Blue & White

Chinese porcelain blue and white kosometsuke deep plate with everted rim, painted in the centre in vivid blue tones with a fisherman standing at the stern with the rectangular sail open, with rock work in the foreground and a two-tiered pagoda in the distance beneath the moon, with an unusual lappet border in the form of a flower, the underside with sprays of branches.

Chinese porcelain underglaze blue and white fishbowl painted in a continuous cloud-covered scene, with sixteen boys in groups of four, at various playful pursuits such as; flying kites, playing weiqi, gathering lotus flowers and playing with puppets, in a fenced garden, divided by banana plant, pine and fruiting and flowering trees, most issuing from taihu rocks.

Chinese porcelain blue and white kettle and cover with baluster form body and upright gate-form handle, painted with a seated qilin with his right front leg raised amongst rockwork with mountains in the distance beneath flames, the reverse with a mythical ram seated in a similar pose also with mountains in the distance above v-shaped grass, the shoulder with a band of lotus flowerheads on a continuous scrolling branch with leaves and branches, the neck with two flowerheads and the handle with three flowerheads amongst ruyi-clouds, the spout with a lotus flowerhead, the cover painted with leaves and sprays of bamboo beneath an upright ribbed knop.

Chinese porcelain blue and white lantern-form ovoid jar and cover painted in a continuous scene with a seated qilin, his right front leg raised, in a fenced landscape scene looking at a peacock in flight amongst v-shaped grass, pine branches, rockwork, camellia, bamboo and plantain, beneath stylised clouds and flames, between anhua bands of scrolling flowerheads and ‘leaves’, the neck with lappets, the cover painted with a seated white rabbit amongst rockwork, v-shaped grass and aster above a band of flowerheads and scrolls.

Chinese porcelain blue and white kosometsuke trefoil stem bowl, painted on the bowl with four large leaf sprays above a flange and stylised grass, the lobed overturned rim with a geometric ground and six circular mons with flower heads, cash, three commas, lozenge and three stripes.

Chinese porcelain blue and white kosometsuke octagonal lobed dish with indented corners, painted with three deer gambling and one reclining on grass beneath an overhanging pine tree issuing from rock work with flowers and shrubs, encircled by a scrolling lotus flowerhead border with ruyi-form branches.

Large Japanese porcelain blue and white decagonal deep dish with indented corners, painted with a lady and her attendant on a naturalistic bridge, with a seated gentleman in a boat, the scene between prunus branches and rock work with a palm tree above a river, encircled by a ruyi-head border and beneath an upright brown dressed rim, the underside with a scrolling branch above underglaze blue lines, the base with a fuku mark within a double square, with natural spur marks. 

Chinese porcelain blue and white kosometsuke deep plate, painted with two ladies standing beneath a parasol beside a pine tree with roc kwork and pine, the irregular border with ten circular mons on two different diaper grounds and approximately a third on a white ground, the underside plain with underglaze blue lines encircling the foot and rim.

Chinese porcelain blue and white small saucer dish, painted in the centre with three lotus flower heads on a scrolling ground with branches, encircled with sixteen moulded panels of lotus flowers and leaves, the underside similarly decorated beneath a foliate rim.

Chinese porcelain blue and white deep bowl of klapmutz form, painted on the exterior with four scenes from the “Romance of the Western Chamber”, with Zhang Sheng playing a qin, looking out at Yingying and her attendant in a garden, two scenes with the lovers meeting, and another of the lovers and Zhang Sheng’s attendant, all in fenced scenes, divided by cloud banks and rockwork and beneath a lozenge diaper band with flower heads, the interior painted in the centre of the well with three boys playing, beneath a different lozenge diaper at the rim.

Chinese porcelain blue and white sleeve vase, painted with Han Xin escaping at night on horseback and being pursued by Xiao He and his cohorts, all in a continuous mountain river landscape scene with Han Xin speedily riding away beside a lake beneath the moon and stars, with Xiao He on his horse behind a rock, together with his attendant holding a lantern and two foot soldiers in the foreground amongst rockwork, cloud scrolls, plants and v-shape grass and beneath an anhua scrolling band of flowers and leaves within two pairs of incised lines, the neck with flowers, scrolls and precious objects, and above a further anhua band at the foot, the base unglazed revealing the biscuit body, the blue of excellent tone.

Chinese porcelain blue and white bottle vase with tall cylindrical flaring neck and globular rounded body, painted in a continuous scene with a seated cat looking up at butterflies in flight amongst leaves, aster, see-through rockwork and grass beneath the sun, the shoulder with a band of flowerheads and leaves, the neck painted with a bifid tailed chilong dragon amongst branches of scrolling lotus with wan characters, all between underglaze blue double lines.

Chinese porcelain blue and white vase of double gourd form painted on the globular lower register with a hunting scene with three equestrian archers and a further equestrian with a whip and swinging an implement in pursuit of a stag, the shoulder with a band of flower heads on a continuous scrolling leafy branch, the pear-shaped top register similarly painted with an equestrian in pursuit of a stag also with a whip and swinging implement, all amongst willow branches, pine, v-shaped grass, rockwork and cloud banks, the gently flared rim painted with a wide band of stylised flowers and jewels.

A Chinese imperial porcelain blue and white small saucer dish, painted in the centre in luminous vivid tones, with three scaled mythical animals including a qilin, a monkey headed qilin and an elephant headed animal, together with a tiger and a dragon emerging from rockwork beneath ruyi clouds, with a pine branch, other plants, rockwork and flowerheads, encircled with a continuous border of a lotus pound with pairs of geese, ducks, cranes and other birds amongst lotus flowers, leaves, arrow heads and aquatic leaves, the underside with six branches of pomegranate, hibiscus, persimmon, morning glory, peach and another flowering branch. Japanese wood box.

A Chinese porcelain blue and white kendi of elephant form with upright handle beneath the wide flanged blue glaze rim, painted with a saddle cloth with wan characters and central cash tied around the neck and hind quarters with hanging ornaments, the handle painted with prunus branches and rockwork, with a slightly raised flower-head band on its back, the upright head with detailed ears and eyes, with trunk form spouts, the detailed tail also in relief, the base unglazed.

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.

Pair of Chinese porcelain blue and white wine ewers, each with rounded globular body, tall cylindrical tapered neck, with a relief flanged beneath the mouth and a dragon-head handle, painted with lobed lozenge form floral reserves amongst flower heads between similar borders, the neck with similar reserves on a net form ground, the handle with blue glazed open mouth dragon head and scrolling branches, terminating in a large leaf. The flat bases on glazed revealing the smooth white biscuit body.

A Chinese porcelain blue and white ball form fluted teapot and cover, painted with six panels of vases and baskets of flower holding lotus, prunus, morning glory and aster, with large rabbit beneath a bamboo form upright gate handle and bamboo form spout, the cover with flower sprays and rockwork, executed in the same linear fashion.