Peter and Mary White © Bonhams 2026

Bonhams was delighted to present the remarkable collection of Peter and Mary White, long-time members of The Oriental Ceramic Society. Formed over many decades, the collection reflects the Whites' deep interest in world history, human civilisation, and their fascination with a medium that transcends cultures: ceramics. Comprising over 3,000 pieces, the Whites have assembled a museum-like collection of world ceramics, from China and Japan to Europe, ranging from Antiquity to the 19th century. 

"The collection of Peter and Mary White is one of the finest to illustration the meeting of East and West in ceramics." - Professor Christiaan Jörg

Lot 35. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A painted pottery storage jar, Neolithic period; 38.7cm high. Sold for £1,536 © Bonhams 2026

The sloping upper body painted with four medallions enclosing geometric patterns surrounded by repeating circular bands, flanked by a pair of loop handles.

Provenance: Acquired in 1995 (collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 3, n.p., 2022, p.3

Note : See a similar jar, Neolithic, in the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, accession number 47.109, and another sold at Bonhams New York, 17th March 2025, lot 78.

Lot 38. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A group of six pottery jars, Neolithic period. The tallest: 15.5cm high. (6). Sold for £460.80 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a jar rising from a tapering foot to a round body and waisted neck, flanked by a pair of loop handles; a bowl with flared rim and decorated with black geometric patterns on reddish-brown to the interior and exterior; a pottery jar with four medallions enclosing square patterns, set with ring handles; a li with moulded triangular design and a pair of loop handles; a jar painted with black geometric patterns on red, loop handles; and a jar painted with lozenge-shaped panels in black on red, set with a pair of loop handles.

Provenance: Acquired 1990-1995 (collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 3, n.p., 2022, p.2 (the bowl); p.3 (the medallions jar); p.4 (the handled lozenge pattern jar); p.8 (the li)

Lot 37. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. Three pottery jars, Warring States. The largest: 17.5cm wide. (4). Sold for £128 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a rounded jar with flaring neck with an overall linear design, metal stand; a squat jar decorated with an overall geometric design; and a miniature jarlet with an impressed fabric design.

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 3, n.p., 2022, pp.6-7 (the large jar and miniature jar)

Lot 36. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. Three glazed storage jars, Warring States-Han Dynasty. The tallest: 27cm high. (3). Sold for £1,920 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a large olive green glazed globular jar with a meshed pattern around the body, below a short flaring rim; a mid-sized jar of compressed globular form, the wide shoulders set with taotie-mask ring handles below the short everted neck; and a small celadon-glazed jar with four lug handles to the shoulders over a cross-hatched band.

Provenance: Acquired from Sandra and David Dykes, London, 1995 and 2000 (the smallest jar and largest jar)(collector's notes)

Acquired from Christie's South Kensington, March 2000 (the middle jar)(collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Drinking at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol. 2, n.p., 2021, p.55 (the large jar); p.56 (the mid-sized jar)

Lot 40. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A grey pottery model of an ox-drawn cart and a painted grey pottery incense burner and cover, Han Dynasty. The incense burner: 21cm high; the cart: 31.7cm  long. (5). Sold for £384 © Bonhams 2026

The ox-drawn cart modelled in separate sections with a canopied cart, large wheels joined by an axle and an ox standing foursquare and facing forwards; the incense burner raised on a tall stem, the cover modelled as mountain peaks, decorated in red and black pigments.

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 3, n.p., 2022, p.15 (the ox and cart)

Note ::See a comparable ox and cart model, Han to Six Dynasties, at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Art Museum, Hong Kong, accession number 1992.0063.

Lot 41. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A large painted pottery model of horse, Han Dynasty; 70.5cm high. (3). Sold for £1,792 © Bonhams 2026

Standing foursquare with the head slightly raised, the ears cocked and the mouth open, perspex stand.

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Beasts at the Whites' House: A selection of ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol.1, n.p., 2020, p.66-67

Lot 42. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A pottery model of a house, a terracotta 'Stick' figure and a glazed Buddhist lion dog, Han Dynasty. The tallest: 61 cm highhigh. (3). Sold for £614.40 © Bonhams 2026

Provenance: Acquired in 1995 (the dog)(collector's notes)

Acquired in 2003 (the standing figure)(collector's notes)

Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 2005 (the house)(collector's notes)

Lot 129. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A lead green-glazed hill burner and cover, a granary jar and a metal incense burner and cover, Han Dynasty. The tallest: 25.5cm high. (5). Sold for £1,408 © Bonhams 2026

The hill burner raised on three crouching-bear-form feet, the ribbed body flanked by a pair of S-shaped handles, the cover decorated in relief with prowling mythical beasts; the granary jar supported on further bear feet, the cylindrical body with horizontal incised bands supporting a sloping simulated tiled roof; the metal burner and cover of compressed rounded form, set on three cabriole legs, applied with gently flaring handles and three loops to the cover.

Provenance: All acquired circa 1990 (collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 3, n.p., 2022, p.11 (the hill burner and incense burner); p.12 (the granary jar)

Lot 130. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A varied group of early pottery wares, Han Dynasty. The longest: 30.5cm (8). (5). Sold for £512 © Bonhams 2026

Provenance: All acquired circa 1995-2000 (collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 3, n.p., 2022, p.14 (the scoop)

M. White, Drinking at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol. 2, n.p., 2021, p.5 (the three ear cups)

Note : The ear cups and scoop in the present lot are mingqi for wooden vessels commonly used in Han daily life, their painted red interiors mimicking lacquer.

Lot 131. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. Four glazed pottery architectural models, Han Dynasty. The widest: 26.7cm (4). Sold for £563.20 © Bonhams 2026

Provenance: Acquired in 1990 (the alcove and pavilion)(collector's notes)

Acquired in May 2004 (the kiln)(collector's notes)

Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 2005 (the mill)(collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, People at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White Collection, vol.5, n.p., 2024, p.316 (the kiln)

M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 3, n.p., 2022, p.13 (the mill)

Lot 132. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. Three pottery models of animals and a laddle, Han Dynasty. The largest: 31cm long. (4). Sold for £486.40 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a lead green-glazed model of a dog standing foursquare with its head looking upwards, eyes wide open and mouth agape; a green-glazed model of a hen; a pottery model of a recumbent boar with finely incised eyes and snout; and a small green-glazed ladle.

Provenance: Acquired in 1990 (the pig and the ladle)(collector's notes)

Acquired in 1995 (the dog and the hen)(collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Beasts at the Whites' House: A selection of ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol.1, n.p., 2020, p.29 (the dog)

M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 3, n.p., 2022, p.14 (the ladle)

Lot 132. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A group of seven terracotta figures, Han Dynasty and later. The tallest: 24cm high. (8). Sold for £512 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: two models of grooms standing with an arm outstretched, one with perspex stand; two soldiers, each carrying a shield; a part ochre-glazed model of an attendant; a model of a dancer; and a model of a seated lady.

Provenance: Acquired circa 1990-2000 (collector's notes)

Lot 39. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A group of pottery animals and weights, Han Dynasty and later. The horse: 15.5cm long. (17). Sold for £1,664 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a grey pottery circular weight with impressed geometric patterns, Han dynasty; a pottery figure of a mermaid; a pottery figure of a sitting duck, Han dynasty; a small pottery figure of a standing duck, circa 800; two brown-glazed tortoise weights, Tang dynasty; a brown splash-glazed Changsha 'bird' whistle, Tang dynasty; a green-splashed Changsha 'bird' whistle; a brown-glazed Changsha 'pig' whistle; a sancai-glazed 'humanoid face' whistle; a brown-glazed 'owl' whistle; an ochre-glazed figure of a toad, Song dynasty; a brown-glazed model of a standing horse, Song dynasty; a stoneware model of a standing dragon, Yuan dynasty; a pottery standing figure of a corpulent horse, Yuan dynasty; a pottery figure of a greyhound, Yuan dynasty; and a pottery figure of a porcupine.

Provenance: Acquired in 1990 (the two tortoises)

Acquired in 1995 (the weight and sitting duck)

Acquired in 2000 (the mermaid)

Acquired in 2002 (the two bird whistles, pig whistle and owl whistle)

Acquired from Sandra and David Dykes, London, 2002 (the greyhound)

Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 2003 (the dragon)

Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, December 2004 (the porcupine)

Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, November 2005 (the humanoid face whistle)

Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, May 2007 (the brown-glazed horse)(label and collector's notes)

Acquired from Sandra and David Dykes, London, 2010 (the standing duck)

Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London (the toad)(label)

Published, Illustrated, and Exhibited: The Oriental Ceramic Society, The World in Colours, London, 2006, no.16 (the brown-glazed 'bird' whistle)

M. White, Beasts at the Whites' House: A selection of ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol.1, n.p., 2020, p.104 (the 'pig' whistle) (Published and Illustrated)

Lot 136. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. Two pottery weighs, a pottery fish, two small bronze mirrors, and a pottery warrior, Han Dynasty and later. The figure: 33cm high (6). Sold for £435.20 © Bonhams 2026

Provenance: Acquired in 1990 (the mirrors)(collector's notes)

Acquired in 1995 (the weights)(collector's notes)

Acquired from Sandra and David Dykes, London, June 2002 (the warrior)(collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, People at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White Collection, vol.5, n.p., 2024, p.271 (the warrior)

Lot 45. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. Two pottery models of equestran warriors, Northern Qi and Tang Dynasty. The tallest: 28.5cm high. (2). Sold for £1,536 © Bonhams 2026

One warrior dressed in full armour, his expression stern and determined, the horse standing foursquare looking down, traces of paint overall; the other warrior dressed in a robe looking to the left with his right hand raised, some areas with traces of pigments.

Provenance: Acquired in 1990 (the figure turned to the left)(collector's notes)

Acquired from Sandra and David Dykes, London, March 2002 (the forward facing figure)(collector's notes)

Lot 43. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. An amber-glazed pottery jar and cover, Tang Dynasty; 20.5cm high (2). Sold for £435.20 © Bonhams 2026

Of ovoid form resting on a gently flaring foot, covered in a rich amber glaze running halfway down the body, the shoulder with double incised bands below the rolled rim.

Provenance: Acquired from Sandra and David Dykes, London, 6th May 2004 (collector's notes)

Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: The Oriental Ceramic Society, The World in Monochromes, London, 2009, pp.14-15, no.12

M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 3, n.p., 2022, p.17 (Published and Illustrated)

Lot 47. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A pottery figure of a court lady, Tang Dynasty; 37.7cm high. Sold for £588.80 © Bonhams 2026

Elegantly modelled and dressed in a long flowing robe, her round face in a serene expression, her hair tied into a topknot and her lips picked out in red pigments.

Note: The present lot epitomises the beauty standards and fashion of 8th century China, small lips, plump cheeks, full-figured in a long flowing dress and an elaborate coiffure known as the 'fallen horse' hairstyle after Yang Guifei's iconic look which won her the affection of Emperor Xuanzong (685-762).

See a comparable standing court lady, Tang dynasty, in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession number 1979.108.

Lot 48. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A group of four pottery figures of ladies, Tang Dynasty; The tallest: 29cm high (5). Sold for £384 © Bonhams 2026

Provenance: All acquired circa 1988-1990 (collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, People at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White Collection, vol.5, n.p., 2024, p.327 (part lot)

Lot 44. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A green-glazed pottery flask and three glazed bowls, Tang-Liao Dynasty. The flask: 19.7cm high (4). Sold for £1,408 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a green-glazed leather-form flask, incised with scrolling foliate designs; an amber-glazed marbled pottery bowl; a small yellow-glazed bowl; and a small red pottery bowl decorated with black splashes on a light brown glazed ground.

Provenance: The Oriental Art Fund, London, 26th February 1999 (the flask)(collector's notes)

Acquired in circa 2000 (the three bowls)(collector's notes)

Acquired from Duke's, 11th November 2019, lot 7 (the flask)(collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Drinking at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol. 2, n.p., 2021, p.40 (the flask); p.186 (the black splashed bowl)

Note: See a green-glazed flask, Liao dynasty, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 9th September 2025, lot 5133.

Lot 14. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A green and ochre-glazed pottery 'Buddha' tile and a moulded pottery tile, Tang Dynasty, dated to the 5th year of Zhonghe, corresponding to 885 and Song Dynasty. The moulded pottery tile: 23cm high. (2). Sold for £1,152 © Bonhams 2026

The square tile heavily potted and moulded on the front with a figure of Buddha seated on a lotus throne flanked by four disciples, covered in a dark brown glaze with dark green highlights, the inscription reads zhonghewunianqiubayue jinweiweirijianzao which translates to 'made under supervision on the jinweiwei day in autumn of the eighth lunar month in the fifth year of the Zhonghe era'; the rectangular tile carved with a head and torso emerging from cloud vapours.

Provenance: Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, October 2006 (the square tile)

Published and Illustrated: S.C. Eng, The Use of Ceramic in Chinese Late Imperial Architecture, London, 2008, p.236, fig.7.127

M. White, Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 4, n.p., 2023, p.217 (the square tile)

Note : The square tile is possibly from the Youguo temple in Kaifeng, Henan. The temple was originally founded in the tenth year of Tianbao of the Northern Qi dynasty (559 AD), it was frequented by the Emperors for leisure and Buddhist rituals. The pagoda was built in 989 but destroyed in 1044 by lightning, it was then reconstructed in 1049 with reddish-brown glazed bricks that have an iron-like appearance which gave rise to the name 'iron pagoda'.

Lot 46. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A collection of green-glazed wares, Tang and Song Dynasty. The tallest: 16 cm high. (3). Sold for £512 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a Longquan celadon bowl with deep rounded sides with vertical ribbing around the exterior; a globular jar with twin loop handles to the shoulders below a cylindrical neck, covered in a grey ash glaze; and a Yueyao jar of globular form carved with the characters qianqiu wansui which translates to 'a thousand autumns and boundless years'.

Provenance: Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 2004 (the bowl and Yueyao jar)(collector's notes)

Acquired from Sandra and David Dykes, London, December 2004 (the twin-handled jar)(collector's notes)

Lot 1. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A carved celadon 'lotus' bowl and a celadon-glazed handwasher, Northern Song Dynasty. The bowl: 8.6cm wide (2). Sold for £5,376 © Bonhams 2026

The bowl with foliate rim, carved around the exterior with six upright petals with a central rib, covered overall in a grey-green glaze; the handwarmer of compressed circular form, finely incised to the body with decorative designs, with a shaped aperture, surmounted by a mouse-form finial, covered in a pale olive green glaze.
 

Provenance: Dr Carl Kempe (1884-1967), Ekolsund (label)

Sotheby's London, 5th November 2008, lot 531 (part)

Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, March 2009 (the handwarmer)(collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Ceramics in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1964, no.22, p.30 (the handwarmer)

Dr. Carl Kempe (1884-1967) was a prominent Swedish industrialist who served as the CEO of Mo och Domsjö AB, a leading company in the Swedish pulp and paper industry. Dr. Kempe resided at Ekolsund, a historic former Swedish royal palace, where he also maintained his distinguished art collection. As an early and active member of the Oriental Ceramic Society, he amassed one of the finest European collections of Chinese art assembled in the mid-twentieth century.

Lot 2. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A pair of Qingbai-glazed dishes and a Qingbai-glazed bowl, Song Dynasty. largest: 9cm diam. (3). Sold for £1,088 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a pair of qingbai-glazed dishes, each with a concave base, carved to the interior with radiating floral petals; together with a qingbai-glazed bowl moulded with a lotus seedpod encircled by layers of interlocking petals.

Provenance: Acquired in October 2002 (the pair of qingbai-glazed dishes)

Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 2002 (the qingbai-glazed bowl)(collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Drinking at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol. 2, n.p., 2021, p.12 (the bowl)

Lot 4. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. Two brown-glazed jars, Song Dynasty. The largest: 11cm diam. (2). Sold for £3,584 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a jar of rounded body rising to a cylindrical neck terminating in a lipped rim, the interior covered in a persimmon-brown glaze, the exterior in biscuit, finely combed with a design of concentric circles and applied with a row of bosses; and a jar of compressed rounded body rising to a flaring mouth rim, covered overall in a brown glaze, the flat base left unglazed, revealing the greyish body beneath.

Provenance: Acquired in 2000 (the glazed jar)(collector's notes)

Acquired in November 2002 (the jar with biscuit exterior)(collector's notes)

Note: See a similar jar with interior persimmon-brown glaze, Song-Yuan dynasty, in the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, BATEA 127.

Lot 5. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. Two Cizhou-type vessels, Song Dynasty. The tallest : 16cm high (3). Sold for £2,176 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a bud-form wine pot and cover decorated with six sets of three vertical ribs on a brown-glazed ground; and a brown-glazed double gourd vase, with applied rope twist handles flanking the shoulders.

Provenance: Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, May 2008 (the vase)(collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Drinking at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol. 2, n.p., 2021, p.41 (the ribbed ewer)

Lot 6. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. Two Qingbai-glazed dishes, Song Dynasty. The largest: 15cm diam. (2). Sold for £960 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a dish moulded to the interior with a central medallion enclosing three fish swimming in a lotus pond, encircled by two bands of geometric designs; and a dish rising from a tapering foot to flaring sides, the interior comb-carved with a floral head.

Provenance: Both acquired in 2000 (collector's notes)

Lot 11. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A slip-decorated sgraffiato Peony pillow and an incised linear design pillow, Northern Song Dynasty. Both approx. 19cm long. (2). Sold for £768 © Bonhams 2026

The sgraffiato pillow of slender kidney-bean form, carved to the surface with a large peony bloom issuing from a leafy stem, covered in an ivory white slip; the second pillow of ingot form, carved to the sides with geometric, combed and foliate pattern panels, the upper surface and short sides with swirling designs, also covered in an ivory-hued slip.

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 4, n.p., 2023, p.159 (the peony pillow) and p.160 (the linear design pillow)

Lot 12. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A carved celadon'lotus' bowl, Song Dynasty. Both approx. 18.7cm diam. Sold for £704 © Bonhams 2026

The vessel rising from a short foot, with shallow rounded sides and an everted rim, fluidly carved to the interior with two trailing, leafy lotus stems, the glaze of greyish celadon hue.

Provenance: Nicholas de la Mare Thompson (1928-2010), collection no.58 (label)

Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, December 2016 (collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 3, n.p., 2022, p.35

Note: Nicholas de la Mare Thompson (1928–2010) was a distinguished collector and long-standing committee member of the Oriental Ceramic Society. Grandson of the poet and author Walter de la Mare, Thompson spent his professional life in publishing, where he combined intellectual independence with a sharp editorial instinct. His interest in Chinese ceramics was grounded in empirical observation and a personal aesthetic sensibility, particularly favouring early monochromes of the Song dynasty. He collected intuitively, often living with a piece before deciding if it belonged in his collection, and frequently consulted his wife Caroline, whose eye he trusted implicitly. He later extended his passion to early books on Chinese art, tracing the development of Western scholarship and collecting.

Lot 17. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A group of seven Qingbai bowls, Song Dynasty. The largest: 18cm diam. (7). Sold for £1,152 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a bowl with foliate rim and anhua decorations, covered in a creamy white glaze with crackles; a qingbai bowl decorated with moulded double fish to the well and the sides with panels of floral sprays, covered in a bluish-white glaze with fine craquelure; a bowl incised with abstract floral decorations to the interior, covered in a greyish-blue glaze; a pair of small bowls of conical form, covered in an even creamy blue glaze; a bowl with moulded 'peony' sprays to the well and floral panels beneath a key-fret band to the sides, the cream glaze suffused with fine crackles; a bowl moulded with 'pomegranate' medallions and boys amongst floral sprays, the glaze of bluish-white hue.
 

Provenance: All acquired in 2000 (collector's notes)
 

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Drinking at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol. 2, n.p., 2021, p.193 (the pair of conical bowls)

Lot 3. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. Three Qingbai-glazed ewers, Song-Yuan Dynasty. The highest: 10.5cm high. (5). Sold for £1,024 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a pear-shaped ewer set with a spout and loop handle; a covered ewer of compressed globular body rising from a cylindrical section and flanked by a short spout and a strap handle; and a covered ewer of rounded body rising from a short foot to a waisted slender neck terminating at a trumpet-shaped mouth, flanked by an elegantly curved spout and a strap handle.

Provenance: Acquired 1995-2002 (collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Drinking at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol. 2, n.p., 2021, p.42 (the covered ewer with waisted slender neck); p.43 (the pear-shaped ewer)

Lot 8. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. Two Qingbai-glazed bowls and a Qingbai-glazed vase, Song-Yuan Dynasty. The largest bowl: 16.5cm diam. (3). Sold for £896 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a deep bowl incised to the interior with stylised lotus blooms on a hatch pattern ground; a shallow dish incised to the centre with a lily, the exterior with two rows of radiating petals; and an unusual pear-shaped vase, supported on three flaring feet and with tubular handles at the neck, the body applied with three amber-glazed flowerheads, the rim also decorated with an amber glaze.

Provenance: John Drew (1933-2006), England, collection no.64 (label)

Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, June 2007 (the vase)(collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 4, n.p., 2023, p.288 (the vase)

Note: John Drew (1933–2006) was born in Tideswell, Derbyshire, and educated at Sedbergh School and the Queen's College, Oxford. He spent the majority of his professional career as an archivist in various African countries, before taking up a post at the University of Cape Town in 1978. His collection of Chinese ceramics encompasses pieces from the Neolithic period through to the eighteenth century. See R. Davids & D. Jellinek, Provenance: Collectors, Dealers and Scholars: Chinese Ceramics in Britain and America, Oxford, 2011, p.157.

Lot 16. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A group of Qingbai wares,, Song-Yuan Dynasty. The tallest vase: 20cm high. (11). Sold for £1,216 © Bonhams 2026

Provenance: Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, January 2003 (the ewer)

Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, November 2004 (the reticulated vase)

Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 6th September 2013 (the handled vase)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 4, n.p., 2023, p.60-61 (the lotus and plain covered boxes); p.63 (the flowerheads box); p.147 (the water dropper); p.287 (the openwork vase and handled vase)

M. White, Drinking at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol. 2, n.p., 2021, p.43 (the ewer)

Lot 15. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A group of miscellaneous ceramic bowls and vessels, Song and Yuan to Ming Dynasty. The largest: 18.7cm diam. (13). Sold for £896 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: six Jian 'hare's fur' bowls of various sizes, one of which within its saggar; a russet-glazed tea bowl; a crackle-glazed celadon bowl; a small celadon-glazed jar; a qingbai water dropper moulded with floral sprays set with loop handles and a spout; a saucer dish with flared sides and incised floral design to the well; a blue and white baluster jar and cover.
 

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Drinking at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol. 2, n.p., 2021, p.187 (part lot)

Lot 10. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. An amber and green-glazed pottery 'Lion' pillow, Jin Dynasty; 19.5cm long. Sold for £960 © Bonhams 2026

Modelled as a recumbent lion, the head turned to the right, an elaborately curled tail wrapped around the rear haunch, supporting a shaped rest with impressed floret motifs, decorated in deep amber and green glazes.
 

Provenance: Acquired in 2000 (collector's notes)
 

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Beasts at the Whites' House: A selection of ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol.1, n.p., 2020, p.91
M. White, Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 4, n.p., 2023, p.156
 

Note: Lion shaped pillows were popular in ancient China, acting as auspicious and protective companions that would ward off evil spirits during the night.

Lot 21. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A green and red enamelled 'lion' dish, Jin-Yuan Dynasty; 15.4cm diam. Sold for £16,640 © Bonhams 2026

The interior painted in lime green and iron red enamels with a Buddhist lion with tail raised and the face contorted into a fearsome stare, within a circular ring bordered with three floral sprigs, covered in a creamy glaze which falls irregularly above the foot.
 

Provenance: George Eumorfopoulos (1863-1939), London (label incorrectly annotated no.B.80 rather than no.C.346 as published)
Sotheby's, 29th May 1940, lot 165 (part)
Sydney Moss Ltd., London
Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 6th June 2008 (collector's notes)
 

Published and Illustrated: The George Eumorfopoulos collection: catalogue of the Chinese, Corean and Persian pottery and porcelain, volume III, London, 1926, p.49 and pl.LVII
M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 3, n.p., 2022, p.77
 

Note: George Aristides Eumorfopoulos (1863-1939) was amongst the most important collectors of Chinese art in the early 20th century. He was the founder of the Oriental Ceramic Society in 1921, and served as president until his death in 1939.

Eumorfopoulos only purchased from trusted and reliable sources: a third of his collection, which is over one thousand five hundred pieces, was bought from F.M. Frank and Co., eighty-seven pieces from John Sparks Ltd., a hundred and thirty-eight pieces from Bluett and Sons and others from Yamanaka & Co. A significant part of his collection is now housed in the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Lot 13. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A saggar containing a Jun dish, Yuan Dynasty; 21cm wide. Sold for £832 © Bonhams 2026

Adhered to the bottom by excess glaze and kiln grit, the dish of gently concave form with sky-blue glaze, the rough saggar slightly convex at the base.
 

Provenance: Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, November 2005 (collector's notes)
 

Note: Compare with one saggar containing a purple-splashed Jun dish, Jin dynasty, which was sold at Bonhams New York, 19th September 2022, lot 301.

Lot 19. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A pair of very large Qingbai funerary jars, Yuan Dynasty; 85cm high. (2). Sold for £2,304 © Bonhams 2026

Each with high globular bodies surmounted with a gently tapering cylindrical neck below a garlic-shaped mouth applied with a frilled border suspending small loop-ring handles, with applied decoration in mirror image, the shoulders mounted by a band supporting a ring with moulded figures, all below a dragon modelled in three dimensions coiled around the neck below a large pearl supported on a cloud-form buttress to emerge at right angles from the surface, and with further appliqué figures and animals set around the neck including a phoenix, chicken and tortoise.
 

Provenance: Acquired in 1995 (collector's notes)
 

Note: Compare with a funerary vase, 1201-1400, in the Sir Henry Wellcome Collection of the Science Museum, London, accession number A657048 and another funerary jar, Song-Yuan dynasty, on display at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, accession number C.225&A-1912.

Lot 20. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. Three pottery jars and covers, Yuan Dynasty. The largest: 50cm high. (6). Sold for £281.60 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a large brown pottery jar moulded as a granary building with architectural supports running down the body, the cover modelled as a sloping roof; a jar incised to the body with a dragon and a figure opposite the same scene in mirror image but moulded in relief; and a small brown pottery jar moulded with two bands of lappets with standing figures moulded onto the upper row, the interior of the cover inscribed in lantsa script.
 

Provenance: Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, February 2006 (collector's notes)

Lot 22. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A blue and white 'monks cap' ewer, Yuan Dynasty; 10cm high. Sold for £4,608 © Bonhams 2026

The body of conical form, decorated with scrolling chrysanthemums, daylilies and cash emblems in dark blue underglaze between raised borders, set with a loop handle that meets the shoulder at a ruyi motif below the flanged rim resembling a monk's cap.

Provenance: Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, November 2010 (collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Drinking at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol. 2, n.p., 2021, p.44
 

Note: Such ewers take their name from the distinctive crown-shaped feature that adorns the top of the vessel and likened to Chinese monk caps. The present lot is likely modelled after usually much larger metal ewers that were used to hold milk, as seen by the raised ridges encircling the body which imitate welded seams.
 

See a similar ewer, Yuan dynasty, in M. Crick, Chinese Trade Ceramics for South-East Asia from the 1st to the 17th century: Collection of Ambassador and Mrs Charles Muller, Geneva: Foundation Baur, 2010, pp.236-7.

Lot 23. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A blue and white double gourd vase, Yuan Dynasty; 13cm (5 1/8in) high. Sold for £8,320 © Bonhams 2026

The body divided by two horizontal bands with registers of scrolling leafy stems, within a band of freely drawn scrollwork above the foot and key fret at the neck
 

Provenance: National Museum, Philippines (label and collector's notes)
Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 2000 (collector's notes)
 

Published, Exhibited and Illustrated: The Oriental Ceramic Society, The World in Blue and White: An Exhibition of Blue and White Ceramics dating between 1320 and 1820, from members of the Oriental Ceramic Society, London, 2003, p.22, cat.no.48
M. White, Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 4, n.p., 2023, p.289 (Published and Illustrated)

Lot 18. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A Cizhou figure of Zhenwu and three Cizhou vessels, Yuan/Ming Dynasty. The tallest: 20.5cm high. (4). Sold for £704 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a figure of the Daoist deity Zhenwu, seated on a throne with a stylised tortoise and snake at his feet; a flaring bowl decorated with foliate designs on a cream slip ground; a small jar decorated with linear designs; and a pear-shaped bottle vase decorated with a bird amongst blossoming prunus and bamboo.
 

Provenance: Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 2000 (the bowl)(collector's notes)
Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 2006 (the figure)(collector's notes)
 

Published and Illustrated: M. White, People at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White Collection, vol. 5, n.p., 2024, p.92 (the figure of Zhenwu)
M. White, Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 4, n.p., 2023, p.286 (the vase)

Lot 24. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A near pair of blue and white vases and a chocolate-brown-glazed vase, Ming Interregnum, Zhengtong to Tianshun 1436-1464. The tallest: 16.5cm high. (3). Sold for £2,560 © Bonhams 2026
 

The near pair of vases each of square section and baluster form decorated with floral and lingzhi sprays, the flanged neck set with twin handles; the single vase of similar shape with crescent-moon handles and covered in a thick lustrous brown glaze.
 

Provenance: Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 9th December 2019 (the pair)(collector's notes)
Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 30th June 2020 (the single vase)(collector's notes)
 

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 4, n.p., 2023, p.290
 

Note: See a similar pair of blue and white vases illustrated in J. Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, p.153, nos. 5:11 and 5:12.

Lot 25. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A Fahua-glazed figure of Zhenwu and a sancai glazed model of Buddha, Ming Dynasty, 16th century. The Buddha group: 43.5cm high overall. (4). Sold for £1,920 © Bonhams 2026
 

The figure of Zhenwu modelled seated on a raised throne, clad in armoured robes, a tortoise with entwined snake at his feet, decorated in turquoise, aubergine and ochre glazes; and a three part group comprising an amber-glazed model of a seated Buddha, with a raised pedestal form base and mandorla, inscribed to the centre wanli shiernian wuyuejirizao, which translates as 'made on an auspicious day in the 5th month of the 12th year of the Wanli reign', corresponding to 1584, decorated in green and ochre glazes.
 

Provenance: Acquired from R & G McPherson, 2003 (the Buddha group)(collector's notes)
 

Published and Illustrated: M. White, People at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White Collection, vol.5, n.p., 2024, p.93 (the figure of Zhenwu); p.110 (the Buddha group)

Lot 26. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. Two large glazed pottery mythical beast roof tiles, Ming Dynasty. The tallest: 43.5cm high. (2). Sold for £1,152 © Bonhams 2026

Comprising: a seated qilin, the horned beast with a well-defined scaled body and billowing mane, with flames emanating from the haunches; and a galloping celestial beast upon large cloud scrolls; both decorated in green and ochre glazes and resting upon arched rectangular bases.
 

Provenance: Both acquired in 1988 (collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 4, n.p., 2023, p.219

Lot 27. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A pair of painted pottery deer and riders, Ming Dynasty.39.2cm high. (2). Sold for £1,408 © Bonhams 2026

The female riders elegantly dressed in long robes detailed in black, with red buttoned surcoats, each with the left hand held out before them, the deer standing foursquare with well detailed faces and tall antlers extending behind the heads.
 

Provenance: Acquired in 1995 (collector's notes)

Lot 28. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A group of glazed pottery funerary models of an offering table and accessories, Ming Dynasty. The table: 26.6cm long. (18). Sold for £307.20 © Bonhams 2026
 

Comprising: a rectangular offering table, a pair of horseshoe-back chairs, a pair of pricket candle-holders, an ewer, a small vase, six larger dishes of food, three smaller dishes of food and two bowls, variously part decorated in green and ochre glazes.
 

Provenance: All acquired circa 1995 (collector's notes)
 

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 4, n.p., 2023, pp.200-201 (the chairs)
M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 3, n.p., 2022, p.21 (part lot)

Lot 29. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A large glazed pottery caparisoned lion and two architectural elements, Ming Dynasty. The lion: 40cm) long. (3). Sold for £1,024 © Bonhams 2026
 

Comprising: a green and ochre-glazed model of a standing Buddhist lion, with wide open mouth and the head turned to the left, the caparisoned beast supporting a large vessel and dressed in elaborate trappings; a glazed lotus-form element; and a green and ochre-glazed terminal.
 

Provenance: Acquired in 1995 (collector's notes)

Lot 30. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A sancai glazed pottery waterpot and a sancai-glazed teapot, Ming Dynasty. The teapot: 14cm high. (3). Sold for £704 © Bonhams 2026
 

Comprising: a waterpot modelled as a ripe peach with a monkey seated atop, the leafy branch forming the spout; and a teapot with applied squirrel-form handle, the ovoid body incised with peony flowers and scrolling foliage, metal cover and spout terminal.

Provenance: Kenneth R. Malcolm (1908-1984), London (the teapot)(label to metal cover)
Margaret Goldney (1920-2009), Ightham (the teapot)(collector's notes)
Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 2000 (the waterpot)(collector's notes)
Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, June 2009 (the teapot)(collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Beasts at the Whites' House: A selection of ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol.1, n.p., 2020, p.99 (the waterpot); p.112 (the teapot)

Note: Kenneth Robert Malcolm (1908–1984) was a British civil servant and a noted collector of Asian art. Kenneth Malcolm joined the Indian Civil Service in 1932, serving in India until its Independence in 1947. His collecting spanned Islamic wares as well as objects from China, Korea and Japan. Pieces from his collection were donated to the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Constance Margaret Goldney (1920-2009) was a descendant of Sir David Pollock (1780-1847), former Chief Justice of Bombay, her father was Colonel G.M. Goldney whom she followed into military service and became a Captain of the W.R.A.C. She moved to Hong Kong in the 1960's and became PA, advisor and confidant to several different chairmen of HSBC.

Lot 31. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A sancai pottery incense burner, a pair of sancai glazed square dishes and a Longquan celadon incense burner, Liao and Ming Dynasty. The celadon incense burner: 20.5cm diam. (4). Sold for £704 © Bonhams 2026
 

Comprising: a green and ochre-glazed incense burner of rectangular form, with two moulded panels of qilin, the shoulders set with curving handles resting against the rim; two green and ochre-glazed square trays each moulded with floral patterns below a foliate rim; and a Longquan celadon incense burner of tripod form with lion-paw feet, the body with an incised wave pattern.

Provenance: Marie Vergottis (1914-1999), Switzerland
Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, in 2005 (the celadon incense burner)(collector's notes)
Acquired in 2000 (the dishes)(collector's notes)
Sandra and David Dykes, London, 28th March 2002 (the rectangular incense burner)(collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 4, n.p., 2023, p.111 (the rectangular incense burner); p.115 (the celadon incense burner)
M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 3, n.p., 2022, p.20 (one square dish)

Lot 32. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A group of glazed pottery funerary figures and a model of a clothes stand, Ming Dynasty. The tallest: 37cm high. (8). Sold for £704 © Bonhams 2026

 

Comprising: two large green and ochre-glazed models of attendants, variously holding a flower-form dish and a cloth; three smaller attendant figures with green-glazed robes; two turquoise and aubergine pottery figures variously modelled as a gentleman holding a large fan and a lady holding a dish; and a turquoise and aubergine-glazed pottery model of a clothes stand.

Provenance: Acquired circa 1994-2004 (collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, People at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White Collection, vol.5, n.p., 2024, p.328 (the turquoise-glazed pair); p.329 (the tallest pair)

Lot 49. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. Two polychrome-enamelled Swatow dishes and a blue and white Kraak dish, Late Ming Dynasty. The largest: 36.5cm diam. (3). Sold for £384 © Bonhams 2026
 

Comprising: a turquoise and red enamelled 'Split Pagoda' dish; a polychrome 'bird and flowers' dish; and a blue and white Kraak-type dish with a central panel depicting a bird on a rock amongst flowers, within a floral panel border.

Provenance: Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 2000 (the 'bird and flowers' dish)(collector's notes)
Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 2002 (the blue and white dish)(collector's notes)
Acquired from Justin Garrard, London, October 2008 (the 'Split Pagoda' dish)(collector's notes)

Published, Exhibited and Illustrated: The Oriental Ceramic Society, The World in Colours: An Exhibition of Ceramics with Coloured Decoration dating from 700 to 1920 belonging to members of the Oriental Ceramic Society, London, 2006, cat.no.24
M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 3, n.p., 2022, p.99 (the 'Split Pagoda' dish); p.100 (the 'bird and flowers' dish)(Published and Illustrated)

Lot 50. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A blue and white swatow 'qilin' dish, an incised celadon-glazed 'mythical horses' dish and a blue and white 'flower scroll' dish, Mid to late Ming Dynasty. The largest: 37cm diam. (3). Sold for £1,152 © Bonhams 2026
 

Comprising: a blue and white Swatow dish, with a central roundel decorated with a qilin within a floral spray, and a diaper band at the rim; a blue and white dish with a large central flower head surrounded by bands of flowers on scrolling vines repeated to the exterior, the base painted with a single flower head; and a celadon-glazed Swatow dish, carved with a dragon fish emerging from waves, encircled by a band of waves with four celestial horse above.

Provenance: Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 2000 (the celadon dish)(collector's notes)
Christie's South Kensington, 14th March 2002, lot 406 (the 'qilin' dish)(collector's notes)
Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 2005 (the 'flower scroll' dish)(collector's notes)

Published and Illustrated: M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol. 3, n.p., 2022, p.98 (the 'qilin' dish); p.101 (the celadon dish)

Lot 51. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A group of blue and white wares, Ming Dynasty. The largest: 14.5cm high. (9) .Sold for £256 © Bonhams 2026
 

Comprising: a square dish with canted corners, for the Japanese market, painted in the centre with a gnarled pine tree, surrounded by floral sprays, Tianqi; a blue and white jar and cover with lotus-bud finial, decorated with floral scrolls and a Fu one-character mark on the base; a bowl painted around the exterior with orchids in bold, flowing strokes, circa 1450; a blue and white jarlet painted with dense lotus scrolls, circa 1500; and two Yunnan kiln jarlets and covers, decorated with geometric motifs.

Provenance: Acquired in 1990 (the jar and cover)(collector's notes)
Acquired from Robert McPherson Antiques, London, 2002 (the square dish)(collector's notes)
Acquired in October 2002 (the Yunnan jars and covers)(collector's notes)

Lot 53. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A Kinrande 'Longevity' dish and two circular boxes and covers, Ming Dynasty. The largest: 14cm diam. (5). Sold for £1,024 © Bonhams 2026
 

The dish painted with a central underglaze-blue medallion with a tree in the form of a Shou character issuing ripe peaches, surrounded by beaded jewellery patterns and geometric designs highlighted with green enamels and gilt, a fuguijiaqi mark to the base, Jiajing; the circular box and cover, Swatow, of domed form decorated in iron-red and green enamels with a central roundel enclosing a hare, surrounded by geometric patterns, the box similarly decorated on the sides, circa 1700; the smaller circular box and cover, Swatow, decorated in iron-red on the domed cover with a deer, circa 1700.

Provenance: Acquired in 2002 (the boxes and covers)(collector's notes)
Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, 2007 (the dish)(label and collector's notes)

Note: Compare with a related Kinrande 'longevity' dish, Longqing four-character mark and of the period, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 16th December 2021, lot 5046, and again at Bonhams New York, 19th September 2022, lot 305.

Lot 54. Property from The Peter and Mary White Collection. A rare polychrome decorated 'Equestrienne' dish, Ming Dynasty, 16th century; 30.7cm diam. Sold for £5,888 © Bonhams 2026
 

The dish with deep rounded sides, decorated in red, green and yellow enamels with a pair of female riders before a gateway, within two registers of floral scroll, the exterior similarly decorated with leafy, flowering stems, the base with a four-character mark da ming nian zao.

Provenance: Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, September 2021

Note: See a closely related dish sold at Christie's London, 22nd March 2013, lot 1521 and another in the British Museum, decorated with twin lions to the centre, museum no.1951,1010.1. See also Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum Istanbul, A Complete Catalogue, Volume II, Yuan and Ming Dynasty Porcelain (Regina Krahl, Published in association with the Directorate of the Topkapi Saray Museum by Sotheby's Publications 1986), page 571.