VANDERVEN ORIENTAL ART - KANGXI PORCELAIN & COROMANDEL LACQUER by Masterart

vanderven oriental art

kangxi porcelain & coromandel lacquer

2013

www.vanderven.com

vanderven oriental art

kangxi porcelain & coromandel lacquer

2013

www.vanderven.com

kangxi porcelain & coromandel lacquer

vanderven oriental art â&#x20AC;˘ the netherlands www.vanderven.com â&#x20AC;˘ info@vanderven.com

vanderven oriental art

kangxi porcelain & coromandel lacquer

2013

www.vanderven.com

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; for me, emperor kangxi is the greatest of the chinese emperors, and porcelain from this period has had a great influence on my personal taste.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; floris van der ven

passion for porcelain 瓷之戀

Working with Chinese porcelain and ceramics on a day-to-day basis over the past 25 years, has fostered both my love and knowledge of these objects. Nothing gives me more pleasure than sharing my passion for Chinese art. The first piece of Chinese porcelain I have ever encountered was a blue and white plate from the Kangxi period. The beauty of this plate immediately fascinated me - I loved its colour, the feel of the material and the history behind the piece. For me, Emperor Kangxi is the greatest of the Chinese Emperors, and porcelain from this period has had a great influence on my personal taste. Pieces made during the Kangxi reign are widely considered to be of the best quality and have been highly valued from the day they were made until today. In 2013, we operate in an increasingly international market place that spans the world from New York and London to Hong Kong. We serve our collectors in the Western world through fairs like TEFAF Maastricht, events and fairs in London and from our base here in The Netherlands. More recently we have also embraced the Asian market, which has become increasingly important in the last five years, by participating in the Fine Arts Asia Fairs in Hong Kong since 2011. With the help of internet, the Chinese art market has become a truly global market! With connections in every continent we can exchange knowledge and build bridges in order to locate the finest objects and provide the best possible service to our clients wherever they may be. Our latest catalogue is devoted to porcelain from the Kangxi Period, with the intention of showing these wonderful works of art in all their glory. Each object is my personal choice and I hope you enjoy them as much I do. Floris van der Ven

在過去二十五年中，我幾乎每天都要和中國瓷器打交道，這使我對瓷器的熱愛和瞭解都與日俱增。與人分享我對中國藝術的這份摯愛，成為我此生的最大樂趣。我生平接觸到的第一件中國瓷器就是康熙時期的青花瓷盤，它的美即刻令我傾倒──獨特的色彩、潤滑的觸感及其背後的歷史都深深吸引了我。在我眼中，康熙大帝是中國最偉大的皇帝，而康熙瓷也成為我的偏愛。出產於這一歷史時期的瓷器被公認具有最高質量，自古至今一直倍受珍視。從紐約、倫敦到香港，我們的國際市場在二〇一三年得到進一步拓展。我們通過一年一度的馬斯垂特藝術品交易會、倫敦的各種展會以及我們在荷蘭的總部為西方客戶服務。近年來，我們也開始重視在過去五年迅猛崛起的亞洲市場，為此我們從前年起每年都積極參加香港的亞洲藝術品交易會。伴隨著互聯網的發展，中國藝術品市場已真正實現了全球化！如今，我們可以便捷地和世界上任何地方的客戶建立聯繫，溝通有無，為他們找尋最佳藏品，提供最優服務。謹奉上本冊康熙瓷器特輯，以向諸位展示這批精美絕倫的藝術品。其中每一件都由我親自甄選，因此我由衷希望您能像我一樣喜愛它們。

Floris van der Ven

Vanderven Oriental Art The Netherlands Tel. +31 (0)73 614 62 51 info@vanderven.com www.vanderven.com

the kangxi emperor (1662-1722) and his porcelain rose kerr

In 1644 China was conquered by powerful Jurchen tribesemen from Manchuria, and the Ming Dynasty fell. The Manchu invaders had already established a powerful Chinese-style state in the Liaoning area of north China, and had adopted a Chinese dynastic name in 1636. This Qing (‘Pure’) Dynasty thus coupled political acumen with military might, and although Manchus never numbered more than two percent of the population of China, they ruled the territory successfully for more than 350 years, till 1911. The early years of the Qing dynasty were not stable. When the Kangxi emperor (born 1654) came to the throne in 1662 as a young boy, rebel forces were gathering in the south. In 1673 a serious revolt broke out, that developed into a brutal civil war lasting for eight years. Kangxi took full responsibility for the campaign to subdue the revolt, and for dealing with its aftermath. His political measures to stabilise the country included raising officials’ salaries to combat corruption, stopping Manchu land confiscation and

blue-and-white porcelain attained a height of technical excellence never matched before or since

lowering taxes to promote agriculture – and a reform of the imperial porcelain factory at Jingdezhen. Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province in central southern China is the ‘porcelain city’ of China. Starting in the tenth century, it supplied porcelain to destinations in China, and exported porcelain across the globe. For more than one thousand years Jingdezhen porcelain has been a premier product around the world. A factory making porcelain exclusively for the imperial court was established in Jingdezhen in the fourteenth century, but by the end of the Ming dynasty it was failing. In 1608 it ceased operation, and when the Qing dynasty came to power officials tried with limited success to revive production. In 1654 and 1659 orders for large pieces failed, and it was only in 1671 that a quota of official temple vessels was sent to Beijing. Then in 1674 kilns were razed to the ground during the revolt, for Jingdezhen lay in the pathway of contending forces. In 1680 Kangxi instigated an enquiry into the state of the ceramic industry in Jingdezhen, and by 1683 a properly organised, industrial kiln complex supplying porcelain to the court was in place. Forced labour was abolished and replaced with paid employment, and a series of competent kiln directors appointed. Thus the energetic, intelligent and far-sighted Kangxi emperor influenced history, ensuring that porcelain reached a peak of perfection during his reign. Blue-and-white porcelain attained a height of technical excellence never matched before or since. It was characterised by a pure, glossy, white body, and intense, violet-blue painting that was highly skilled. These characteristics were seen on official items destined for the palace, but also on export wares.

‘Is it possible that you are always concerned about a world you have not entered and count for almost nothing the one in which you are now living? Believe me, everything in its own time.’

the kangxi period coincided with the rise of trade with europe, and in particular with the netherlands during her ‘golden age’

We know from contemporary records that the best cobalt (used to produce the blue colour) came from mines in Zhejiang province, and that refining and use of the mineral was strictly controlled. Kangxi considered that personal patronage of arts and crafts was an inherited imperial obligation, and his actions within the environs of the Forbidden City brought further benefits to porcelain manufacture and decoration. One example is the new, brilliant range of overglaze enamels used to decorate porcelain, in a palette that Westerners call ‘famille verte’. Porcelain enamel colours benefited from experiments at the imperial enamelling workshop in Beijing. They in turn used glass produced in the imperial glass factory, commissioned in 1695 by Kangxi. The emperor chose the Bavarian Jesuit Kilian Stumpf to run the glass factory, and directed it to be built on a piece of land next to the French Jesuits’ church within the walls of the Forbidden City, and placed under their care. Kangxi valued European Jesuits for their medical and scientific knowledge, and allowed them considerable freedom of action during his reign. He was a little skeptical about their religious beliefs, however, as a famous quote indicates:

During Kangxi’s reign two men can be singled out for their significance to the porcelain industry. One was the French Jesuit François Xavier d’Entrecolles, who engaged in evangelical work in Jiangxi during his period as general superior of the French mission from 1706 –1722, and whose voluminous correspondence with superiors in Europe included descriptions of the cultivation of silkworms, the manufacture of artificial flowers and synthetic pearls, and oral inoculation against smallpox. He also wrote two letters documenting porcelain production in Jingdezhen, the first on September 1, 1712 and the second on January 25, 1722. The other man was the Manchu official Lang Tingji (1663-1715), who was promoted in the civilian administration because of his competence. He acted as Governor of Jiangxi province and supervised production at the imperial kiln from 1705 to 1712, lending his name to several high-quality wares. Lang and d’Entrecolles actually met several times, including spring 1709, when d’Entrecolles was preaching at Jingdezhen, and offered 66 bottles of wine and other imported Western luxuries to the emperor Kangxi. Lang obliged by sending the gifts to the Forbidden City together with a memorial, and received news that they pleased the emperor. As far as export wares are concerned, the Kangxi period coincided with the rise of trade with Europe, and in particular with The Netherlands during her ‘Golden Age’. Blue-and-white formed a staple component of the trade, but famille verte was also important (if more expensive) during the period 1683-1722. The Kangxi reign was long, enduring for sixty years, and dating porcelain to periods within the reign can be problematic. Key indicators are records kept by the Dutch East India Company (VOC),

certainly his sixty years on the throne facilitated a high point in Chinese culture, including the manufacture of beautiful porcelain

evidence provided by inventoried European collections, and datable shipwrecks. Our bibliography includes books by Dutch scholars Volker and Jörg that document the VOC trade. The most famous collection in Europe was that of Augustus the Strong (1670-1733), Elector of Saxony, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and manic collector of porcelain. Augustus’ collection of about 24,000 pieces at Dresden, of which about 10,000 are preserved, were inventoried in 1721 and again in 1727. Key pieces from the collection are illustrated in Ströber’s book in the bibliography. The most significant shipwrecks are the Vung Tau and the Bowl Reef no.1. The ship that sank off Vung Tau in southern Vietnam was a Chinese junk that contained more than 48,000 pieces of Chinese porcelain, many for the Dutch market, including a number of miniatures. It was dated by means of a Chinese ink stick dated 1690. The Bowl Reef No.1 shipwreck at Fuzhou harbor in southeast China contained more than 10,000 items, many of the finest destined for the Dutch market, and also dates to the 1690s. Kangxi’s long reign may in part be explained by his strong constitution and healthy lifestyle. He enjoyed vigorous exercise, particularly riding and hunting, loved fish and vegetables, avoided roast meat, and recommended that: ‘The best thing for health is to eat and drink carefully, and to rise and retire at regular hours’ Certainly his sixty years on the throne facilitated a high point in Chinese culture, including the manufacture of beautiful porcelain. 8

康熙與景德鎮製瓷業柯玫瑰江西景德鎮的製瓷傳統始於五代，“瓷都”歷史已逾千年，出產於此地的頂級瓷器如今遍佈世界各地。歷史上，清初建立的滿漢聯合統治並不十分穩固，八年三藩之亂（1673－1681）所造成的南方動蕩曾波及景德鎮。在康熙、雍正、乾隆這三位清代偉大的皇帝中，文韜武略的康熙被多數曆史學家認爲是最成功的政治家和軍事家。平息叛亂後，康熙帝重新整頓了景德鎮的陶瓷行業，這使官窯、民窯和外銷瓷的數量和質量都有了極大提昇。其中，青花、五彩瓷的工藝達到了前所未有的高峰。與這一時期製瓷業有关的兩位重要人物不能不提及：一位是郎廷極（1663－1715），字紫衡、紫垣，號北軒，隸漢軍鑲黃旗，他曾於康熙四十四至五十一年间（1705 －1712）任江西巡撫，督造官窯瓷器，世稱“郎窯” ；另一位是法國耶稣會傳教士殷弘緒（Francois Xavier d’Entrecolles，1664－1741），據史料記載，他分別於1712年和1722年兩度在書信中詳盡描述景德鎮的瓷器生産。從外銷瓷方面來看，康熙時期正值對歐貿易的興起，同時也是荷蘭的“黃金時代”。在大宗出口商品中，青花瓷成為最主要的組成部分，而價格更為高昂的五彩瓷也相當重要。康熙在位长达六十一年，期間生產的瓷器往往難以有確切紀年，而有助於判斷瓷器製造年代的主要依據有荷蘭東印度公司（VOC）的交易記錄、歐洲王室宮廷的瓷器收藏目錄及載有外銷瓷的沈船。史稱“強力王”的波蘭國王奧古斯特二世（“Augustus the Strong” ，1670－1733）擁有歐洲最富盛名的康熙瓷器藏品，分 1721年和1727年兩批購入。而最著名的出水瓷器則來自越南頭頓（Vung Tau）沈船和福建平潭碗礁一號沈船，這兩次沈船事件均發生在十七世紀末十年。

1. hexagonal phoenix head ewers

These ewers are delicately painted in underglaze blue all over the body and lid, with flowering branches and small flying insects. The flowers in the panels on the main body, represent the four seasons (plum, peony, lotus and Chrysanthemum). Around the slightly splayed foot, there are lotus petals in relief. The hexagonal formed bodies have slender spouts ending in phoenix-heads. The birds seem to sing cheerfully with their opening beaks and smiling eyes, the crest feathers curled back. Phoenixes first appear on ewers in the early Tang Dynasty. Most of such Tang ewers are made in glazed ceramics with sancai (tri-color) or qingyou (celadon) colours. Two fine examples of these are in the National Palace Museum collection, Beijing. A variant in greenish white glaze - qingbai - is in the Brooklyn Museum collection. These early examples with this type of imagery are thought to reflect cultural interchanges during this period. A wellknown group of Sassanian silver ewers recovered from tombs in southern Russia could well have been the inspiration for this decoration. On later porcelain ewers, the phoenix - a very auspicious bird in Chinese culture – appears on spouts. An early example in blue-and-white from the Yuan Dynasty, has a short spout on a flat round ewer and is in the collection of Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefectural Museum, China (exhibited in ‘Splendors in Smalt: Art of Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain’ in the Shanghai Museum). The early Kangxi period ewers, such as ours, are a variation on the form of the arabic kendi - a ewer with no handle. This type of phoenix head ewer are known in underglaze blue as well as famille verte enamels – a pair of which are in the Rijksmuseum,

Amsterdam. These types of exoticly shaped porcelains were very popular in Europe, and were very expensive in their day. The phoenix is considered a very special mythological beast in Chinese culture. It is the ruler of all feathered creatures and has many connotations. The Phoenix (feng) is associated with the female, empress or wife. It is often paired with its counterpart the dragon (long) , which stands for the male, emperor or husband. This bird was originally known fully as the fenghuang, before being shortened to just feng. It was then gender specific: feng being the male phoenix and huang the female. The pairing of the two types of phoenixes can also signify loyalty and harmony in marriage. Literature Little, 1983, pl. 48 Jörg 1997, pl. 177 Shanghai 2012, p. 142-3 Pinto de Matos, 2011, pl. 104

Hexagonal Phoenix Head Ewers China, Early Kangxi Period, Circa 1700 Height: 25cm Provenance: Lolo Collection – United Kingdom Bjorn Winblad collection (1918-2006) 六棱鳳首青花酒壺一對（含蓋）清康熙中期（約1700）高：25厘米來源：英國洛樂收藏丹麥藝術家溫布萊德（1918-2006）私人收藏

2. unusually large jar

On this large vase blooming peony bushes are elaborately painted, filling the eight ribbed panels of this octagonal jar. The amount of underglaze blue decoration – which appealed to the European aesthetic - indicates this was probably made for the export market. Such unusually large pieces were fired in their own separate kiln, making it expensive to produce and only made to special order. The peony is the most popular flower motif in China, and known as the ‘king of flowers’ and symbolizes wealth and honor. It is a flower associated with Chinese royalty as it was grown in the imperial gardens from as early as the Tang dynasty. Literature Bartholomew 2006, p. 123 Catalogue Kassel 1990, pl. 62 & 62a-e

Unusually Large Jar Large Octagonal Jar & Cover With Foliage Decoration China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1700 Height: 98 cm Provenance: private Collection, Brno - Czech Republic 青花八棱開光花卉紋將軍罐清康熙中期（約1700）高：98厘米來源：捷克私人收藏

3. wing vases

The two blue-and-white bottle vases are modelled after a Venetian glass form in a bright cobalt hue. Their slightly flattened globular bodies are decorated with leafy floral sprays, in combination with wavy weeds. The necks show arrangements of large leaves in various shades. The majority of flowers are depicted as budding instead of in full blossom – an implicit message meaning either promising fertility or affluence in the household. The rebus of kaizhi sanye (stretching branches and spreading leaves), usually means the widespread family members around the world, which, in the ceramic context here, can also be interpreted as the international exchange of the arts: the merger of Murano glassware and Jingdezhen porcelain bound for the west. The slightly sunken connection between the body and the long neck is reminiscent of the hulu (gourd) shape widely used as a porcelain model and technically suggests their separate modeling during the creation. The flared mouth, linked with the neck by an uncoloured wavy flange, displays a joyful arrangement of butterflies, blooming peonies and quails that are perching on the plant. The combination of anchun (quails) and ye (leaves of plants) implies the wish for a happy, peaceful and settled-down life (anju leye) a visual pun that is selfexplanatory within the Chinese culture. The highlight of the vases are the elaborate pierced handles. These are in the shape of winding vines. Venetian glass was increasingly popular in the 17th and early 18th-centuries and widely copied in Holland and England. The slightly clumsy translation from the glass original could be due to the wooden prototypes which were sent to China to serve as examples.

The popularity of this type of shape can be seen by the variety of versions made - all differing slightly in proportions and decoration. Similar examples can be found in the Topkapi Saray Museum (Istanbul), Peabody Essex Museum (Salem) and the British Museum (London). Literature Howard 1994, pl 277 Krahl & Ayers, 1986, pl. 2182 Paris 2003, p. 140 Sargent 2012, pl. 35

Wing Vases China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1720 Height: 26 cm Provenance: Private Collection the Netherlands With Vanderven 1970’s 仿威尼斯風格青花雙翼耳瓶一對清康熙晚期（約1720）高：26厘米來源：荷蘭私人收藏 20世紀70年代收藏於方德凡東方藝術行

4. moulded plates

Delicate ruyi-shaped clouds are drawn on the rim and surround the peony blossom in the centre. The underglaze carving is of lotus blossom. All these elements are very auspicious in Chinese culture. Such underglaze carved patterns, were used in Ming and Qing dynasties, although they are visually almost identical, they are technically different from the pressed patterns in the Sui and Tang dynasties. In blue-and-white porcelain, the combination of uncoloured carving (usually blossoms) and painting (usually the foliage) appears as early as in the Yuan Dynasty, and has a revival in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This style never popularized, so there are few existing examples. Comparable large floral plates are in the collection of Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul. Literature Krahl & Ayres 1986, pl. 2230 & 2401 Wu 2009, p. 87-9

Moulded Plates Pair of Blue and White Plates Diameter: 38,5 & 39 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1710/1720 Provenance: Private Collection the Netherlands 青花暗刻牡丹紋盤兩件清康熙晚期（約1710-1720）直徑：38.5厘米、39厘米來源：荷蘭私人收藏

5. bottle vases

These bottle vases are strongly potted with slightly compressed globular bodies, surmounted by tall tapering necks decorated with long leaves and floral marks. The unusual mythical monsters have the body of a reptile, clawed feet, and bearded heads. The beasts are similar to haishou (sea creatures), which first appear in Shanhaijing (The Classic of the Mountains and Seas). This collection of myths, was written in the late Zhou to early Han Dynasty and rediscovered in Chenghua period (1465-1487) of the Ming Dynasty. Illustrated copies were published and possibly used as templates for ceramic designs. Another theory is that this type of monster is possibly a Chinese interpretation of a European heraldic lion. Vases with a similar decoration can be found in the Topkapi Saray Museum (Istanbul) and the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam). Literature Gorer & Blacker 1911, pl. 146 Jörg & van Campen 1997, pl. 319 Kassel 1990, pl. 78a Krahl & Ayers 1986, pl. 2156

A pair of Bottle Vases with Mythical Beasts China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1700 Height: 23 cm Provenance: Lolo Collection UK 青花獅子紋膽瓶一對清康熙中期（約1700）高：23厘米來源：英國洛樂收藏

6. conical bowl

The chess-playing scene painted on this conical bowl is a frequently seen motif in Chinese art. It is typically composed of two weiqi (Chinese chess) players seated opposite each other under a pine tree; often with a third person watching. An early example of this scene on porcelain is a blue-and-white jar of the Chenghua period (1465-1487), in the collection of the National Museum of China (Beijing). Weiqi playing is favoured by literati, and considered one of the four basic intellectual abilities. The other three being playing qin, creating calligraphic works and painting. Therefore, on artwork, this scene symbolizes the strategic thinking of the ruling class. The decoration of a floral scroll on the inner side of the rim, as well as the conical shape, indicate that the bowl is more probably used to contain liquid such as tea or soup, instead of rice. A similarly shaped bowl

from the same period, but with a scalloped edge, can also be found in the National Palace Museum (Beijing). Literature New York 2004, p. 186-201 Beijing 2005 pl. 147

Conical Bowl China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1700 Height: 9 cm Diameter: 22,5 cm Provenance: Private Collection the Netherlands With Vanderven 1970’s 青花高士對弈圖碗清康熙中期（約1700）高：9厘米直徑：22.5厘米來源：荷蘭私人收藏 20世紀70年代收藏於方德凡東方藝術行

7. romantic dish

This large dish - decorated in an intense underglaze blue - has a central scene surrounded by a decorative band with four items from the ‘Hundred Treasures’ pattern. The central scene on the dish, is of a nocturnal courtyard, where a couple stands under a vine trellis. Through the window on the right side, a family is seen seated at a table with a tea brewing set, a lit candle and some books in a sitting room. Amongst them, a man seems to be telling stories and the rest - three young and an older lady - form his attentive audience. The stars in the sky, are drawn in astrological forms. The moon is emerging from clouds in the upper part of the scene. Railings and trees are revealed through the gate on the left and the tiled zigzag walls on the right, suggest what the viewer sees is only part of a much larger estate.

The characters - dressed in Ming style - are arranged in a fashion to appeal to western tastes and the scene as a whole, is not based on any specific Chinese literary tale. However, the combination of grape vines and astrological skies, does reflect a tradition that people under grape vines at night can hear murmured conversations between Niulang (a cattle herder) and Zhinü (a weaving girl). They are legendary figures in a Chinese romance, who become two stars that are separated by the Milky Way and can meet only once a year on Qixi (the seventh of July), the ‘Valentine’s Day’ in China.

Large Dish with a Garden Scene and Astrological Sky Diameter: 37,5 cm China, Kangxi period (1662-1722), circa 1700 Provenance: Private Collection the Netherlands With Vanderven 1970’s 月夜星象圖青花大碟清康熙中期（約1700）直徑：37.5厘米來源：荷蘭私人收藏 20世紀70年代收藏於方德凡東方藝術行

8. monteith bowls

These are superb examples of Chinese export porcelain bowls, made after European silver examples. This typically shaped bowl, was originally intended to be used to rinse and cool wine glasses. The glasses could be suspended inwardly by their foot over the semi-circular notches around the rim. Both these bowls are decorated on inside and outside rims with a diaper work decoration. A repeating pattern of connecting geometrical shapes, such as Buddhist swastikas (wan). On the main body are reserves with various flowering shrubs and plants. The combination of blossoms, birds and ornamental rocks, are the height of ‘chinoiserie chic’ in 18th-century Europe. The shape of this bowl is so named after the slightly eccentric Earl of Monteith. Describing such a bowl in a diary (dated December 1683) Anthony Wood a Oxford Antiques dealer noted: ‘Monsieur Monteigh… wore the bottoms of his cloake so notched UUUU.’ Another Monteith bowl, slight differing in shape, is documented in David Howard’s China for the West. Literature Howard & Ayres 1978, pl. 92 Howard 1994, pl. 218 Litzenburg & Bailey 2003, pl. 221 Sargent 2012, pl. 37

Set of Two Monteith Bowls China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1720 Height: 16 cm Diameter: 32,5 cm Provenance: Private Collection the Netherlands 青花花鳥紋蒙泰钵（欧式酒杯冷却碗）一組兩件清康熙晚期（约1720）高：16厘米直径：32.5厘米來源：荷蘭私人收藏

9. dragon jar

There is a traditionally preserved difference between the pieces produced in the imperial or civilian kilns (such as this piece). The dragons on imperial porcelain have five claws on each foot, whilst the rest have four or fewer claws. This was a tradition dating from the Ming Dynasty and strictly observed later on. A plate with a similar decoration and the unusual en face dragon and overall flames can be found the Topkapi Saray Museum (Istanbul). Literature Bartholomew, 2006, p 43 Krahl & Ayres 1986, pl. 2107

This very early Kangxi underglaze blue jar & cover, is decorated with flaming pearls and dragons amongst overall flames. This baluster shape is popular throughout the Qing Dynasty and is seen often in all sizes. The dragon is a very ancient symbol, ranked first amongst the Chinese mythical beasts. It is thought to bring rain – very important in an agricultural society - and symbolizes fertility. It is also the symbol of very high rank and power. It is shown not only on imperial porcelain, but also on the Emperor’s robes, furniture, lacquer, glassware and bronzes.

Large Blue And White Jar & Cover Decorated With Dragons China, early Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1690 Height: 78,5 cm Provenance: Private Collection the Netherlands With Vanderven 1990’s 青花龍紋將軍罐清康熙中期（約1690）高：78.5厘米來源：荷蘭私人收藏 20世紀90年代收藏於方德凡東方藝術行

10. general’s helmet jar

In Chinese, this type of covered jar is referred to as a jiangjun guan (general or marshal jar), due to the resemblance of the cover with its finial to an army general’s helmet. This model, generally made in the civilian kilns, first appeared in Jiajing through the Wanli (1522-1620) reigns of the Ming Dynasty, and became particularly popular during the Kangxi period (1662-1722). Most general jars are decorated in blue-and-white or famille verte. Unusually, this jar is decorated all over with fine lined drawings in over-glaze gold on a powder blue ground. The main body has panels with two alternating subjects – flowers (plum and peony blossoms) and landscapes. The shape of the panels is a variant of guibei wen (tortoise shell pattern), with the upper part rendered like a lotus petal. The finial and the rim of the cover are decorated with thin bands of the xiangyun (auspicious cloud) pattern. The foot has a wider band with a qinglian (vine and lotus) pattern to imply virtues of officials: qingzheng lianjie (justice and integrity). Among the landscapes on the cover, is one with a traveling scholar (suggested by his walking stick) followed by a boy-servant carrying his master’s zither – qin. This instrument is considered embodiment of Chinese musical and intellectual culture. On the body of the jar, there are scenes of weiqi (chess) players, fishing, meditating, and farewell bidding; all subjects closely associated with an ideal scholars life. This idealization of country life stems from the work of the ancient recluse poet Tao Qian (365-427), in which he praises the merits of countryside pursuits.

The other panels have floral arrangements with ornamental rocks (taihu shi -rocks from the Tai Lake), as well as ‘a hundred treasures’. In particular, there is a highly decorative basket filled with shoutao (longevity peaches) and decorated with the character shou (longevity) in cursive script; this shows the more secular side of the literati. In this way the motifs could suggest, the dilemma of the Chinese intellectuals: choosing between the ideal life closer to nature and the reality of life represented by everyday artifacts and thoughts. Literature Pinto de Matos 1996, pl. 142

Powder Blue Jar & Cover Height: 62 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1700 Provenance: Jorge De Brito Collection, Portugal 灑藍釉描金開光山水百寶紋將軍罐清康熙中期（約1700）高（去蓋：62厘米高（帶蓋：78.8厘米來源：葡萄牙波利多收藏

11. large bottle vase

The vase has a long tapering neck decorated in gold with swirls and plantain-leaf motif pointing downwards from the top and rising from the globular body. The body has reserves decorated with flowering branches, ‘Hunderd Antiquities’ and a landscape amongst floral patterns. On the shoulder is a dividing band of chrysanthemums with curly vines. Powder blue porcelain is produced by spraying cobalt pigment powder through a bamboo tube covered on the end with gauze. Hence the name Powder Blue. The particles land on the surface of the unfired piece in an uneven pattern, creating a lively structure and depth to the fired piece. Parts not meant to be blue could be covered with paper, which was removed after spraying – sometimes leaving a a slightly blurred outline. The reserves were then painted in underglaze blue or famille verte enamels. In this instance the bottle is entirely covered in blue and then decorated with delicate gilt drawing after firing. Powder blue porcelain was made for a relatively short space of time, but can be found in most of the important collections, such as the Topkapi Saray Museum (Istanbul). Literature Krahl & Ayres 1986, p. 1259-1264 Schloss Favorite (Rastatt) 1998, pl. 66 Wang 2002, p. 55 & p. 291

Large Powder Blue Bottle Vase Height: 47 cm Diameter: 21 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1720 Provenance: Private Collection – the Netherlands Luigi A. Laura collection, Monaco With Arthur Johnson, Bournemouth, UK 灑藍釉描金開光百寶紋膽瓶清康熙晚期（約1720）高：47厘米直徑：21厘米來源：荷蘭私人收藏摩納哥路易吉·勞拉收藏英國伯恩茅斯亞瑟·約翰遜收藏

12. powder blue plates

These powder blue plates have a large scalloped reserve in the centre with riverscapes in famille verte enamels. On the banks of the waterside, various pavilions emerge from between the rocks and trees. In the foreground is a bridge, and there is a small boat floating in the water. The scene is nocturnal, which you can see by the golden moon in the sky also reflected in the water. In one of the plates a meditating man in a hut suggests tranquillity at night, while a group of flying wild geese and colourful swimming fish add some life to the picture. Surrounding the central panel is a powder blue background with gilded lotus and vine patterns. The smaller white reserves on the rim are decorated with flowering plants interspersed with painted cartouches in gold on the powder blue ground, also decorated with various flowering plants. Such sumptuously decorated dishes with Chinese designs were very popular in Europe in the 18thcentury. They are known in several variations, some with figurative scenes or flower baskets. A similar combination of powder blue and famille verte can be found on plates in the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) and the Topkapi Saray Museum (Istanbul). Literature Jörg & van Campen 1997, pl. 158 Jörg 2011, pl. 101 & 102 Krahl & Ayres pl 3249 pl. 3248 & 3249

Pair of Powder Blue Plates Diameter: 41 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1700 Provenance: Private Collection- the Netherlands J.T. Tai Collection - USA 灑藍釉描金開光花卉山水盤一對清康熙中期（約1700）直徑：41厘米來源：荷蘭私人收藏美國戴氏基金會收藏

13. guanyin songzi

These Guanyin, with a tall hair-do and loosely knotted robes, stand on a lotus-shaped pedestal.The child held here extends his left palm, which means the prayer has been received, and the yuanbao (sycee, a type of silver or gold ingot currency) in his right hand implies the promised fortune. Sometimes these figure would be embellished with colour – work most probably done in Europe. The hair and facial features were enhanced with black, and the robes and jewels decorated with bright colours. Similar figures can be found in important noble and royal European collections such as those in Dresden, Burghley House and Drottingholm Castle.

Guanyin, known as Goddess of Mercy in English, is among the most popular Buddhist figures. Her ceramic form mostly appears as the ivory-white porcelain, made in the Dehua Kilns. According to the Buddhist classic Saddharma Pundarika Sutra (Lotus Sutra), Guanyin is the bodhisattva associated with compassion and blesses people with children - sons or daughters - upon request. She is therefore widely worshiped in Chinese culture. The Guanyin songzi (‘Guanyin Delivering a Baby’) first appears in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), and becomes widespread in the households of the Ming and Qing dynasties. An early Ming Dehua Guanyin, can be found in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. Her resemblance to the western Madonna and Child is immediately apparent, and ensures the acceptance popularisation of this image in the West.

Literature Donnely 1969, pl. 122 Kassel 1990, pl. 313a & b

Two pairs of Large Standing Guanyin Figures with separate Heads Height: 65 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1720 Provenance: Robson Family, UK (since 1890’s) Provenance: Private Collection, Belgium 德化白瓷觀音立像兩對（頭部可拆卸）高：65厘米清康熙晚期（約1720）第一組來源：英國羅伯遜家族收藏（自19世紀90年代起）第二組來源：比利時私人收藏

14. yixing teapot

Although called zisha (purple sand), Yixing teapots can appear in a great diversity of colours. The most usual being dark red, as with this teapot. The spout, handles, body and the lid are vividly moulded with vines and grapes decorated with playful little squirrels. The grape pattern first appears in the Tang Dynasty, used especially in bronze mirrors. Vines being a metaphor for fertility and signifying the continuity of generations within a family. The combination of squirrels and grapes is most commonly seen in later periods. Squirrels have great reproductive powers, just like the vines - where grapes grow in large clusters. The squirrel (in Chinese songshu: rat in the pine tree) can also be a visual substitute for the first of the Chinese zodiac signs: the Rat. It is named zi - number one - which is also associated with the word zi for sons. Squirrels with grapes can therefore be read as the well-wishing expression duozi duofu (abundant fortunes and offspring) – a typical example of Chinese word-play.

Yixing stoneware is made from a local clay also called zisha , which is only found in the area around Yixing city, Jiangsu Province. This type of stoneware was produced from the 10th century - Song Dynasty until this day. It became particularly popular with the scholarly class from the Ming Dynasty onwards. Other types of objects in this material include objects for the scholars table, jars and vases. Pieces also were occasionally signed by the master-craftsmen or embellished with poems. Yixing teapots are used mainly for brewing black tea, such as oolong, pu’er. They are particularly prized for their unglazed surface, which absorbs certain amount of the tea - continuously adding a more complex flavour. Some tea connoisseurs insist on steeping only one type of tea in a particular pot so as not to corrupt the already absorbed flavour. The smaller size stoneware teapots allowed its owner to hold the pot in one hand and drink tea directly from the spout, which was a tradition among Chinese literati. A similar teapot with vines but without the squirrels, is in the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) and Peabody Essex Museum (Salem). Literature Bartholomew 2006, p. 79 Jörg & van Campen 1997, pl. 286 Sargent 2012, pl. 113

Yixing Teapot with Squirrels and Vines Height: 16 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1700 Provenance: Private Collection, The Netherlands. 葡萄松鼠紋宜興紫砂茶壺清康熙中期（約1700）高：16厘米

15. swirl vases

These elegant pear-shaped bottle vases have a bulbous body and slightly flared gilt-edged mouths. A bulge at the neck is decorated with four stylized gilded chrysanthemums -similar to a Japanese kiku emblem. Apart from the white neck ring, the vase is entirely decorated with spiralling stripes in a light iron-red colour edged by darker red lines. Pear-shaped vases are among the most popular types of export porcelain during Kangxi period. This typical shape, with the bulge in the neck, is probably derived from Persian metal and ceramic models and appears in China from the early Transitional Style period (c.1635) onwards. What makes these vases particularly unusual, is the swirling striped pattern. This décor is possibly influenced by 17th-century Venetian latticino glassware, where opaque white enamel threads were applied to colorless glass vessels in a spiraling movement. The technique was well known in The Netherlands, brought over by immigrant craftsmen. Similar vases are in the porcelain collection of Augustus the Strong (Dresden) and included in the 1721 inventory - confirming the Kangxi dating. Other examples can be found in Museum Boijmans van Beuningen (Rotterdam), Victoria & Albert Museum (London) and in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York). Literature Beijing 2012, pl. 102 Corbellier 2003, p. 11 & pl. 7 Fuchs & Howard 2005, pl. 106 Ströber 2001 pl. 35

Pair of Pear-shaped Vases Decorated in Iron Red Height: 25,5 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1720 Provenance: Private Collection - Germany With Vanderven 2002 礬紅螺旋紋梨形瓶清康熙晚期（約1720）高：25.5厘米來源：德國私人收藏 2002年收藏於方德凡東方藝術行

16. large vases with figures

These two splendid large baluster vases, are decorated in a rare colour scheme of pale iron-red, green and gold. They are among the most superior porcelains produced in the Kangxi period. The scenes are of ladies, children and gentlemen in a garden setting with plants balustrades or in richly decorated pavilions. The delicate features of the figures and the luxurious garments are particularly exquisitely rendered. Every detail is accurately executed with the finest brush strokes and colouring. The depicted figures, are wearing garments, hairdos and headgears dating from different Chinese dynasties. On one vase, with a scene set in a covered terrace, a well-groomed male official is chatting with a lady. The gentleman’s headwear with two wing-like flaps is in the Tang style. His cuffed narrow sleeves - a typical Qing fashion or hufu – was to facilitate sports like horse-riding. The wider sleeved robes were for officials and scholars. His large red rank badge, with a red-crowned crane, on the front of his garment and the sea wave pattern around the hem, indicate he is an official of the first rank (yi pin). He is holding a ruyi (ceremonial sceptre). The lady sitting beside him on the same stone bench, is probably his wife or concubine. She wears with a gold fengchai (phoenix hairpin) in her Ming-styled hairdo and wears a layered textured silky dress and she carries a folding fan. The folding fan doesn’t come into fashion until the Ming dynasty - before this period ladies used round fixed hand fans until the Japanese introduced the folding fan. On the table she is leaning against, there are an incense burner and a vase with floral arrangements (ping, suggesting ping’an, or peace). They seem so immersed in their conversation that they are not distracted by the dancing performance of another lady in front of them on the carpet with a phoenix pattern. The dance does attract the attention

of a group of children. Their trousers show their different ages: normal adult ones for teenagers, kaidangku (Chinese training pants with open crotch) for young children, and toddlers wearing only a dudou (bellyband).

A Pair of Large Vases with Figures in a Garden Height: 72 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), Circa 1700 - 1710 Provenance: Private Collection – Spain J.T. Tai Collection - USA 礬紅粉彩描金仕女童子瓶一對清康熙中晚期（約1700－1710）高：72厘米來源：西班牙私人收藏美國戴氏基金會收藏

The delicate furniture and luxurious home décor like the goldfish jar and a pot of lingzhi fungus (an expensive medical herb) suggest the wealth and high social status of this family. On the other side of this vase, a young lady sits in a pavilion at a table holding a young child, with at her knees another (slightly older) child. On both vases the scenes are set partly indoors and partly in classical gardens with various trees, ornamental rocks and refined architecture - including railings in traditional patterns and colourfully tiled pavilions with dragon-head cornices. On the other vase, we see another couple standing in the garden. This gentleman wears a loose sleeved gown of a scholar and a round rank-badge decorated with stylized clouds. Again the ladies have ornamented high coiffures and are elegantly dressed in luxurious gowns. On the other side of the vase is a scene with two ladies greeting each other. One in the garden and the other leaning out of the curtained window of her sitting room, with at her knee a young child holding a ruyi sceptre. Many boys are depicted on these vases, all participating in various activities. Some are holding lotus flowers or braches, others are playing with toys. The toys include paper pinwheels (zhuma), bamboo horses (sheng), or reed instruments. The abundance of boys playing, are a reference to the baizi (Hundred Boys) motif in Chinese culture. This theme first appeared in the Song dynasty (960-1279) and went on to become an auspicious sign for prosperity and numerous offspring. By the 18th-century, the activities of the boys also represented activities involving passing exams and retaining the rank of the family. In the collection of Augustus the Strong in Dresden, there are four similar vases, two of which are depicted in Eva Ströber’s La Maladie de Porcelain. Literature Barrot Wicks 2002, p. 57-83 Jackson & Hugus 1999, p. 133 Ströber 2001, pl. 33

17. wild geese vase

This characteristic Yen Yen shape with its wide trumpet-shaped neck, on a slightly splayed foot, is naturalistically decorated in the famille verte palette highlighted with sepia enamel. It depicts five wild geese swimming, diving and resting amongst reeds and others plants and rocks. The scene divided into two by blue bands encircling the neck and floralshaped cartouches on the shoulder. Reeds and Wild Geese The number of geese depicted matches that of the colours used in the famille-verte (wucai) palette as wucai literally means ‘five colors’ in Chinese. But more likely is that it refers to the ‘Five Virtues’ embodied in this bird: ren (benevolence), yi (righteousness), li (courtesy), zhi (wisdom), xin (loyalty, integrity). In Chinese culture, wild geese are regarded as the most virtuous among all birds, because they love and help each other, strictly observe

the order, always keep alert so as not to fall prey to hunters. Most importantly, they migrate punctually every year, which is why they are also known as the ‘messenger of autumn’. Wild geese have therefore become a popular subject matter in the arts, especially in Chinese poetry and painting. In this Yenyen vase the combination of lu (reeds) and yan (wild geese) reflects a traditional motif: luyan (Reeds and Wild Geese). There are numerous examples of this theme throughout Chinese art history. Literati liked to relate themselves this theme, as they depict the four representative episodes in their lives: fei (flying), ming (honking), shi (eating) and su (resting), corresponding respectively to working, self-expression and communication, and means for survival in human life. On this vase the geese do not appear flying, which could imply a settled-down life or implying living a modest and low profile whilst becoming rich.

Famille Verte Yen Yen Vase with Wild Geese Height: 45 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1710-1720 Provenance: Lolo Collection, UK. 五彩蘆雁圖鳳尾尊清康熙晚期（約1710－1720）高：45厘米來源：英國洛樂收藏

The artist Bian Shouming (1684-1752 ), an artist active during Kangxi period, is famous for painting this theme. As with many of the decorative arts in China, the imagery here is very symbolic. In this instance the theme of luyan, lu (reeds) implies lu (journey), and yan (wild geese) an (safe and well), which put together reads: ‘wishing you a safe journey (of life)’. Flowers and Plants The flowering reeds and chrysanthemums are appropriate to an autumnal scene with wild geese. The addition of peony blossoms, the late spring flower, seems a little unnatural, but is not unprecedented. On a mural discovered Tang dynasty tomb 838, large peony blossoms are painted along with wild geese and reeds, probably because it was considered the most important flower in the Tang Dynasty. Here the peonies are possibly allude to high social ranking and great wealth. Another interpretation is that these might not be peony, but hibiscus, whose foliage and flowers are similar and is called ‘autumnal peony’. On the shoulder are cartouches with flowers. showing three of the ‘Four Gentlemen’ chrysanthemum, plum, pine and bamboo. Famille-verte Yenyen Vases The Yenyen vase, or ‘phoenix-tail’-shaped zun, is a variation of the type called huagu, or gu-shaped vase. This form has its originin the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.) bronze ritual wine vessels, with a flaring mouth for pouring. The ceramic zun, first appears in the Yuan dynasty - imitating the ancient models. Technically and artistically, the Yenyen vase reaches its peak during the Kangxi period (16621722). Its classic and symbolic shape consists of three recognizable elements: a wide trumpet-shaped neck

(symbolizing abundant incoming wealth, a drumshaped belly (to hold all the wealth and happiness to its fullest), and a slightly splayed foot. They were made for the Chinese and export markets. The majority of surviving Yenyen vases from Kangxi period are blue and white (qinghua). Vases in Familleverte (wucai) enamels are much rarer and were often commissioned for special occasions, such as the vase with lotuses and egrets commissioned for Emperor Kangxi’s enthronement, now in the collection of the National Palace Museum (Beijing). Literature Beurdeley & Raindre 1987, pl. 63 Wang 2002, p. 47

18. large jars with riverscapes

These rare large jars with domed covers, are decorated all over with large panels in a tortoiseshell brocade pattern. Each panel is framed with a band of blossoms and decorated with riverscapes with figures. On the shoulder is a dividing scroll with reserves depicting the ‘Hundred Treasures’. The bright green enamelling pingguo qing, is characteristic of this period and is accentuated against the bright white ground. The idyllic scenes show figures in leisurely country pursuits, idealized by the mandarin elite of their day. Some scenes allude to places on the West Lake, near Hangzhou. One scene shows two figures in a boot appreciating three pagodas in a lake. We can clearly see the half moon in the sky is also reflected in the water. These are the well known ‘Three Pools Mirroring the Moon’ in the West Lake, Hangzhou. These three pagodas were first erected by Su Shi (1037-1101), Governor of Hangzhou during the Northern Song Dynasty. In another panel, there are two men crossing a bridge over water which is full of black and red fish. To a Chinese this would have associations with the Daoist work Zhuangzi (3rd Century BC) about the ‘Joys of Fish’. And the scene with blooming peaches and green willows also reminds people of the spring in Hangzhou, the scenes of ‘Spring Dawn at Su Causeway’ and ‘Orioles Singing in the Willows’. We have little information about the exact process of producing famille verte wares in the Kangxi period. We assume that the glazed and fired, but undecorated pieces, were transported from the larger kilns to different specialist workshops. Here they were painted with coloured enamels and fired again, at lower temperatures of about 800°C, in a so-called muffle kiln. The term famille verte, was actually coined by Albert Jacquemart in 1862 when he wrote: ‘The name we have given to this family…is, as one can see, totally empirical, but it is derived from a striking characteristic: on almost all pieces a lively green, transparent,

often iridescent shines brilliantly, applied in grand, splendid areas equally as important as the blue or the red of the preceding families.’ A similar single vase can be found in the collection of Augustus the Strong (Dresden). Literature Jörg 2011, p. 9-11 Ströber 2001, pl. 26

A Pair of Large Famille Verte Jars & Covers Height: 65 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1700-1720 Provenance: Lolo Collection, UK. 五彩山水將軍罐一對清康熙晚期（約1700－1720）高：65厘米來源：英國洛樂收藏

19. large bowls with mythical animals

The qilin is an often depicted legendary beast: a symbol of good omens, protection, prosperity and success. There two qilin depited in the panel on the inside of the bowl, one red with gold scales (lin) the other blue. They are hybrid creatures with the head of a dragons, bodies of a deer with scales, horses hooves and a lions tail. They are believed to be able to walk on water and on grass without trampling the blades, so the treasures tied with silk ribbons beneath them will not be trodden over, but be protected with great care. Literature Bartholomew 2006, p. 78 Jörg 2011, pl. 33

Two magnificent large bowls on a high footring, decorated with famille verte enamels in various shades of green, blue. They are decorated on the outside with two rows of slightly overlapping lotus-petalshaped reserves, which are outlined in black. The background is of densely painted ‘frog spawn’ on a bright green ground interspersed with blossoms and butterflies. The inner rim has a floral band with white cartouches with butterflies. ON bottom of the bowl is an eight-petal-lotus medallion depicting qilin galloping over treasures - qilin tabao. The outside panels are decorated with either floral baskets, mythical beasts or animals. Among the mythical animals - or ruishou (auspicious beasts)- are a pair of phoenixes (male and female) with bright plumes amongst blooming peony groves; a tiger with her cub; a qilin and a ferocious-looking red-haired and blue-faced lion. The exotic animals include a white elephant and a leopard.

Pair of Large Famille Verte Moulded Bowls Height: 34 cm. Diameter: 18 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1700 Provenance: Lolo Collection, UK. 麒麟紋五彩大碗一對清康熙中期（約1700）高：? 厘米直徑：? 厘米來源：英國洛樂收藏

20. ginger jars

These two ginger jars are finely decorated all over with blue-lined scalloped panels on a colourful diaper-pattern background. The reserves have two alternating themes: ‘Flowers and Birds’ and the ‘Hundred Antiquities’. The spring blossoms in the large floral panels, are painted in various colours including blue, pink, red, yellow and purple. The ornamental rocks bamboos and orchids are green, as if the master craftsmen wanted to exhaust all colours of the famille-verte scheme. The birds perching in the trees are song birds, possibly orioles which represent joy and music. The antiquities displayed (The Hundered Treasures) are generally associated with the life of a scholar or official. Each object has a different (auspicious) meaning. Such as a chime (qing) for celebration, red corals the sign of a first rank official or the Ruyi wish granting sceptre. As a final auspicious touch, the lids and the foot rims of both jars are decorated with scrolls of half-revealing plum blossoms and

the ruyi pattern. The background is composed of a diaper pattern made up of miniature hexagonal guibei wen (tortoiseshell brocade pattern) dotted with plum blossoms in different hues. Transitional Period jars of this shape were found in the Hatcher Cargo wreck (dated c.1643), and these jars represents the further development of the earlier shape. They became particularly popular around 1700 and were produced for export in a variety of dimensions, colours and decoration. Therefore it is surprising that they rarely have Chine de Commande decoration. Before this type of jar became purely ornamental, it was used to store root ginger, which 18th-century doctors thought had simulative and digestive properties. Literature Bartholomew 2006, p. 150 Beurdley & Reindre 1987, pl. 75 Jörg & van Campen, pl. 198 Jörg 2011, pl. 26

A Pair of Famille Verte Ginger Jars with Covers Height: 28 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1710 Provenance: Lolo Collection, UK. Private Collection USA, 2009. 五彩開光花鳥紋小罐一對清康熙晚期（約1710）高：28厘米來源：英國洛樂收藏

21. augustus rex bowl and plate

The café au lait with famille verte decorated plate and bowl, both have carved underglaze decoration of lotus blossoms. The plate and bowl have the same floral theme of butterflies, birds and various blossoms, of which the lotus is the most prominent. The inventory marks (N. 138. I) on the underside indicate that these pieces where once part of the collection of Augustus the Strong in Dresden. Both have a floral band around the inside and the outside of the rim. The bands have cartouches decorated with blooming plants, colourful birds and butterflies. The central panels on the inside are outlined by a thin-lined double circle in blue, and decorated with a large water lily blossom with multi-coloured petals and is accompanied by smaller red lotus and orchid flowers. On the outside, the same floral arrangement is repeated, over the café au lait ground. Porcelains with a café au lait glaze, were probably made to order for the European commissioners, as this colour scheme is not seen in Chinese porcelain for domestic use. In The Netherlands this type of light brown glaze was known as zeemleer. The underglaze carved decoration on the inside of both pieces, is a technique called ankehua (hidden carvings or pressings). Here, the carved pattern is of symmetrical lotuses. In classical Chinese writings, the characters lian (water lily, or nymphaea) and he (lotus, or nelumbo nucifera) interchangeably refer to the lotus, even though they are two different aquatic plants. The water lily, whose petals are slimmer and smaller (as depicted here) grow in Europe, whereas lotus does not. The lotus flower stands for purity in the Buddhist faith, but it also has further auspicious meanings and appears often in Chinese art. The Confucian scholar Zhou Dunyi(1017-1073), notes in

his essay ‘The Love of Lotus’, that it is the ‘gentleman among flowers’. The magnificent porcelain collection in Dresden was founded by Augustus the Strong (1670-1733). He acquired vast quantities of Chinese and Japanese porcelain for his collection in the first half of the 18th-century (see the essay by Rose Kerr in this catalogue). The collection was inventoried twice making the pieces datable. Some of the collection was sold at various points in time. One was at the beginning of the 20th-century during three auctions at Lepke’s Auction House (Berlin). In the catalogue from October 1911, we see that lot numbers 251 and 252 correspond to the description and inventory marks of our pieces. Literature Bartholomew 2006, p. 47 Krahl & Ayres 1986, pl. 3236 Ströber 2001, p. 9-13

Cafe au Lait and Famille Verte Plate & Bowl (with Augustus the Strong inventory marks) Diameter Bowl:, 17, 2 Diameter Plate: 24, 8 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1700 Provenance: Private European Collection Lepke’s Auction House Berlin, 1911, lot 251 & 252 Augustus the Strong (Dresden) Germany. 外黃地内白地五彩暗刻花花鳥紋碗盤各一件（底部標記波蘭國王奧古斯特二世藏品編號）清康熙中期（約1700）直徑（碗：17.2厘米直徑（盤：24.8厘米來源：德國德累斯頓奧古斯特二世皇室收藏

22. fruit pyramids

These pyramids have naturalistically moulded fruits and nuts in fluted dishes. They have coloured enamelling in a limited palate of ochre yellow, green and brown glazes. Each fruit or nut was individually moulded, then arranged layer by layer and joined with slip. The stems and veined leaves were then added last. The coloured enamelling would be added on the fired biscuit, after which it was fired again at a lower temperature. The various fruits on these dishes are very realistically rendered. The lychees, which have a five layer display, are glazed in yellow, brown and green and interspersed with small green leaves. The peaches (or shoutao - peaches of longevity) are enamelled in a lighter yellow, brown and green, with a light yellow dish. The yellow walnuts have a four layer arrangement, with plenty of green leaves between the nuts. The pair of pyramids depict foshou (finger citron, or Buddha’s hand) in a rich ochre yellow. Here the two under-dishes differ slightly – one has a brown rim the other one is green. Such porcelain derives from the Chinese tradition of piling offerings of various sweetmeats on the household, temple altar or in the tomb for the afterlife. Artificial fruit dishes such as these were sometimes used as an alternative to fresh fruit. These exotic looking forms were exported to the west as curiosities in the 18th-century. The earliest recorded example in Europe of such a pyramid, was a small sketch made in a French auction catalogue in 1769.

Five Enamel on Biscuit porcelain Fruit Pyramids Height: - Lychees: 17, 5 cm - Walnuts: 13,5 cm - Peaches: 15,5cm - Finger citron: 20 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1700 Provenance: private collection, France. 素三彩供佛果盤五件

Literature Ayres 2004, pl. 116 Beurdeley & Raindre 1987, pl 122 Pinto de Matos 2011, pl. 153 & 154 Sargent 1991, pl.9

清康熙中期（約1700）高：核桃：13.5厘米壽桃：15.5厘米荔枝：17.5厘米佛手（一對）：20厘米

23. hupiban bowls

The underside and rims usually remain undecorated, and sometimes entirely unglazed. Other shapes featuring Spinach and Egg decoration include figures, animals, brush washers and ewers. Similar Kangxi bowls from the imperials kilns, with a blue-and-white imperial mark, are in the collection of the National Palace Museum (Beijing) and the Shanghai Museum. But generally these types of bowls would have been made in civilian kilns. In late 19th and early 20th-century this type of porcelain was wildly collected in Europe and America - often with other enamel on biscuit porcelain – by important collectors from this era such as Mrs. Nellie Ionides, Henry Clay Frick and John Pierpoint Morgan.

These fine bowls, on a high foot ring, are distinctively covered on both interior and exterior with a splashed sancai (tri-colour ) glaze in yellow, green and aubergine-brown. In China this décor is known as the hupiban (tiger-skin) pattern and referred to in the West as ‘egg-and-spinach’. The French also refer to this type of decoration as harlequin. Sancai decoration originated in the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907), when they used these colours for lead glazing on pottery. On Kangxi porcelain, this unusual effect was created by applying stained glazes with a large brush directly onto the biscuit body coated with slip. It was then covered again with a clear glaze and fired at a lower temperature of about 900°C. Some areas of the body-colour show through the clear glaze, forming a fourth white colour.

Literature Jörg 2011, pl.118 Petzäll & Engel 2002, pl.153 Shanghai 1998, pl.139 Valenstein 1975, pl.145

Pair of Egg & Spinach Bowls Diameter: 20 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1710 Provenance: Daniel Carasso Collection, France. 虎皮斑素三彩碗一對清康熙晚期（約1710）直徑：20厘米

24. bamboo teapot

Bamboo vessels are known from the Tang dynasty (619-907) onwards. An early Kangxi example, where the body is in the shape of a single bamboo cane, is in the Butler Family Collection. Similar bamboo motif teapots, in a range of famille verte finishes, are in the Peabody Essex Museum (Salem) and the Hodroff Collection (Winterthur). The collection of Augustus the Strong (Dresden), has an interesting variation in Yixing stoneware. An almost identical teapot to our example is in the collection of The Victoria & Albert Museum (London), another was exhibited in the Biscuit exhibition at Jorge Welsh in 2012.

This realistically moulded teapot is in the shape of a short bundle of bamboo. The finial on the lid, handle and spout also have this bamboo motif. It is covered with an all over in a bright emerald glaze on a biscuit body. It was probably moulded in two parts, with the handle, spout and finial sculpted separately. The inside and underside are left unglazed. Bamboo (zhu) is a versatile plant, used up to the present day in China for furniture, utensils and construction. Because it is an evergreen plant it stands for longevity, vitality and endurance. To the Chinese it also exemplifies integrity, as it bends in the storm but does not break. The bamboo is one of the ‘Four Gentlemen’ among the plants and one of the ‘Three Friends of Winter’, as well as an important symbol of peace. These characteristics make bamboo an often used symbolic motif by Chinese intellectuals.

Literature Bartholomew 2006, p. 60 Butler, Medley & Little 1990, pl. 22 Fuchs & Howard 2005, pl. 64 Howard 1994, pl. 155 Sargent 2012, pl..81 Ströber 2006, pl. 51 Vinhais & Welsh 2012, pl.40

Bamboo Teapot Height: 11,8 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), ca. 1700 Provenance: private collection, UK 翠綠釉竹枝茶壺清康熙中期（約1700）高：11.8厘米來源：英國私人收藏

25. laughing budai

This enamel on biscuit figure of a Budai (Maitreya Buddha), is also known as the Laughing Buddha (Budai Heshang) in China. He is traditionally depicted as a fat bald man with elongated earlobes, wearing a Kasaya robe, his breast and large abdomen exposed. The robe of this figure is enamelled in a chequered pattern of green, black, blue, aubergine, yellow and white - which is the unenamelled biscuit ground. His cheerful features, moustache and goatee are picked out in black. One bare foot peeks out from under his robes and a shoe is placed in front of him. He is sitting on a plaited tatami mat with a herringbone pattern in green with black shading. The figure is on its original wooden base. The Budai Heshang is so called after the hemp sack he carries, in which he was said to keep his few possessions. Being poor but content, his figure appears throughout Chinese culture as a representation of contentment, plenitude and wisdom. One belief in folklore is that rubbing his belly brings wealth, good luck, and prosperity. He often depicted holding or wearing prayer beads. The sack and beads are omitted here, instead he holds a scroll in his right hand, which might be folded sutras. This figure of the Budai is based on an eccentric Chan (Zen) monk during the Later Liang Dynasty (907-923). After his death at the Yuelin Temple, another monk encounters him and asks him to return a shoe that has been taken by mistake from the temple. Later when the monk realizes that Budai has already died when they met, he opens the coffin to find nothing but an abandoned shoe. This story is reflected in this ceramic work by the single shoe in front of the figure. This type of figure were popular in the domestic market in China, and because of his mirthful expression, also a popular export product.

In France they were popularly named magot and used as elements in assemblages, where they would be mounted in bronze with other objects. Their popularity ensured they were copied by European potters in Meissen and Vienna. Literature Ayres 2004, pl 114 Beurdeley & Raindre 1987, pl. 117 Sargent 1991, pl. 44 & 54

Enamel on Biscuit Porcelain Figure of Budai Height: 14,5 cm China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), circa 1720 Provenance: private collection, France 素三彩布袋羅漢像清康熙晚期（約1720）高：14.5厘米

26. table screens

These two coromandel lacquer screens, are referred to as ‘ink-slab screens’. They were placed on a desk or artist’s table as décor. They were often part of the attributes on scholars desk , along with items such as miniature jade mountains, archaic bronzes and calligraphy utensils. The scenes depicted and inscribed texts on the reverse, suggest that they were intended for a mandarin official’s house. The coloured decoration is highlighted with small areas of gilding. They are on later wooden stands. Both scenes are set in classical gardens with trees, ornamental rocks, and pavilions. One scene is of three officials on their knees holding ivory hu (ritual batons), while listening to the official reading imperial orders from a hand-scroll. The recipients of these messages had to kowtow to express their gratitude, whether the proclamation contained good or bad news. Their smiling faces, indicate they have received good news, such as a promotion. The messenger’s black gauze hat has flaps longer than those of the kneeling officials, which indicates he is of higher rank. The fourteen characters in semi-cursive script carved on the reverse are two lines (3rd & 4th) from a qilü poem - eight-lined rhymed verse with seven words in each line. It is by the Tang poet Shen Quanqi (c. 656-719) on imperial request, for the occasion of a sumptuous feast at the Imperial Daming Palace. It can be translated as: ‘thousands of officials toast to your longevity, and hundreds of blessings are sweeter than ladies’ fragrant makeup cases’. The red seal with the two characters shi shui (rock and water) is an artistic mark, probably to achieve visual balance.

The other scene depicts an official dressed in a red robes – indicating a joyful occasion - and holding a hu (ritual baton). He is escorted by two male servants – one leading the way with a lantern and the other following behind with a large zhangshan (ritual fan). In this nocturnal scene, they seem to be heading to a banquet or gathering. On the reverse - in the same calligraphic style as the other screen – are lines (5th & 6th) from a qilü poem by Tang poet Cen Shen (c. 715-770): ‘An Imperial Visit to the Wangchun Palace on a Fine Spring Day’. It describes ‘the South Mountain towers over the imperial palace, and the North Star is approaching the screen’. Interestingly, these lines could have been deliberately selected to include the word yi (screen) to match their medium. The seal has three characters zhu lin ju (bamboo grove residence) to appeal to scholarly taste, as bamboo is often associated with noble spirits of the literati. Literature Wang 2008, p. 195-200.

A Pair of Coromandel Lacquer Table Screens with Poetry Inscriptions China, Kangxi period (1662 – 1722), 17th-century Height: 24.5 cm - with stand 31 cm Provenance: With Roger Keverne, 2009 仕官圖款彩小座屏風一對（木質屏座）清康熙高：24.5厘米，带座31厘米背面詩句釋文：其一：千官黼帐盃前壽，百福香奁勝裡人。其二：南山近壓仙樓上，北斗平臨御扆前。

27. twelve-fold coromandel screen

This magnificent and rare dated 12-fold coromandel polychrome screen, was commissioned by the Su Family in 1674. It is decorated on both sides with detailed scenes. On one side scenes of the Westlake, on the other a festive scene of figures within gardens and pavilions. The borders depict the hundred treasures. Festive Scene This well carved and painted festive scene shows joyful figures at various pursuits in a setting of terraced pavilions, amidst ornamental rocks and classical gardens. The dignitary sits in the elevated main hall, surrounded by many maids and servants. This scene reminds the viewer of Guo Ziyi, from the ‘Manchuanghu’ (in A Bed Full of Officials’ Tablets), which depicts Guo Ziyi’s birthday. Guo is seated in the main hall watching ladies dance and musicians play, whilst his sons and friends, all high officials, approach to pay tribute. This story often appears in literature and art for a well-wishing purpose.

12-fold Coromandel Screen with scenes of the West Lake Height: 274 cm, length: 12 x 48 cm China, Kangxi period (1662-1722), dated 1674 (13th Year of Kangxi , Apricot Month, middle ten days) Provenance: Private collection, France Purchased from Galerie des Laques at the Biennale des Antiquairs, Paris 1976 西湖通景十二扇款彩圍屏清康熙款识记年康熙十三年（1674）杏月（农历二月）中旬吉日高：274厘米長：12 x 48厘米

this magnificent and rare dated 12-fold coromandel polychrome screen, was commissioned by the su family in 1674

However, there is a theory which suggests that with especially commissioned Chinese artworks, the central figure might be the commissioner himself. In this case that would be Su Shuangde. The fact that the majority of the figures in this palace scene are female, also invites association with a scene known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Spring Morning in the Han Palaceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, a scene which dates from the 12th Century. This scene is also depicted in a famous Ming period painting by Qiu Ying (1494-1552). In this screens palace, court ladies are busy participating in all sorts of activities. Such as playing

qin (Chinese zither) on second panel from the left, dressing up and brewing tea (panel 3), delivering food and watching the rooster-fight (panel 4), feeding birds and watering plants (panel 5), nursing a child (panel 6), serving the dignitary (panel 7), directing a deer-driven chariot, playing musical instruments and dancing (panel 8), observing peacocks (panel 9), playing weiqi (Chinese chess) and embroidering (panel 10), and even fishing (panel 11). The blooming peach (panel 4), magnolia and peony (panel 5) suggest that it is spring.

Westlake Scene The fact that the West Lake was chosen for this screen, indicates that that the Su family (the commissioners and original owner of the screen) are most probably from Hangzhou. This lake, which still exist today, is considered the prototype for the idealized Chinese classical garden. In this depiction specific scenic spots are arranged quite realistically. The Eight-Diagram Field (panel 3 from the left), the Leifeng Pagoda (panel 4), the Lesser Yingzhou Isle (panel 5), ‘Three Pools Mirroring the Moon’ (panel 6), and the Lake-heart Pavilion (panel 7), can be clearly identified. On the upper part we see hills and peaks amidst mist. The Su Causeway spans across the whole lake and nears the curved Bai Causeway on the right end, while the city wall and gates emerge from lower edges. Numerous bridges, mansions, pavilions, boats,

trees and people give the impression of a prosperous city where nature and humans live in harmony. It is worth noting that a meditation hall and a monk appear on the Lesser Yingzhou Isle (panel 5), which corresponds to the commissioner’s Buddhist belief.

this lake, which still exists today, is considered the prototype for the idealized chinese classical garden

Tribute Panel The tribute suggests that the commissioner of the piece, Su Shuangde, is not an official but a wealthy civilian, probably a businessman or landowner. 嘗□覆載之德，民無能名其德。既難名，而其恩豈易酧乎？顧其恩雖雲難酧，而在予心則聊以為酧，然亦非敢謂足酧大德也。予供斯屏，亦猶夫《國風》之《採蘩》、《採蘋》，《大雅》之《行葦》、《泂酌》，其物雖微，庶可以昭忠信耳。是為記。

It is beyond us common people to tell (Buddha’s) great virtue of protecting all our lives. Since telling is difficult, can repaying His kindness be any easier? Difficult as it is to repay our debts of gratitude, we shall not feel upset as long as our deeds are sincere, though never enough. This screen, as our most genuine offering, is like wild-vegetable-picking songs in ‘Airs of the States’, or ballads about reeds and streams in ‘Major Court Hymns’, which seem trivial but convey important doctrines on loyalty and integrity.

Ornamental borders The borders of the screen are ornamented with two narrow bands of dragon (front side) and lotus patterns (back side), in combination with the shou (longevity) character (back side), between which the ‘Hundred Treasures’ are shown. The ‘Hundred Treasures’ is a collection of emblematic forms that include antiquities, scholar’s objects, and representations of sacrificial vessels and threedimensional decorative arts of all types. This pattern becomes popular during the seventeenth century, and many of the symbolic objects are rebuses for auspicious wishes. For example the shell of a crab, pronounced jia, also means ‘first place’, and the tripod symbolizes filial piety. The pair of swords are a symbol of wisdom, penetrating insight, victory over evil, superhuman power, and also the emblem of Lü Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals. The elephantshaped teapot stands for tranquillity; and the fruits mean prosperity and fertility.

Date Panel 大清康熙拾叁年杏月中浣穀旦信士蘇雙德率男恆、孫兆瑞、兆熊仝□沐叩立

On an auspicious day in mid-Apricot Month (lunar February), the thirteenth year of the Kangxi Reign, Qing Dynasty (March 1647 in Gregorian calendar) Offered with high esteem by Shravaka (Buddhist disciple) Su Shuangde along with his son Su Heng and grandsons Su Zhaorui and Su Zhaoxiong

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editor & research nynke van der ven-van wijnga arden ma research & translation min chen phd essay rose kerr photography leo hol , amsterdam production assistant floris bouwman concept & design oranje boven, ’s-hertogenbosch print drukkerij dekkers van gerwen, ’s-hertogenbosch & dordrecht paper cover: curious metallics ionised 300 gr/m 2 fly-leaf & endpaper: curious translucents silver 100 gr/m 2 inside: phoenix motion xenon 150 gr/m 2 typefaces blair itc & trinité chinese: adobe kaiti std © 2013 vanderven oriental art, the netherlands

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