Lot 19
  • 19

AN UNUSUAL CARVED CELADON 'DRAGON' VASE QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD

Estimate
2,500,000 - 3,500,000 HKD
bidding is closed

Description

of slender ovoid form tapering towards a small base below the narrow waisted neck set with a trumpet mouth, carved around the sides with a vigorous design of two dragons with clawless paws and curling tails among dense scrolling lingzhi, with a zigzag border at the shoulder and upright petals at the base of the otherwise plain neck, covered throughout with an olive-green glaze perhaps applied over a creamy-white glaze covering the inside and recessed base, which is accented with a double circle in underglaze blue

Provenance

Collection of Captain Charles Oswald Liddell (who lived in China 1877-1913).
Bluett & Sons, London.
Collection of Robert C. Bruce (no. 38).
Sotheby's London, 12th May 1953, lot 102.
Bluett & Sons, London.
Collection of Norman Railing (no. 72).
Christie's London, 14th June 1982, lot 111. 
Collection of Anthony du Boulay.
Bonham's London, 10th November 2003, lot 64.

Exhibited

The Liddell Collection of Old Chinese Porcelain, Bluett & Sons, London, n.d. (1929), cat. no. 42.

Literature

Anthony du Boulay, 'The Mind of a Collector', Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 62, 1997-8, p. 54, fig. 4.
Anthony du Boulay, Christie's Pictorial History of Chinese Ceramics, London, 1984, p. 217, fig. 10.
Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 4, no. 1817.

Condition

There are 3 short hairlines to the mouthrim - the longest about 1 cm., There is also a tiny 3 mm flake on the exterior of the mouthrim. The colour in the catalogue is quite close to the actual colour of the vase.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

This vase may have been made in imitation of Song dynasty Yaozhou ware, for which incised designs and an olive-green glaze are characteristic. This type of celadon has rarely been revived at a later date. Compare another eccentric but rather different celadon vase of similar date from the Sir Percival David Collection in the British Museum, London, published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ming and Qing Monochrome Wares in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1989, no. B 568, and illustrated pl. XIV.

For Charles Oswald Liddell, see also lot 3.