Lot 606. Property from the Estate of Suzanne G. Valenstein. A very rare blue and white 'floral scroll' dish, Xuande six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1426-1435); 18.2 cm diam, cloth box. Price realised USD 381,000 (Estimate USD 61,000 – USD 8,000) © Christie's Images Ltd 2026

Provenance : Peter Boode, London (according to label).
Sir Harry M. Garner (1891-1977) Collection, England.
The Property of a Gentleman; Sotheby's London, 14 November 1972, lot 376.
Douglas J. K. Wright Ltd., London, 16 November 1972.

Literature : The Oriental Ceramic Society, Catalogue of an Exhibition of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain: 14th to 19th Centuries, London, 1953, cat. no. 60.
Sir H. M. Garner, Oriental Blue and White, London, 1954, pl. 28B.
S. G. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1975, p. 135, fig. 43.

Exhibited: London, The Arts Council Gallery, The Oriental Ceramic Society, Chinese Blue and White Porcelain: 14th to 19th Centuries, 16 December 1953-23 January 1954.
New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, on loan 1972-2020; exhibited 1977-1982, 1983-1992, 1992-2020, no. L.1972.77.4.

Note: The porcelains of the Xuande period have long been admired by Chinese connoisseurs, to the extent that three hundred years later, when the Qianlong Emperor wished to compliment contemporary porcelains, he compared them to the porcelains of the Xuande and Chenghua (1465-87) reigns. In particular, Xuande-period blue and white porcelains are considered masterpieces of the potters' art. The underglaze blue designs of the period are admired both for the brilliant color of the cobalt blue and for the vitality of the painting, which exhibits great spontaneity and fluidity, as evidenced by the elegant flower scrolls on the present dish.

The present dish is decorated on the interior with a composite floral scroll design, with six flower heads borne on leafy curling stems encircling a central flower, all enclosed within a double-line border. The reverse is painted with a continuous meander comprising lotus, hibiscus, and peony. For a similarly decorated dish in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, see Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 1998, pp. 426-27, no. 186.

Lot 608. Property from the Estate of Suzanne G. Valenstein. A rare blue and white 'clouds and dragons' dish, Zhengde six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1506-1521); 22 cm diam, brocade box. Price realised USD 190,500 (Estimate USD 20,000 – USD 30,000) © Christie's Images Ltd 2026

Provenance : Hugh Moss Ltd., London, June 1971.

Exhibited: New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, on loan 1976-2003; exhibited 1983-2003, no. L.1976.57.

Note: Zhengde-marked dishes of this type are very rare, although the design was in use from as early as the Hongwu period. A Xuande-marked example formerly in the Ise Collection is illustrated in Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, ed., The Enchanting Chinese Ceramics from the Ise Collection, Osaka, 2017, pp. 126-27, no. 45, and later sold in Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramics from the Ise Collection; Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 9 September 2025, lot 5043.

Lot 607. Property from the Estate of Suzanne G. Valenstein. A rare small blue and white 'boys' cup, Jiajing six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1522-1566); 8.8 cm diam, cloth box. Price realised USD 95,250 (Estimate USD 7,000 – USD 9,000) © Christie's Images Ltd 2026

Provenance : J. J. Lally & Co., New York, 1994.

Exhibited: New York, China Institute in America, Children in Chinese Art, 26 January-2 March 1991.

Lot 609. Property from the Estate of Suzanne G. Valenstein. Three blue and white porcelain Kraak vessels, Ming dynasty, late 16th-early 17th century; The largest: 21 cm diam. Price realised USD 6,985 (Estimate USD 3,000 – USD 5,000) © Christie's Images Ltd 2026

The group comprises a kendi, a dish decorated with a floral design, and a bowl decorated with a lantern on the interior.

Provenance : Dish: S. Marchant & Co., London (according to label).

Literature: Bowl: S. G. Valenstein, China Institute in America, Ming Porcelains: A Retrospective, New York, 1970, p. 90, cat. no. 62.

Exhibited: Bowl: New York, China Institute in America, Ming Porcelains: A Retrospective, 29 October 1970-31 January 1971.

Lot 611. Property from the Estate of Suzanne G. Valenstein. A dayazhai grisaille-decorated yellow-ground bowls, Guangxu period (1875-1908); 12.4 cm diam. Price realised USD 16,510 (Estimate USD 5,000 – USD 8,000) © Christie's Images Ltd 2026

The exterior is inscribed in iron red along the outer rim with the characters Dayazhai (Studio of Great Refinement) and an oval seal reading tiandi yijia chun (spring time throughout heaven and earth). The base has a mark in iron red reading yongqing changchun (eternal prosperity and enduring spring).

Provenance : Hugh Moss Ltd., London, November 1972.

Literature: S. G. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1975, p. 239, fig. 48.

Exhibited: New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, on loan 1972, L.1972.77.5.