Porcelain & Works of Art

Chinese porcelain blue and white shonzui-type faceted decagonal bottle vase of double-gourd form, tokuri, with each facet fluted and ribbed and painted with geometric designs including interlocking keyfret, scrolls, wan-characters, interlaced cash, plum blossom flowers on hexagonal blue ground, weave-pattern, ‘chess-board’, diamonds and flowerhead diaper, between a keyfret band at a narrow waist, the flat unglazed base with short foot rim revealing the fine white biscuit body, the rim slightly reduced with old metalwork fitting.

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 pottery sancai and blue glazed pillow or wrist rest, carved on the curved top with two ducks facing each other and resting on large lotus flower heads between ruyi and amongst other plants, on a rich lapis blue ground, the four sides with chestnut and white splashes extending on three sides to the foot, the base unglazed, revealing the biscuit body.

Chinese seven-colour glass overlay snuff bottle, superbly decorated with a large turquoise lotus leaf enveloping a pink lotus flower, carved on the exterior with a lotus pod, leaves, shoots and a brown leaf, together with a black crab, the footrim formed as a branch.

Chinese superbly hollowed Suzhou agate snuff bottle, carved in high-relief with an equestrian figure of a scholar riding a donkey in a continuous mountain river landscape with a viewing pavilion in the distance, his attendant leading the way holding a flowering prunus branch, amongst typical Suzhou edged rockwork, superbly carved in high-relief with prunus flowerheads in russet tones, the underside with a slightly dimpled base.

Chinese superbly hollowed spinach green jade nephrite snuff bottle, carved on both sides in relief with recessed panels, one with a fisherman seated on rockwork beside a stream, casting his rod beneath a prunus tree, the other with a man seated in a boat holding an oar above waves, beside rockwork and beneath a pine tree.

Chinese porcelain famille rose rounded pocket snuff bottle, painted on each side with a large pink peony amongst flowerheads in yellow and blue, with branches, buds and leaves in green and white, all on a black ground with an underglaze blue ruyi-head cloud band beneath the gilt rim, the flat rim unglazed.

Chinese famille verte large biscuit porcelain seated figure of an empress, wearing elaborately decorated robes with shou characters amongst flowering lotus on scrolling branches of leaves, each character supported as a bloom on an even, bright yellow glaze, her hands clasped under a ceremonial cloth with a central phoenix bird representing the empress and supporting a fruiting peach group with leaves, her moulded neck collar in relief with aubergine leaves and her elaborate head dress with high relief birds.

Chinese porcelain blue and white lantern-form ovoid jar and cover painted with a continuous fenced landscape scene with a seated qilin, his right front leg raised, 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 pale celadon jade imperial-style baluster-form tapered snuff bottle, with upright cylindrical neck, carved on each of the four fluted facets with a scrolling roundel above a lotus flower-head band, beneath ruyi-scrolls at the shoulder and a tall leaf lappet band above the foot, the base skilfully recessed beneath the foot rim, with traces of russet and natural inclusions.

Chinese yellow glass snuff bottle of imperial-style, moulded and carved with a standing caparisoned elephant with his head turned to the side, wearing a long and elaborate saddle cloth, the jardiniere form neck forming the howdah above a high-relief* ruyi*-scroll band.

A Chinese famille verte, sancai biscuit model of a reclining figure of Li Bai leaning on his wine jar, his yellow dappled robes covering his hands under his sleeves and chin with his crossed over legs revealing his green dappled pantaloons, the wine jar also covered in a green glaze with dark glaze to his beard, hair, eyes, eyebrows and shoes, the unglazed flat base revealing the biscuit body.

Chinese porcelain ko-akai small saucer dish painted with a bird perched on a flowering camellia branch with green leaves beneath a sun and swirling iron-red clouds, encircled by an iron-red line, the underside with stylised precious objects.

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 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 pale celadon jade carving of a standing boy, beside a younger boy clambering with the help of his brother’s arms onto a large round drum raised on a stand, the taller boy holding a music stone in his right hand.