- 3623
A FINE WHITE-GLAZED ANHUA 'DRAGON' BOWL MARK AND PERIOD OF KANGXI
Estimate
800,000 - 1,000,000 HKD
bidding is closed
Description
- porcelain
well potted with deep rounded sides supported on a tapered foot, the exterior finely decorated in the anhua ('hidden decoration') technique with a pair of striding five-clawed dragons in pursuit of 'flaming pearls', their sinuous scaly bodies with muscular legs terminating to sharp claws, the base inscribed with an underglaze-blue six-character reign mark within a double-circle
Provenance
Collection of the Sir Joseph E. Hotung Family Trust.
S. Marchant & Son, London.
S. Marchant & Son, London.
Exhibited
Recent Acquisitions 2002, S. Marchant & Son, London, 2002, cat. no. 12.
Condition
The overall condition is very good, with only some insignificant crackles to the glaze, in addition to other typical firing imperfections and light surface scratches.
"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."
"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
Porcelain wares decorated in the anhua (‘hidden decoration’) technique originated on Song dynasty Ding and Xing wares and continued to be developed through the Ming and Qing dynasties. This technique is uncoloured and only seen as impressions under a clear glaze or through transmitted light. The decoration would be produced either by carving, incising or impressing the design onto the porcelain before glazing and firing. Popular in the early Ming period, possibly due to the Yongle Emperor’s taste for plain white wares, the technique was mastered in the Kangxi period due to the technical advances made by the potters as a result of the Emperor’s renewed vigorous patronage of the arts.
A closely related example, in the Baur Collection, Geneva, is illustrated in Sekai toji zenshu/Ceramic Art of the World, Tokyo, 1983, vol. 15, pl. 249; and a pair of bowls in the Meiyintang Collection, is published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 2010, vol. 4 (II), pl. 1777. See also a bowl from the collection of Dr Ip Yee, included in the Min Chiu Society exhibition Monochrome Ceramics of Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1977, cat. no. 137, sold in these rooms, 22nd May 1985, lot 200, and again at Christie’s Hong Kong, 8th October 1990, lot 603; another, from the collection of Brian S. McElney, included in the exhibition Porcelain of the High Qing, Art Gallery of Great Victoria, Victoria, 1983, cat. no. 32; and a further bowl from the Stephen Junkunc III Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 19th March 2008, lot 648.
This motif of five-clawed dragons incised in the anhua technique is also found on Kangxi mark and period white-glazed cups; see a pair from the Hall Family Collection, sold in these rooms, 2nd May 2000, lot 521, and illustrated in Julian Thompson, The Alan Chuang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Hong Kong, 2009, pl. 59.
A closely related example, in the Baur Collection, Geneva, is illustrated in Sekai toji zenshu/Ceramic Art of the World, Tokyo, 1983, vol. 15, pl. 249; and a pair of bowls in the Meiyintang Collection, is published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 2010, vol. 4 (II), pl. 1777. See also a bowl from the collection of Dr Ip Yee, included in the Min Chiu Society exhibition Monochrome Ceramics of Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1977, cat. no. 137, sold in these rooms, 22nd May 1985, lot 200, and again at Christie’s Hong Kong, 8th October 1990, lot 603; another, from the collection of Brian S. McElney, included in the exhibition Porcelain of the High Qing, Art Gallery of Great Victoria, Victoria, 1983, cat. no. 32; and a further bowl from the Stephen Junkunc III Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 19th March 2008, lot 648.
This motif of five-clawed dragons incised in the anhua technique is also found on Kangxi mark and period white-glazed cups; see a pair from the Hall Family Collection, sold in these rooms, 2nd May 2000, lot 521, and illustrated in Julian Thompson, The Alan Chuang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Hong Kong, 2009, pl. 59.