Lot 843. A rare underglaze copper-red-decorated 'floral' bottle vase, yuhuchunping, Hongwu period (1368-1398); 32.7 cm high, cloth box. Estimate USD 100,000 – USD 200,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2026

Provenance: Peter Lai Antiques, Hong Kong, 13 March 1991.

Note : Although copper oxide was first used to produce red on high-fired ceramics in the Tang dynasty, its use was limited to a few stoneware pieces with a monochrome copper red-glaze and a larger number of vessels with designs in copper red. This limited use of copper-red decoration continued into the Song dynasty when the first examples of copper-red glazed porcelain appeared. Due to the difficulty of working with copper oxide its use continued to be limited until the Yuan dynasty when there was a concerted effort to master the material. It was during this period that the potters of Jingdezhen experimented with several different techniques in the application of copper-red splashes, reserved decoration and painted decoration. On vessels with reserved decoration, the design was incised into the body of the vessel and the copper red applied as a band that avoided the design. Two of the more successful examples of this type of decoration are the two Yuan-dynasty yuhuchunping illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 34 - Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red, Hong Kong, 2000, pp. 206-7, pls. 191 and 192. Too often, the copper red, due to its fluidity, bled into the design, and eventually the method of painted decoration is the one that came to predominate during the early Ming dynasty.

It was during the Hongwu period (1368-1398) of the early Ming dynasty, that the potters at Jingdezhen were able to more successfully control the fluidity of the copper-red, resulting in more reliable results in its application and firing. It was also during this period that the decoration in copper red mirrored that executed in cobalt, or underglaze blue, as did the shapes of the vessels. The shape of the yuhuchunping with its pear-shaped body that tapers to the narrow neck that rises to a flared mouth informed the manner of decoration - a wide band of decoration on the body between narrow decorative bands below and on the neck above. On both the underglaze blue and copper-red-decorated vases of this shape, the decoration most often consists of a wide band of flower scroll above a band of petal lappets, and narrow bands of trefoils (cloud collar), classic scroll and key fret below upright plantain leaves on the neck.

Of yuhuchunping decorated with floral scroll, the flowers represented are usually chrysanthemum, peony, or lotus and the present vase is decorated with all three. A copper-red-decorated vase, also with chrysanthemum, but with a cloud collar formed by larger trefoils alternating with smaller trefoils, was sold at Christie’s New York, 22 March 2019, lot 1624. Four vases of this shape similarly decorated in copper red, but with peony scroll, are illustrated in Mayuyama, Mayuyama Seventy Years, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1976, p. 241, pls. 721-24.

Lot 844. A blue and white 'Floral' bowl, Xuande six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1426-1435); 19.4 cm diam., cloth box. Estimate USD 200,000 – USD 300,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2026

Provenance : George Eumorfopoulos (1863-1939) Collection, London.

The Eumorfopoulos Collection of the Celebrated Collection of Chinese Ceramics, Bronzes, Gold Ornaments, Lacquer, Jade, Glass and Works of Art; Sotheby's London, 29 May 1940, lot 209.

J. F. M. Braithwaite Collection.

Sotheby's London, 5 July 1977, lot 204.

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 30 April 1991, lot 12.

Note : The porcelains of the Xuande period have always been especially 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 those of the Xuande and Chenghua (1465–87) reigns. The Xuande Emperor was an especially enthusiastic patron of porcelain production, and the potters working at the imperial kilns were required to produce an astonishingly wide range of vessel shapes, ranging from huge jars to tiny flower vases for the cages of songbirds. It is especially the blue and white porcelains of the Xuande reign that are considered masterpieces of the potters' art. The underglaze blue designs of the period are admired both for the color of the cobalt blue and for the vitality of the painting, which exhibits remarkable spontaneity and fluidity, as evidenced by the elegant flower scrolls on the present bowl.

The current bowl is finely decorated around the exterior with a continuous design of scrolling stylized lotus blossoms, while the interior cavetto is decorated with five flowers (pomegranate, lotus, tree peony, chrysanthemum, and hollyhock), with continuous scrolling foliage encircling a central lotus spray within a double ring. Each of the flowers would have conveyed a particular meaning to those who saw the bowl—the pomegranate offering joy and protection with its flowers, and implying the promise of many sons through its (unseen) fruit; the lotus symbolizing harmony, beauty, and purity; the peony representing wealth and honor; the chrysanthemum signifying longevity and wealth; and the hollyhock conveying fertility and perseverance.

For a Xuande-marked bowl of similar size and design in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, see Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 1998, pp. 322–3, no. 134. Other examples include the bowl in the British Museum, London, illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall in Ming Ceramics, London, 2001, p. 133, no. 4:25; the bowl from the Tianminlou Collection illustrated in Chinese Porcelain: The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, part 1, Hong Kong, 1987, no. 22, and subsequently sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 3 April 2019, lot 10; and the bowl sold at Christie’s New York, 20 September 2024, lot 1039.

Lot 845. A rare blue and white Mantou Xin bowl, Xuande six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1426-1435); 15.9 cm diam., cloth box. Estimate USD 20,000 – USD 30,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2026

Provenance : Christie's Hong Kong, 1 November 2004, lot 1074.

Note : The term used to describe bowls of this distinctive form, mantou, is derived from the domed interior center which resembles a mantou bun. The form first appeared during the Yongle period and remained popular in the Xuande period, and was probably inspired from Mamluk metalwork as a result of trade with the Middle East in the Yongle period. An identical Xuande-marked bowl from the Haags Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, is illustrated by D. Lion-Goldschmidt, La Porcelaine Ming, 1978, p. 102, pl. 75.

It is evident that the present bowl followed closely in design and shape to its earlier Yongle-period prototype. Compare this exact arrangement of floral registers on a Yongle bowl included in the catalogue for the Chang Foundation exhibition, Imperial Hongwu and Yongle Porcelain Excavated at Jingdezhen, Taipei, 1996, p. 228, pl. 83.

Compare two related bowls from the Yongle period, both decorated with Persian inscriptions below the exterior mouth rims, the first in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, illustrated in the Special Exhibition of Early Ming Porcelains, 1982, no. 29; and the other from the E. T. Chow and T. Y. Chao Collections, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 18 November 1986, lot 41, and illustrated in Blue and White Porcelains in the Collection of the Tianminlou Foundation, Hong Kong, 1996, p. 222, no. 94. See, also, a Yongle bowl with a floral band below the exterior mouth rim in the British Museum collection, illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics, London, 2001, fig. 3: 27.

Lot 846. A very rare blue and white 'Boys' stem bowl, Chenghua period (1465-1487); 16 cm diam., cloth box. Estimate USD 80,000 – USD 120,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2026

Provenance: The Property of a Lady; Christie's Hong Kong, 26-27 September, 1989, lot 569.

Private Collection, Japan.

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2 May 2005, lot 636.

Note: Images of boys at play, originally rooted in Buddhist and Daoist traditions, became a popular secular motif by the Tang dynasty as auspicious symbols of fertility, family continuity, and prosperity. The theme appeared across Tang decorative arts and grew especially popular on Song and Jin ceramics. Depictions of larger groups of children emerged in the early Ming dynasty on rare Yongle-period porcelain bowls and became a favored decorative subject during the Xuande and Chenghua reigns, remaining popular throughout the Ming dynasty and beyond.

The Chenghua Emperor, who came to the throne at the age of eighteen, was greatly concerned about his lack of a male heir. His favorite and most powerful consort, Lady Wan Guifei was some seventeen years older than the emperor, and, after losing her own child, was determined that none of his other consorts would usurp her position by producing an heir to the throne. She therefore took drastic measures to ensure that no other woman in the palace gave the emperor a son. Eventually one consort, Lady Qi, succeeded in hiding her pregnancy and sequestered her son until he was five years old to protect him from Lady Wan. The child survived to succeed the Chenghua Emperor, taking the reign name Hongzhi (1488-1505). Aware only of his lack of male heirs, particularly in the latter part of his reign, the Chenghua Emperor favored decoration that included auspicious messages regarding sons and grandsons.

This design has been found on Chenghua-marked bowls excavated from the Imperial kiln site at Jingdezhen, including an example in the exhibition The Emperor’s Broken China: Reconstructing Chenghua Porcelain, London, 1995, no. 54, and one in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics, London, 2001, p. 163, pl. 6:2. A Chenghua-period ‘boys’ bowl from the Raymond F. A. Riesco Collection was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27 November 2013, lot 3113.

Lot 847. A very rare susancai green-ground documentary 'Mandarin ducks' footrest, dated by inscription to the first year of Chenghua, corresponding to 1465, and of the period; 29.8 cm long, cloth box. Estimate USD 50,000 – USD 80,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2026

Provenance: The E. T. Chow (1910-1980) Collection.

The Edward T. Chow Collection, Part One: Ming & Qing Porcelain; Sotheby's Hong Kong, 25 November, 1980, lot 42.

British Rail Pension Works of Art Collection.

Important Chinese Porcelain, Enamels and Jade Carvings from the Works of Art Collection of the British Rail Pension Fund; Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 16 May 1989, lot 33.

Chang Foundation Collection, Taipei.

Literature: Tong Yihua, Zhongguo Lidai Tao Ci Kuanshi Huiji, Hong Kong, 1984, p. 74.

Chang Foundation, Selected Chinese Ceramics from Han to Qing Dynasties, Taipei, 1990, pp. 220-1, no. 91.

Exhibited: San Antonio, San Antonio Museum of Art, 1986-1988.

Note : This footrest is exceptionally rare for its lengthy 35-character inscription, which may be translated as follows:

“On an auspicious day in the first month of autumn in the first year of the Chenghua reign, this footrest was commissioned by Jiechun, eleventh-generation descendant of Zhang Jinggong of the Cheng family of Dongshan, Jingdezhen, at the Jingle Studio, for the use of his wife, née He.”

The inscription is particularly significant in that it identifies not only the patron, but also the intended recipient and function of the object. It states that the footrest, was commissioned by a husband for the use of his wife, whose maiden surname, He, is also recorded. Such a personal inscription is exceedingly unusual on Ming-dynasty ceramics. The sense of intimacy conveyed by the text is further reinforced by the depiction of a pair of mandarin ducks in a lotus pond, an enduring Chinese emblem of romance and marital harmony. The present footrest may therefore be understood not merely as a functional object, but as a rare expression of a husband’s devotion to his wife.

Although inscriptions are known on some Song-dynasty ceramic pillows, dated and dedicatory inscriptions of this kind are extremely rare on Ming-dynasty examples. Inscriptions and auspicious characters appear on some Ming-dynasty ceramics, but these are generally brief, often limited to a few characters such as happiness, longevity, health, and peace, seen on Jiajing- and Wanli-period wares. Lengthier inscriptions became more common only in the later Ming period, particularly during the Tianqi and Chongzhen reigns, and are often drawn from Tang and Song poetry, or from poetic passages incorporated into Yuan and Ming drama. For a detailed discussion of poetic inscriptions on Ming ceramics, see Huang Hao-ting, “The Usage and Production Strategies of Inscriptions on Late Ming Jingdezhen Porcelain: A Case Study of Tang and Song Poetry,” Ming Studies, issue 45, December 2025, pp. 145–212.

Technically, the present footrest is decorated with a rich green glaze, with details highlighted in aubergine, while the inscription is incised and filled in black glaze. This palette belongs to the category known as susancai 素三彩, or “plain tricolour” glaze. The origin of susancai has traditionally been associated with the Zhengde period; however, archaeological discoveries have pushed its origins earlier. Among the earliest known example is a Chenghua mark-and-period susancai duck-form incense burner, excavated from the Ming imperial kiln site at Zhushan, Jingdezhen. The present dated Chenghua footrest therefore serves as important further evidence for the early development of susancai ceramics. Within the susancai group, the combination of a green ground with aubergine decoration is especially rare among Ming examples. In The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Miscellaneous Enamelled Porcelains and Plain Tricoloured Porcelains, p. 25, it is noted the exceptional rarity of this green and aubergine palette in Ming ceramics, citing a Wanli green-ground aubergine-decorated dragon bowl as a notable example. This color combination would only become more widely used during the Kangxi period, making the present Chenghua-dated footrest an especially important early example of the palette.

Lot 848. A rare wucai 'Duck and lotus pond' dish, Jiajing six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1522-1566); 22.3 cm diam., Japanese wood box. Estimate USD 20,000 – USD 30,000  © Christie's Images Ltd 2026

Provenance: Chang Foundation Collection, Taipei, by 1990.

Literature: Chang Foundation, Selected Chinese Ceramics from Han to Qing Dynasties, Taipei, 1990, pp. 242-3, no. 102.

Chang Foundation, Treasures from the Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1996, p. 16, no. 24.

Exhibited: Beijing, National Museum of Chinese History, Treasures from the Chang Foundation, 1996, no. 24.

Note : Jiajing-period wucai dishes with a ‘duck and lotus’ pattern appear to be very rare. A very similar example from the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, is illustrated in the exhibition catalogue In Pursuit of the Dragon: Traditions and Transitions in Ming Ceramics, 1988, p. 112, no. 49. Jiajing-marked examples with this pattern also exist in the doucai palette, including an example in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Enamelled Ware of the Ming Dynasty, Book II, Hong Kong, 1966, pl. 18. Further examples of this design appear in iron-red, green, and yellow enamels, such as a Jiajing bowl bequeathed by Mrs. Walter Sedgwick to the British Museum and illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall in Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, no. 9:101.

Pairs of ducks are associated with fidelity and harmony. In Designs as Signs: Decoration and Chinese Ceramics, Percival David Foundation, London, 2001, Stacey Pierson explains that pairs of mandarin ducks, yuan yang, symbolize marital fidelity and harmony, as they are believed to mate for life. In combination with lotus, which is homophonous with the word for harmony (he), they may also convey a wish for sons.

Lot 849. A rare blue and white quatrelobed baluster 'Fu Shou' jar and cover, Jiajing four-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1522-1566); 25 cm.) high, cloth box. Estimate USD 60,000 – USD 90,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2026

Provenance: T. T. Tsui (1941-2020), Jingguantang Collection, Hong Kong.

The Jingguantang Collection Part II; Christie's New York, 20 March 1997, lot 86.

Literature: The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1991, no. 82.

Note : The present jar and cover belong to a rare group of Jiajing blue and white vessels decorated with an almost identical auspicious design. The cover is inscribed with the character fu 福 (good fortune), while the shoulder bears the character shou 壽 (longevity), each incorporated into the surrounding floral decoration. The cover is surmounted by a lively squirrel-form finial, and the body is densely painted with peony scrolls. Together, these motifs express wishes for prosperity, longevity, fecundity, and the continuation of the family line, as the squirrel was associated with prolific reproduction, while the peony traditionally symbolized wealth and honor. Such imagery may be understood within the broader context of the Jiajing Emperor’s concern with dynastic succession, particularly following the emperor’s repeated loss of male heirs, which lent motifs associated with fertility and the wish for sons particular popularity during the period.

A closely related Jiajing jar and cover, formerly in the collection of Lolita Armour Higginson (1896-1976), was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 20 March 1990, lot 532, and subsequently at Bonhams New York, 17 March 2025, lot 21. Another in the Huahaitang Collection, lacking its cover, is illustrated in Enlightening Elegance: Imperial Porcelain of the Mid to Late Ming, Hong Kong, 2012, pp. 180–1, no. 39. It is noteworthy these two jars, and the current jar, all bear the same four-character Jiajing nian zhi 嘉靖年製 mark on the base, arranged in a distinctive cruciform configuration.

Lot 850. A rare wucai 'Dragon and Phoenix' octafoil basin, Wanli six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1573-1620); 35.5 cm diam., cloth box. Estimate USD 50,000 – USD 80,000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2026

Provenance: Chang Foundation Collection, Taipei, by 1990.

Literature:; Chang Foundation, Selected Chinese Ceramics from Han to Qing Dynasties, Taipei, 1990, pp. 254-5, no. 108.

Chang Foundation, Treasures from the Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1996, p. 18, no. 28.

Exhibited: Beijing, National Museum of Chinese History, Treasures from the Chang Foundation, 1996, no. 28

Note : Produced during the Wanli period, this rare basin exemplifies the technical brilliance and vibrant aesthetic of wucai ware at its peak. The finely potted octafoil form, distinguished by its elegant shape and harmonious proportions, demonstrates the sophisticated craftsmanship required to achieve such a complex design.

The present basin is particularly unusual for the combination of its auspicious dragon-and-phoenix decoration and octafoil form. This motif is more commonly encountered on hexafoil basins, such as an example sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 September 1992, lot 485. Two further hexafoil basins with the dragon-and-pheonix decoration include the example illustrated in 100 Masterpieces of Asian Art from the Tokyo National Museum Collection, Tokyo, 2008, p. 55, no. 44, and the basin illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 753.

While hexafoil basins appear to have been the more common format for dragon-and-phoenix decoration, a comparable wucai octafoil basin decorated with dragons is found in the Idemitsu Collection and illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 204.

Christie's. Ritual, Cosmos, and Imperial Splendor: Important Chinese Art from a Private North American Collection, New York, 17 September 2026