinghua in his essay 'Harmonious Blue and Crimson: Imperial Grandeur Across the Four Seas' written for the blue and white and copper-red 'dragon amongst clouds' tianqiuping, Qianlong seal mark and period, which was sold at Bonhams New York, 17 March 2025, lot 24, which shares the same type of seal mark: according to the Imperial Archives, this 'round' seal script mark appeared primarily around the eighth year of the Qianlong reign (1743), and was used predominantly on monochrome wares, as shown in the present vase. According to Huang, based on preliminary survey, there are only about 30 known surviving pieces bearing this mark in both public and private collections, making the present tianqiuping, exceedingly rare. These porcelains were often produced in pairs. He concludes by saying that all pieces bearing this 'round' seal script mark share outstanding craftsmanship, with meticulous attention paid to both exterior and interior details. For additional examples of vases bearing this type of early 'round' seal mark see: a yellow-ground Yangcai floral square vase, Qianlong seal mark and period, in the Qing Court Collection, Palace Museum, Taipei, acc.no.: guci005104; a carved celadon-glazed vase, Qianlong seal mark and period, from the J.M. Hu collection, Shanghai Museum, is illustrated in Qing Imperial Monochromes: The Zande Lou Collection, Hong Kong, 2005, pl.44.

A robin's-egg glazed moonflask of ovoid form, Qianlong seal mark and period, was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 7 April 2015, lot 3627.

Lot 115. An exquisite large carved cinnabar lacquer bowl, Hongwu to Yongle, Yongle and Xuande six-character marks; 21.4cm wide. Estimate: HK$3,000,000 – 5,000,000 (€340,000 - €560,000). © Bonhams 

The upper globular body masterfully carved through layers of exquisite cinnabar lacquer to a buff-coloured ground with six lush blossoms including gardenia, peony, pomegranate, chrysanthemum, camellia and hibiscus, wreathed in corresponding foliage, all beneath a plain band at the incurved rim; the wide seven-lobed tray similarly decorated with blossoming flowers, repeated again around the flared foot, the stamen intricately detailed and the leaves elegantly engraved with veins, the interior of the bowl and the foot lacquered dark brown, the foot inscribed vertically with an incised and gilded six-character Xuande mark, superimposed on an erased perpendicular Yongle mark, fitted box. 

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 13 December 1983, lot 56
Keitaku Takagi (K.T. Lee), Gammon House Art Gallery Ltd., Hong Kong, December 1984.

Published: Lee King Tsi and Hu Shih-Chang, 'Carved Lacquer of the Hongwu Period', Oriental Art, vol.47, no.1, 2001, pp.10-20
Lee King Tsi and Hu Shih-Chang, The National Palace Museum Monthly of Chinese Art, vol.220, 2001, pp.56-71
Layered Beauty: The Baoyizhai Collection of Chinese Lacquer, pp.171-182, 215-224.

Exhibited, Published and Illustrated: The Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong and the Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, Hong Kong, 1993, no.46
Art Museum, Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Layered Beauty: The Baoyizhai Collection of Chinese Lacquer, Hong Kong, 2010, no.36.

Note: The Hu Family magnificent bowl stand exemplifies the technical mastery and aesthetic refinement of early Ming dynasty lacquerware, distinguished by its robust construction and exquisite carvings utilising the lavish layers of lacquer. Inheriting the technical traditions of the Song and Yuan dynasties, early Ming lacquerware adopted the style of late Yuan dynasty lacquer carving while achieving significant advancements, resulting in substantial progress in the craftsmanship. The present lot adorned with intricately carved floral motifs characterised by overlapping petals and intertwining branches and stems, with leaves meticulously incised to display shaded veins. Despite the complexity of the composition, the layering remains distinct.

Lee King Tsi and Hu Shih-Chang suggested that intricately crafted lacquerware likely originated during the Hongwu reign. The process of lacquer carving is labour-intensive and often requires several years to complete: the initial step involves constructing the body, followed by the application of multiple layers of lacquer, with each layer being left to dry in the shade. Only after achieving a sufficient thickness can the carving process commence, followed by fine polishing. Therefore, it is possible that lacquerware dated to the first year of the Yongle period may have entered production during the preceding Hongwu period. In addition, Hongwu lacquerware typically features the designs of seasonal flowers, while Yongle wares were more often decorated with a single type of flower, serving as an important criterion for the dating. This view is further supported by the documentation of two examples of 'mallow-shaped bowl stands ... carved ... with flowers of the four seasons', which were recorded in an historic Ming document noting gifts from the Yongle Emperor's Court to the Ashikaga Shogun of Japan, which included in total 203 pieces of carved lacquer sent between 1403-1407, of which 58 pieces were sent during the first year of the Yongle reign, suggesting that given the time-consuming production, these may have been produced in the Hongwu period, given the tumultuous time of the preceding Jianwen reign.

This bowl stand presents an intriguing case of dual reign marks: with a carved and gilded Xuande reign mark superimposed on a typical thinly incised Yongle mark. Li and Hu suggest that the Yongle period lacquer carvings were originally unmarked at the workshops, but added after the pieces were transported from Nanjing to the new capital in Beijing. The rationale behind the coexistence of both Xuande and Yongle marks on the same object remains unresolved. However, the practice of appropriation by imposing a later reign mark on an earlier piece is well documented both in the early Ming as well as later in the Qing dynasty; for the latter, see for example a Qianlong four-character mark on a 15th century lacquer box and cover, in the Qing Court Collection, the Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Carving the Subtle Radiance of Colors: Treasured Lacquerware in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2008, no.34.

Similar seven-lobed examples of this type are exceedingly rare. See the only two published examples that are closely related: one bearing a Yongle mark in the Qing Court Collection, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo qiqi quanji (Complete series on Chinese Lacquerware), Fuzhou, 1995, vol.5, pl.26; and another without a reign mark in the Seikadō Bunko Art Museum, Tokyo, illustrated in Carved Lacquer, jointly organized by the Tokugawa Art Museum and Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, Tokyo, 1984, pl.83. Neither of these examples bears the additional Xuande mark.

For other related six-lobed examples, see one carved with floral motifs bearing a Yongle mark, illustrated in Masterpieces of Chinese Lacquer from the Mike Healy Collection: an exhibition organized by the Honolulu Academy of Arts , Honolulu, 2005, pp.76-77, pl.27; another Yongle-marked example from the Harry Garner collection, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (acc.no.FE.23-1974). See also a related bowl stand in the Qing Court Collection, in the Palace Museum, Beijing (acc.no.gu 107810); and a bowl stand from the Florence and Herbert Irving collection, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated in East Asian Lacquer: The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection, New York, 1991, pp.86-87, no.28 - both decorated with phoenix motifs.

See a related early Ming cinnabar lacquer 'phoenix' bowl stand, Yongle six-character mark and period, with an inscription by the Qianlong Emperor, 1781, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 3 December 2008, lot 2119.

Lot 105. A cream-glazed vase and cover, Tang Dynasty (618-907); 11.4cm high (3). Estimate: HK$60,000 – 80,000 (€6,800 - €9,100). © Bonhams

Of compressed pear-shape set on a wide foot ring, with waisted neck and flared galleried rim, the inset recessed cover with a finial, fitted box.
 

Provenance: Bluett & Sons Ltd., London, June 1976.

Note: Compare with a similar cream-glazed jar, Tang dynasty, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (acc.no.CIRC.730-1931). Compare also a closely related example, Sui/early Tang dynasty, in the Collection of Mr and Mrs Eugene Bernat, included in Loan Exhibition, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, 1947, no.44, and Early Chinese Ceramics, Currier Gallery of Art, 1959, no.42.

A similar jar, but missing its cover, was sold at Christie's New York, 17 September 2010, lot 1301.

Lot 111. A cloisonné enamel 'grapevine' leys jar, zhadou, Ming Dynasty, 16th century; 10.5cm high. Estimate: HK$120,000 – 180,000 (€14,000 - €21,000). © Bonhams

The compressed globular body decorated with purplish grapes suspended from scrolling vines and leaves above a band of lotus petal panels, the flared wide neck with upright leaves below florets, the flared foot similarly enamelled with florets, the interior of the neck with large leafy lotus blossoms amidst tendrils, fitted box.


Provenance: Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, Dec 1975.

Note: Related design of grapevines can be seen on two cloisonné enamel tripod incense burners, early Ming dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels 1: Cloisonné in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Beijing, 2011, nos.44 and 45.

Compare with a related cloisonné enamel 'grapevine' zhadou, Ming dynasty, which was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 24 November 2013, lot 386; and see also a further example which was sold at Christie's London, 13 May 2008, lot 47.

Lot 118. A finely inlaid zitan 'Three Rams' box and cover, Qing Dynasty, 18th Century; 19.5cm high (3). Estimate: HK$180,000 – 250,000 (€21,000 - €28,000). © Bonhams

Of rectangular form, superbly embellished with different materials, including mother-of-pearl and soapstone, the cover decorated with the Three Rams, sanyang, below a pine tree amidst rockwork and lingzhi fungus with the sun peering amidst clouds, fitted box.

Provenance: S H Chan & Co., Hong Kong, Aug 1980.

Note: The 'Three Rams', san yang, design represents a change of fortune with the arrival of Spring and the Lunar New Year. As shown in the present lot, the Three Rams are often depicted with a rising sun, taiyang, forming the rebus for 'Three rams (yang) bring prosperity'. The Book of Changes, Yijing, first mentions the phrase san yang referring to the three male lines, called tai – the symbol of Heaven. Tai is positioned under three female lines called kun that represent Earth. Hence the phrase 'sanyang kaitai' symbolising renewal and a change in fortune in the New Year.

Compare a related inlaid zitan box and cover decorated with Su Wu and a flock of goats, attributed to Zhou Zhu, Jiajing, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 April 2013, lot 145.

Lot 121. A black lacquer mother-of-pearl inlaid three-tiered square box and cover, Late Yuan to early Ming Dynasty; 23.5cm high (4). Estimate: HK$350,000 – 550,000 (​​​​​​​€40,000 - €63,000). © Bonhams

Of three-tiered square section with indented corners, supported on a slightly recessed splayed foot bordered by a band of dots, meticulously inlaid in slivers of mother-of-pearl on a black lacquer ground, the cover depicted with a scene of a scholar and his attendants arriving at a mansion with two pavilions, all surrounded by cartouches enclosing figural scenes against a rural landscape, the sides inlaid with similar cartouches, all reserved on a floral diaper ground, the bottom section and foot further decorated with cartouches enclosing scenes of plants and animals respectively, the interior and base lacquered brownish-black save for the cinnabar top of the middle tray, fitted box.

Provenance: Keitaku Takagi (K.T. Lee), Gammon House Art Gallery Ltd., Hong Kong, March 1979.

Exhibited, Published and Illustrated: The Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong and the Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, Hong Kong, 1993, no.92
Art Museum, Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Layered Beauty: The Baoyizhai Collection of Chinese Lacquer, Hong Kong, 2010, no.26.

Note: The current lacquer box, crafted with exquisite mother-of-pearl inlay, represents a remarkable example of lacquer art which was produced since the Yuan dynasty. The exceptional delicacy and intricacy of the inlaid decoration, along with the complexity and artistry of the box's overall design, distinguish it as an exceptional piece of its type.

See a related tiered square box with indented corners, late Yuan to early Ming period, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated in East Asian Lacquer: The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection, New York, 1991, no.57. See also a prunus-form lobed box, Yuan dynasty, in the Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, Tokyo, illustrated in The Colors and Forms of Song and Yuan China, Tokyo, 2004, no.131; and another black lacquer hexagonal box, early Ming period, in the Muwen Tang Collection, illustrated in Chinese Lacquer, Hong Kong, 2010, pp.170-171, no.43.

Compare a two-tier mother-of-pearl-inlaid black lacquer box, Ming dynasty, sold at Christie's New York, 17 September 2010, lot 1260.