From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a very fine Kangxi (1662-1722) Mark and Period porcelain dish depicting an elegant lady being attended to by her servant. Cross-hatched motifs decorate the border, along with four vignettes of peaches signifying longevity. This dish is a very nicely executed example where the painter has skillfully used three different intensities of cobalt blue: Two different shades for the interior fields, and the third / darkest shade reserved only for the hair of t ...click for details
From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a large Qianlong Period (1736-1795) leaf-shaped platter in the so-called "Two Quail Pattern," featuring an elegant Lady and Gentleman exchanging flirtatious glances in a treed pastoral setting with two quail milling about in the foreground. This large and heavy porcelain platter of unusual form is painted in deep blue with brown iron oxide dressing to the outer rim edges. For a published example of dishes in this pattern, see Chris Gurton&# ...click for details
From our Indian Subcontinent Collection, a good Kashmiri silver surahi (water flask), 19th century, of compressed globular base with elongated neck and attached stopper secured by linked silver chain, well-decorated with chased vegetal and floral designs typical for Kashmiri silversmithing of this period. Overall a very attractive example with elegant proportions and good presence.
From our Chinese Monochrome Collection, a massive and very fine pair of ivory tusk carvings, conservatively dated as early 20th century, but quite possibly late 19th. The first carving depicts Guanyin, Goddess of Compassion and Mercy, very crisply detailed with a wonderfully serene and pensive countenance. Her hair sports a tall, well-coiffed chignon, and she stands upon a lotus form base holding a rosary in her left hand, and lotus flowers in her right. The back is mostly plain except for the s ...click for details
From our Chinese Monochrome Collection, a very fine late 18th century / early 19th century carved cinnabar lacquer vase of compressed baluster form. The vase sits upon a splayed foot with a trumpet form neck containing reserves of floral springs atop a collar of wave motifs. Below this there are two separate scenes contained within trapezoidal shaped cartouches framed by ruyi head motifs:
From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a good Kangxi Period (1662-1722) flower basket plate executed in soft famille verte enamels. The flower basket motif is generally associated with symbolizing longevity and abundance, but sometimes its association with one of the most enigmatic and eccentric of the Eight Immortals, Lan Caihe, is overlooked. Lan Caihe was actually the patron saint of florists whose distinguishing attribute is the flower basket. But since so many of the legends and fables ...click for details
From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a very fine Yongzheng (1723 -1735) Mark and Period Dragon Dish of shallow saucer form, depicting an animated dragon clutching a flaming pearl in its right claw while its winding body wraps around the dish and extends onto the reverse, all set against a backdrop of cloud motifs. The entire composition is extremely well-executed in a rich deep blue. The Yongzheng six character mark is contained within double circles and is of the period. The mark is slig ...click for details
From our Southeast Asia Collection, a fine and complete Burmese Kammavaca Manuscript, late 19th - early 20th century, containing all 16 leaves and the original teak wood covers.
Kammavaca manuscripts are a quintessentially Burmese artifact that reflect the general reverence afforded to the monastic system in that country. To Western eyes, they are usually just highly decorative ethnic handicrafts from an isolated a ...click for details
From our Indian Subcontinent Collection, a stunningly beautiful 19th century Khavakend-influenced Kashmiri silver teapot of bulbous teardrop form, finely chased in the rosette pattern with paisley and chinar motifs. This extremely fine teapot sits atop a flat rounded base with an avian-form handle, beak-form spout, and a dome-shaped hinged lid. Though the workmanship of this piece is clearly Kashmiri, the overall aesthetic is heavily influenced by the architectural motifs and artistic iconograp ...click for details
An elegant and highly stylized zun-shaped lacquered bronze vase, either Chinese Late Ming Period (1600's) or Japanese Early Edo Period (1600's). This very interesting and attractive piece with its splayed footed base, angular shoulder, and trumpet-shaped mouth that resembles opened floral petals when viewed from the interior, was most likely intended as a flower vase itself, but its intended purpose is no more certain than its actual country of origin. Indeed, despite its presentation of ...click for details
