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AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE MOLDED YELLOW-GLAZED 'DRAGON' STEMBOWL JIAJING MARK AND PERIOD
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 USD
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Description
- porcelain
finely potted, the wide flared bowl resting on a narrow stem splaying toward the base, lightly molded to the interior with two five-clawed dragons striding in pursuit of 'flaming pearls', applied overall with a smooth, rich egg-yolk yellow glaze, the interior of the stem reserved in white and inscribed in underglaze blue with the evenly spaced six-character mark under a transparent glaze
Provenance
Collection of C. Philip Cardeiro (1930-2014), California.
Condition
In very good condition, with the exception of an approximately 4.5 cm restored rim crack, only faintly visible. Light surface wear, including some scratching to the glaze to the interior of the bowl. The sides of the bowl very slightly asymmetrical/
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Stembowls of this form were made in porcelain from as early as the Yuan dynasty and continued to be produced throughout the Ming period. Often placed on altars to hold offerings, stembowls covered in this attractive yellow glaze were reserved for use by the court as the color yellow denoted imperial paraphernalia. The yellow glaze was achieved by adding to the glaze mix a small amount of iron oxide and required the utmost attention at every stage of production, from the purity of the clay and precision of potting to the evenness of the glaze and control of firing, as the slightest irregularity would have resulted in the rejection of the piece.
A closely related example, from the collection of Sir Percival David and now in the British Museum, London, was included in the exhibition Ceramics Evolution in the Middle Ming Period. Hongzhi to Wanli (1488-1620), Percival Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1994, cat. no. 6; another in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in Monochrome Ware of the Ming Dynasty, bk. II, Hong Kong, 1968, pl. 11; and a third sold in our London rooms, 13th October 1992, lot 95. Compare also a stembowl of similar shape but lacking the molded decoration, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, published in Minji meihin zuroku [Illustrated catalogue of important Ming porcelains], Tokyo, 1977, vol. III, pl. 37; another sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 18th May 1982, lot 188; and a third, from the Meiyintang collection, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 4, pt. I, London, 2010, pl. 1683, sold in our Hong Kong rooms in 1973, 1978 and 1988, and most recently in our London rooms, 20th May 2001, lot 41.
See also the Ming prototype to this stembowl, decorated in the anhua technique with two dragons, from the collection of Mr and Mrs Alfred Clark and now in the Au Bak Ling collection, sold in our London rooms, 9th December 1975, lot 134, and again in our Hong Kong room, 3rd May 1994, lot 56.
A closely related example, from the collection of Sir Percival David and now in the British Museum, London, was included in the exhibition Ceramics Evolution in the Middle Ming Period. Hongzhi to Wanli (1488-1620), Percival Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1994, cat. no. 6; another in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in Monochrome Ware of the Ming Dynasty, bk. II, Hong Kong, 1968, pl. 11; and a third sold in our London rooms, 13th October 1992, lot 95. Compare also a stembowl of similar shape but lacking the molded decoration, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, published in Minji meihin zuroku [Illustrated catalogue of important Ming porcelains], Tokyo, 1977, vol. III, pl. 37; another sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 18th May 1982, lot 188; and a third, from the Meiyintang collection, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 4, pt. I, London, 2010, pl. 1683, sold in our Hong Kong rooms in 1973, 1978 and 1988, and most recently in our London rooms, 20th May 2001, lot 41.
See also the Ming prototype to this stembowl, decorated in the anhua technique with two dragons, from the collection of Mr and Mrs Alfred Clark and now in the Au Bak Ling collection, sold in our London rooms, 9th December 1975, lot 134, and again in our Hong Kong room, 3rd May 1994, lot 56.