Lot 178
  • 178

A MOTHER-OF-PEARL INLAID DISH BY JIANG QIANLI 17TH CENTURY

Estimate
250,000 - 350,000 HKD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Brownish-black lacquer, abalone-shell, silver and gold foil, and silver
supported on a low footring, the shallow circular dish with an everted lipped mouth, centred on the interior with a medallion depicting the scholar Meng Haoran on horseback carrying a blossoming branch of prunus, his two attendants carrying his belongings beside him while on foot, all beneath a blooming prunus tree and a pair of birds in flight,  trio navigating a path between bamboo growing from a rocky cliff on the right, and a wutong tree, the silver-mounted mouthrim with a ring of stylised florets, all inlaid with mother-of-pearl, silver and gold foils on a deep-brown lacquer ground, the plain lacquered underside inlaid with two characters in seal script reading Qianli within a square

Condition

Apart from some fine age cracks to the lacquer ground and typical small losses of mother-of-pearl inlays, the overall condition of the dish is quite good. There is some re-touching to the black lacquer at the junction between the rim and the silver-mounted rim, possibly later added. The black lacquer ground is deeper and more lustrous than the illustration would suggest 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. 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

For a discussion of Jiang Qianli see the notes to the mallow-flower form covered box in this catalogue, lot 180. A similar dish to the present example, with the signature using the character ‘Jiang’ for the family name, is illustrated in Peter Y. K. Lam, ed., 2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, Hong Kong, 1993, no. 95. Other dishes by Jiang include one published in Wang Shixiang, Ancient Chinese Lacquerware, Beijing, 1987, pl.78; and a large dish, from the collection of Mary and George Bloch, sold in these rooms, 23rd October 2005, lot 131. See a further example illustrated in Selected Gems of Cultural relics: Newly Collected in the Palace Museum in the Last Fifty Years, Beijing, 1999, pl. 21; and five small dishes bearing Qian Li’s mark also sold in these rooms, 8th October 2010, lot 2752.

The scene on the dish depicts the celebrated Tang poet Meng Haoran (689-740).  The subject of Meng riding on a donkey, his servant behind him holding a branch of blossoming prunus, has been identified by Ka Bo Tsang in JICSBS, Summer 1994, pp. 4-16, where the author illustrates two Chinese New Year pictures of a similar theme, with the rider identified in the accompanying text.