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.

A very fine and rare 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.

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”.

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.

A very fine and rare 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 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.

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.

Chinese imperial porcelain large celadon-glazed moulded and carved deep bowl, wan, with flared white-glazed rim and slightly inverted foot decorated on the exterior with large sprays of lotus flowers, leaves and buds, fruiting peach branch, peonies, a pink flower, finger citron, prunus, camellia, fruiting pomegranate, tree peony and fruiting lychee, covered overall in a rich and even luminous celadon glaze, extending to the interior and the base.

Chinese imperial porcelain lemon-yellow ground underglaze blue decorated nine peach dish, pan, of slightly conical form with gently flared rim, painted in the centre with two leafy branches bearing nine peaches in early Ming style with heaped and piled effect, all within two double lines in underglaze blue. The underside painted with continuous scrolling branches of entwined morning glory with nine flowerheads amongst large leaves and buds, within double lines in underglaze blue with a further double line on the foot rim.

Chinese imperial porcelain blue and white bottle vase, shang ping, painted in the Ming style with heaped and piled effect, with globular rounded body and four wide relief ribs, tall cylindrical flared neck and slightly splayed foot, painted on the body with six different large flowerheads on a continuous scrolling branch beneath six smaller flowerheads each with its characteristic leaves, including lotus, peony, chrysanthemum and camellia, above a wide band of blue wash ground lappets and beneath bands of ruyi-heads and different flowers on a scrolling branch at the shoulder, the neck with tall leaves above a keyfret band, beneath a further ruyi-head band with a crested wave band beneath the rim, the splayed foot with a scrolling branch.