A FINE AND SUPERBLY DECORATED DOUCAI ‘LOTUS POND’ WINE CUP

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STAR BURSTS – A BRIEF VIEW OF WANG XING LOU CHI FAN TSANG, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN, ASIA PACIFIC A collection often reveals a great deal about the philosophy and personality of a collector. It takes a certain vision, immense passion, a dedicated quest to search for objects, perseverance, and patience in building up a group of treasures. Whilst these essential elements may be appealing to a collector, they are not easy tasks to execute, let alone to accomplish. The Master of Wang Xing Lou was remarkable in his foresight in collecting early Qing dynasty imperial ceramics that were produced during the reigns of three Qing emperors: Kangxi (r. 1662-1722), Yongzheng (r. 1723-1735) and Qianlong (r. 1736-1795). Collectively these three emperors are commonly referred to as the ‘three generations of Qing’. In the early 1990s, collecting in this area was particularly unusual as the Chinese art market was predominantly looking for Song dynasty monochromes and early Ming Dynasty blue and white ceramics. This category of Chinese ceramics, at that time, tended to be considered by the mature and seasoned collectors as ‘too young’. Perhaps to this generation of second half of 20th Century collectors, the vestigial legacies of the Qing era probably still resonated within their memories. As a teenager, the Master of Wang Xing Lou was drawn to antiques and frequently paced the lengths of Hollywood Road. With serendipity, after a brief spell in banking, he became a dealer in the 1980s and even passed up on the opportunity in joining an international auction house. It was in the early 1990s that the aspiring young dealer decided to collect early Qing Dynasty ceramics for their beauty, quality and techniques. He was also fascinated by the culmination of influences and traditions the Qing potters had adopted from an earlier Song, Yuan and Ming ceramics tradition, and at the same time pioneered their own decorative styles. Drawing inspirations from well-respected older generation of formidable Hong Kong based dealers, who were also collectors in their own right such as Lai Tak and Robert Chang, the Master of Wang Xing Lou followed very much in their aspiration and tirelessly searched for quality and rarity. It was the Robert Chang exhibition of important Chinese ceramics at Christie’s which opened in London in June 1993 that convinced and assured the Collector of his own collecting journey. From the 1980s to early 2000, new discoveries and deeper research greatly heightened enthusiasm for Chinese ceramics. During this period, fascinating reports were published of newly excavated materials that were discovered at the imperial kilns sites in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province; and in addition there were significant finds from Song dynasty kiln sites, the most notable was Ru wares discovered at Qingliangsi in Henan Province. Re-constructed examples of sherds found at these kilns, and the subsequent exhibitions of these objects were toured in Hong Kong, London and Taiwan. These events greatly increased interest and understanding in the developments of imperial ceramics. For the first time, the history of Chinese ceramics from the Song, Yuan, and Ming periods began to unfold on the international stage with fascinating published examples of high-fired monochromes, underglaze blue and white, underglaze copper-red and overglaze enamelled wares. This first selection of twenty-eight pieces of ceramics from the Wang Xing Lou Collection offered in the present sale were all part of the exhibition Imperial Perfection – The Palace Porcelain of Three Emperors that took place in 2003 at the Minneapolis Museum of Art, and where the entire collection remained on loan for the following two decades. Included in the present selection are examples of Qing archaism as in two Qianlong period lots that are potted in the archaic Hu-vessel shape, the first is a pair celadon-glazed vases (Lot 2724) and the second is an impressively large vase painted with a floral design in underglaze blue (Lot 2721). During the early Qing, there was a propensity for a revival of Ming decorative styles. The delicate over the glaze doucai palette first seen in Ming dynasty Xuande and Chenghua reigns re-emerged in the Qing as seen in the Kangxi wine cup (Lot 2701). The popular Chenghua ‘chicken cup’ theme was also revived but this time Qing potters advocated a larger-sized format in the form of a bowl (Lot 2711). Offered in the collection is a magnificent Qianlong Fahua-style jar and cover (Lot 2722); this bold decoration paid homage to the colourful ceramics originally pioneered by the Ming tile making industry of the Shanxi province. Additionally, there is a finely potted Yongzheng double gourd vase painted in the underglaze-blue and copper-red technique with lotus scrolls (Lot 2713) that enshrines the prototype of the Yuan and early Ming period. The early Qing ceramicists were also imaginative technical innovators with new overglaze enamel colours pioneered by the Qing ateliers in the late Kangxi period being perfected in the Yongzheng reign. This type of fine, exquisite enamelling is exemplified by the Yongzheng falangcai wine cup (Lot 2710). An interesting point worthy of note was Julian Thompson’s mention in his introduction to the Wang Xing Lou Collection, Imperial Perfection, that there were numerous commissions of ceramics recorded and documented by the Qing Court. In recent years, much work have been done in researching the copious archival material that provided information on commission and directions given to ceramics, and other works of art, made for the palace and attempts have been made to match these references with surviving works. For example, a close description can be found for the falangcai winecup when it was mentioned that on 16th day of 7th month of Yongzheng (1726) twenty-four ‘first rate red-ground falang wine cups’ were presented to the Emperor. Another reference found was for a Yongzheng underglaze-blue and copper-red double-gourd vase (Lot 2713), to which palace records referred as ‘double happiness precious pearl vase’; and five Yongzheng-marked vases of such type were documented in an inventory list dating to Guangxu 30th year (1904). A further reference was found for a massive famille rose decorated with panels of flowers of the four seasons alternating with imperial poems (Lot 2726). These poems were composed when Qianlong was still a prince and were compiled under the auspicious of the hall name, Leshantang. It is possible to surmise that this impressive vase may have been commissioned before 1752 when Qianlong tasked his superintendent, Tang Ying, at the Jingdezhen kilns to apply these early poetic compositions to large vases. This group of imperial ceramics finely illustrates the tradition of Chinese ceramics through the eyes of three generations of Qing emperors. Faithful to the best ceramics of the period, the Master of Wang Xing Lou gathered these bright, jewel-like pieces for his collection. It is with the greatest pleasure that Christie’s is able to offer this group at auction, and may the long tradition of collecting continue.THE WANG XING LOU COLLECTION OF IMPERIAL QING DYNASTY PORCELAIN

A FINE AND SUPERBLY DECORATED DOUCAI ‘LOTUS POND’ WINE CUP

KANGXI SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1662-1722)

Details

A FINE AND SUPERBLY DECORATED DOUCAI ‘LOTUS POND’ WINE CUP
KANGXI SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1662-1722)
The delicately potted cup is decorated to the exterior of the flaring sides with a lotus pond, the lotus flowers elegantly highlighted in tones of iron-red and resting on stippled blue stems, all framed between a double-line border encircling the mouth rim and a single-line border above the foot.
2 3⁄8 in. (6 cm.) diam.

Provenance

Acquired circa 2000

Literature

Robert Jacobsen, Ye Peilan and Julian Thompson: Imperial Perfection.The Palace Porcelain of Three Chinese Emperors, Kangxi - Yongzheng - Qianlong, Hong Kong, 2004, pp. 122, no. 43

Exhibited

On loan to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2003-2020

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Marco Almeida (安偉達) SVP, Senior International Specialist, Head of Department & Head of Private Sales

malmeida@christies.com +852 2978 6735

Lot Essay

The decoration of the present cup is inspired by doucai porcelains from the Chenghua period (1465-1487). It is rare to find a Kangxi doucai cup with this motif. A related pair from the Tianminlou Collection, decorated with ducks in lotus pond, is illustrated in Chinese Porcelain. The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Part II, Hong Kong, 1987, p. 130, no. 85.

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