A TRANSFERWARE BOTTLE VASE, YUHUCHUNPING
This lot is offered without reserve. PROPERTY OF A LADY
A TRANSFERWARE BOTTLE VASE, YUHUCHUNPING

DATED BY INSCRIPTION TO RENXU (1982), 'DAFENGTANG' SEAL MARK WITHIN A SQUARE IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE

Details
A TRANSFERWARE BOTTLE VASE, YUHUCHUNPING
DATED BY INSCRIPTION TO RENXU (1982), 'DAFENGTANG' SEAL MARK WITHIN A SQUARE IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE
The elegant vase is decorated with a branch of blossoming prunus and a poem referring to the scene, followed by a cyclical date renxu (1982), a signature, Zhang Yuan, and two read seals, 'Zhang Yuan' and 'Daqian fu'.
9 in. (22.8 cm.) high
Provenance
By repute, collection of Peter Chen (c.1939-2016), El Cerrito, California, son of Chen Cheng (1897-1965), Vice President of the Republic of China (1954-1965).
Special notice
This lot is offered without reserve.

Lot Essay

The seal mark on the base of the vase, Dafengtang, was the hallmark of Zhang Daqian (Chang Dai-chien, 1988-1983). Well-known for his accomplishment in classic as well as modernist/expressionist Chinese ink paintings, Zhang has become one of the most successful artist in the world.

This vase belonged to a group of identical vases made by the Taiwanese potter Tsai Hsiao Fang (b. 1938) around 1982, under the commission of Zhang as souvenirs to his families and close friends. A self-proclaimed meichi, 'an addict to prunus,' Zhang's penchant for prunus is evident from on the giant boulder once placed in his garden inscribed with his own inscription titled Meiqiu (Prunus hall) and the prunus trees surrounding it, as well as in his paintings, such as the one shown on the present vase. The painting and calligraphy on the body of the vase are by the artist's hand and were then transfer-printed to the surface of the vase.

An identical vase, previously in the Zande Lou Collection, and thence gifted to the Chinese University of Hong Kong, is illustrated by P. Lam in Elegant Vessels for the Lofty Pavilion, Hong Kong, 1993, no. 32.

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