M2516

A large Chinese porcelain blue and white ovoid jar of kraak type, painted on the body with a wide band of a continuous scene with two pheasants, one in flight swooping down between two flowering plum trees, the other standing on light blue-washed rockwork, amongst flowering peony, prunus branches and wutong beneath cloud sprays, all between two classic kraak borders of lappets and fruiting reserves, dispersed between ruyi heads on a blue-washed keyfret ground, the neck with a continuous scrolling band, the cover with three fruiting branches, similarly painted to the shoulder, the base unglazed revealing the biscuit body.

Wanli, 1573-1619.

21 inches, 53.3 cm high.

A pair of Chinese porcelain blue and white square flasks and covers each painted with four different scenes, probably from the story of Yang Yi and her family, Yang Jia Jiang Yanji, with scenes of her in full armour on horseback, holding two swords aloft and going into battle while another army flees, another with her meeting a general, another of ministers meeting a general, and a further scene with her seated in formal military attire at a table while her soldiers bring in a prisoner naked to the waist with his hands tied behind his back, all within triangular diaper borders, with a wan character ground at the shoulder, and flowering branches on the neck, with different matched covers, one with key-fret and fish panels, the other with lozenge and ruyi heads, the finials with a fu character, good fortune. The unglazed bases revealing the biscuit body with recessed glazed square centres, each with a ribbon tied leaf mark in underglaze blue.

12 ¼ inches, 31.1 cm high.

Early Kangxi, c. 1680.

Chinese porcelain blue and white deep kraak basin, painted in the centre with two pairs of geese, one standing on a rocky promontory, one swimming in a river landscape and a pair in flight, amongst elaborate lotus leaves and rock work beneath the sun, with a wide cavetto with panels of precious objects including fan, scrolls, ruyi-sceptre beneath a foliate rim with mythical animal masks, the underside with classic kraak decoration.

Wanli, 1573-1619.

14 ¼ inches, 36.2 cm diameter

Japanese wood box.