Chinese Export

Armorial openwork chestnut bowl and cover, decorated on the exterior with an oval pink ground medallion bearing the arms of Peter van Hemert (1735-1810), mirrored by a portrait medallion of Minerva, beneath a green-ground band of linked spearheads, the body pierced with fretwork beneath a further green-ground gilt jewelled band, all between two double-rope twist handles with iron-red and gilt leaf terminals, the cover with similar bands beneath a moulded iron-red and gilt chrysanthemum flowerhead crown and bud form finial.

Large Swatow deep circular dish painted in turquoise, black and iron-red enamels with a large central scene of the ‘split pagoda’, with mountains in the distance, figures crossing a bridge and boats, all above three pagodas on rockwork, surrounded by four ruyi-head flaming medallions of fisherman, two with figures crossing a bridge, one with a fishing boat with one of the fisherman holding a net and the other with a boat in a river scene, between four four-character iron-red seals within a double square, the underside plain, the base and foot rim with sand grit.

Large Swatow deep circular dish painted in turquoise, black, iron-red and green enamel with gently everted rim, painted in the centre with a barefoot artist wandering in a landscape holding a branch supporting a long-tailed bird, with a rucksack of scrolls and gourd, a further rolled scroll sits on an easel extending from his rucksack, all beside a deer, rockwork, bamboo and beneath a large chrysanthemum, encircled by a lappet band of flowers and branches, the cavetto painted with four large lobed reserves, two with birds perched amongst aster and camellias and two with lotus flowerheads, all between chilong dragon roundels on an iron-red diaper ground of cash and cross-hatch, the underside plain, the base and foot rim with sand grit.

Famille rose and grisaille eggshell soup plate, painted in the centre with a mountainous river-landscape scene with a tall pagoda in the distance and a gated village in the foreground with a figure and his attendant between two horses, another figure crossing a bridge with a fisherman sitting in his boat beside his raised fishing rod, all amongst delicately painted rockwork, trees and houses, beneath a wide gilt floral leafy continuous branch in the cavetto, the flat everted rim with three peony sprays in leaf-shape reserves, besides white and pink chrysanthemum on a pink diaper ground and a gilt diaper band at the rim.

A pair of Chinese porcelain semi-eggshell teabowls and saucers of petal form painted in iron-red, gilt, blue, green and aubergine enamels, with a young woman opening the door of a bird cage, beside a seated man wearing a tri-corn hat in a fenced garden with flowers and three birds, the subject is taken from a painting entitled Le dénicheur d’oiseaux.

A set of six China Trade gouache and watercolour paintings on paper heightened in gum Arabic, three painted with palace garden scenes with figures amongst  exotic overhanging trees, one with pagoda island, one with view along the Pearl river and one with a lake side scene.

Whampoa the deep water anchorage on the Pearl River about eight miles downstream from Canton where the East Indiamen lay at anchor during the four month trading season, the view is taken from Dane’s Island looking towards Wampoa Island with its two pagodas.

Macau depicting the Praya Grande looking North East from the rocky shore across the bay are the Monte and Guia Hills each with a fort at its summit.

Shanghai with American and British vessels.

Mouth to the Boca Tigris with a Folly Fort.

Canton depicting the foreign factories of America, France, Britain, Denmark who’s flag signified the headquarters of Jardine Matheson one of who’s directors acted as the Danish Consul, the flag of Hamburg and the flag of Prussia and dated to December 6th 1856.

Hong Kong with a British steam ship.

A pair of Chinese porcelain famille rose two-handled ice buckets of fluted form with foliate rims, painted on each side with a tied bouquet of peony, camellia, chrysanthemum, rose and pink, amongst smaller flowers and foliage on a flower spray ground, the handles decorated with iron-red and gilt highly stylised dragons, the everted foot rim with iron-red, gilt and puce prunus flower heads, the foliate rim with original gilding.