QING CERAMICS SOLD TO BENEFIT THE ACQUISITION FUNDS OF CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART, PITTSBURGH

AN UNUSUAL LARGE COPPER-RED AND CELADON-DECORATED BLUE AND WHITE MOLDED JARDINIERE

18TH CENTURY

Details

AN UNUSUAL LARGE COPPER-RED AND CELADON-DECORATED BLUE AND WHITE MOLDED JARDINIERE
18TH CENTURY
Thickly potted with steep sides rising to an everted rim, molded with the Eight Horses of Mu Wang and their attendants in a landscape setting, all in copper red, celadon and rich underglaze blue
18¾ in. (47.6 cm.) high, stand

Provenance

Private Pennsylvania collection.

Lot Essay

The legendary Eight Horses of Mu Wang, the fifth sovereign of the Western Zhou dynasty (c.1100-771 BC), were renowned for their speed and perseverance. They are traditionally believed to have been used by King Mu on his mythical journey to visit Xi Wang Mu, the Queen Mother of the West, and on his expeditions to subdue barbarian tribes. A popular decorative motif in Chinese art, the horses each bore a distinguishing name, and their unique dispositions are perhaps suggested here on this charming and very rare molded jardinière in which they appear in various dramatic poses.

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