.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The carved decoration on the current lot bears auspicious messages. The Chinese word for quail, an, is a homophone for the word for peace. The imagery of quail and millet represents the rebus: suisui ping'an, which may be translated as 'May you have peace year after year'. The combination of the quails and the ruyi sceptre forms the phrase, ping'an ruyi, which may be translated as 'peace as one wishes'.
Captain Baron Haro van Hemert tot Dingshof (1879-1972), who on retirement rose to the rank of Major General, was in the Dutch Marine Corps stationed in Beijing from 1913 to 1923. He was Commander of the Netherlands Legation Guards Detachment, responsible for the security of the Dutch, German, and Austro-Hungarian legations and enclaves. Captain Baron van Hemert had a great love of art and was a keen collector of Chinese works of art, a selection from his collection was sold at Christie's Amsterdam, 3 May 2005, and of exceptional note was a rare Yuan dynasty blue and white narrative jar that was sold at Christie's London, 12 July 2005, lot 88.
Captain Baron Haro van Hemert tot Dingshof (1879-1972), who on retirement rose to the rank of Major General, was in the Dutch Marine Corps stationed in Beijing from 1913 to 1923. He was Commander of the Netherlands Legation Guards Detachment, responsible for the security of the Dutch, German, and Austro-Hungarian legations and enclaves. Captain Baron van Hemert had a great love of art and was a keen collector of Chinese works of art, a selection from his collection was sold at Christie's Amsterdam, 3 May 2005, and of exceptional note was a rare Yuan dynasty blue and white narrative jar that was sold at Christie's London, 12 July 2005, lot 88.