The Centenary Exhibition

Chinese imperial porcelain underglaze blue and copper-red bottle vase with tapered baluster body, chang jing ping, tall cylindrical neck and lipped rim, painted with an open-mouthed three-clawed chilong dragon encircling the body, the scales in underglaze copper-red.

Chinese imperial porcelain yellow-glazed two-handled wine cup, erbei, thinly potted and incised on each side with a continuous anhua band of archaic style dragons facing each other with open mouths, between a pearl, all on a short foot rim and covered overall in an even pale-yellow glaze, pooling on the foot rim between two upright loop handles with curled ends, the interior glazed white.

Chinese imperial porcelain green dragon dish, pan, with gently flared rim, the design outlined in underglaze blue, painted in the centre with a five-clawed dragon in green glaze, in pursuit of a flaming pearl amongst stylised flames and ruyi-clouds within a double line, encircled by two further similar dragons, the underside similarly decorated, with the dragons above a lappet band.

Chinese imperial porcelain white-glazed waterpot of beehive form, taibaizun, with gently flared lipped rim, moulded and carved with three relief archaic style dragon and phoenix medallions, covered overall in an even sweet-white glaze. The base with a six-character mark of Kangxi in underglaze blue and of the period, 1662-1722.

Chinese imperial porcelain blue and white slender necked baluster vase, of handbell form, yaoling zun, painted on the body with four circular medallions consisting of three bands forming the gankyil, “Wheel of Joy”, above stylised upright pointed leaves with scrolls and a wide herringbone band at the gently flared foot, the shoulder with a single rib within two lines.

Chinese imperial porcelain blue and white dragon bowl, wan, thinly potted with gently rising upright sides on a short foot rim, painted with two five-clawed dragons with detailed scales and open mouths, each in pursuit of a flaming pearl, amongst stylised flames, the interior glazed white.

Chinese imperial porcelain iron-red dragon bowl, wan, thinly potted with gently rising upright sides on a short foot rim, painted with two five-clawed iron-red enamel dragons each in pursuit of a flaming pearl amongst ruyi-clouds and flames, the dragons’ eyes heightened in black enamel, the interior glazed white.

Chinese imperial porcelain famille verte birthday dish, pan, with flat everted lipped rim, painted in the centre with Lady Magu standing holding a scroll looking back at her attendant with a large peach, beside a tethered mythical deer drawing a wheeled square jardinière supporting a fruiting lingzhi group, encircled by twenty iron-red flowerheads on a hexagonal diaper ground between four-character medallions, wan shou wu jiang, “endless longevity”.

Chinese imperial porcelain famille verte month cup, hua shen bei, thinly potted with gently flared rim on a short foot, painted with orchids amongst long green leaves growing from rockwork with branches and grass, the reverse with a ten-character couplet and square seal in underglaze blue.

Pair of Chinese imperial porcelain doucai figural bowls of deep form, wan, thinly potted with upright sides, each painted on the exterior in a continuous landscape scene with five tribute bearers carrying incense bowls, an aquatic branch, a tray of fruit and a cornucopia, all following a tethered yellow-glazed deer pulling a carriage of aquatic branches and peacock feathers, approaching a walled city amongst clouds, flowers, plants and rockwork beneath a triangular diaper band at the rim and above two underglaze blue lines at the foot. The well of the interior painted with a mountainous landscape medallion with a house nestled amongst pine trees and rockwork beneath the sun and migrating birds, encircled by two double lines in underglaze blue.

Chinese imperial porcelain coral-red ground chrysanthemum-form flower dish, ju ban pan, the body with fluted petals and slightly inverted foot, covered overall in a rich and even coral-red enamel.

Chinese imperial porcelain lemon-yellow enamelled deep bowl, wan, thinly potted with gently flared rim and straight foot, covered overall in a rich and even lemon-yellow glaze, the interior glazed white.

Chinese imperial porcelain doucai dragon saucer dish, pan, painted in the centre with a five-clawed dragon with open mouth and detailed scales in pursuit of a large iron-red flaming pearl, amongst stylised flames and ruyi-clouds all within two underglaze blue lines, the cavetto painted with five large ruyi-clouds in iron-red, aubergine, green and yellow enamels outlined in underglaze blue within two further underglaze blue lines beneath the rim. The underside with a wide band of crested foaming waves beneath clouds, all within underglaze blue double lines.

Chinese imperial porcelain doucai and famille rose enamelled conical floral medallion bowl, wan, painted on the exterior with four blossoming flower medallions of peony, lotus, chrysanthemum and prunus, representing the four seasons, the branches and leaves forming the roundel, all between stylised green-glazed branches with buds and lotus petals, beneath two underglaze blue lines at the rim repeated on the foot. The well of the interior with a double butterfly medallion and a prunus flower spray, circled by two pairs of underglaze blue double lines.

Chinese imperial porcelain doucai deep saucer dish, pan, painted in the centre with two branches of tree peony bearing large yellow, iron-red and aubergine blooms, amongst lime and apple-green leaves, issuing from pierced taihu rockwork, between sprays of bamboo and beneath two butterflies in flight and within two underglaze blue borders, with a further underglaze blue line beneath the rim. The exterior painted with large branches of chrysanthemum and hibiscus amongst rockwork and smaller sprays of aster, pink and bamboo, with two butterflies in flight above two underglaze blue lines and beneath a further line at the rim.

Pair of Chinese imperial porcelain bamboo bowls, wan, of thinly potted deep form with upright sides and short foot, each painted in the reverse technique with white branches of bamboo on a rich and even coral-coloured ground, the interiors glazed white.

Pair of Chinese imperial porcelain famille rose enamelled conical flower-form bowls and covers, gai wan, with six petals, painted with pairs of sky-blue and turquoise enamelled five-clawed dragons with open mouths in pursuit of yellow and iron-red flaming pearls amongst ruyi-clouds and flames above crested and foaming waves, repeated on the rims of the covers.

Chinese imperial porcelain blue and white bottle vase, suantou kou ping, with pear-shaped body, everted lipped foot, garlic mouth and upright rim, painted on the body with twelve seasonal blooms borne on a continuous scrolling branch with characteristic leaves including peony, chrysanthemum, camellia, hibiscus and lotus, beneath a ruyi-head band and a blue washed prunus flower head band at the ribbed shoulder, the neck with lappets of branches and leaves beneath the garlic mouth painted with flowerheads and their characteristic leaves beneath a keyfret band at the upright rim. The foot painted with a crested wave and foam band beneath blue ground lappets, painted overall in the classic Ming style with heaped and piled effect.