Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Chinese (180)

The body is formed by a fairly thinly turned jade tube that is fitted with a turned hardwood plug for the base. The wooden bottom is visible on the interior base of the jade tube and it is turned to form a stand that compliments the simplicity of the jade form. The jade is slightly yellowish to pale celadon and has white veining on one side with brown inclusions on the other, creating patterns resembling clouds or a landscape. The stone is slightly translucent with a satiny luster that adds to the overall effect. Purchased in the mid 1980s from a collection in North Carolina.

Height: 5 1/8 in. with base; Diameter: 2 7/16 in.

This metal box is fashioned as a model of a traditional stringed instrument having an overall punched floral design and a hinged lid. The base has an impressed seal. The surface has somewhat darkened with age. It is in overall good condition.

Length: 6 7/8 in., Width: 3 ¼ in., Height: 1 3/8 in.

This dish is painted in the “wu cai” manner with overglaze enamels combined with underglaze cobalt blue. The interior base has a design of flowers and rockwork surrounded by petal lappets around the well of the dish. Each petal contains an enameled flower decoration. The back of the dish is glazed white with no decoration but the petal lappets from the interior stand out in low relief on the back. The base is glazed, and the footring is unglazed, exposing the characteristic 18th century white paste. Overall, very good condition.

Diameter: 6 ½ in., Height: 1 ¼ in.

Now wired as a lamp, this vase is glazed in variegated oxblood that has been applied to produce a flambe-like pattern against an even copper-red background. The interior, which is partly revealed at the mouth, drains to white. It is mounted to a traditional Chinese carved wood base and wired for electricity. It is in overall good condition with no repairs or restorations.

Vase height: 11 ¼ in., with stand: 12 3/8 in.

The entire surface is enameled and painted very skillfully with designs based on Indo-Buddhist mythology. These wares were made of fine porcelain, probably in Jingdezhen, and were exported to the Kingdom of Siam (Thailand) where they were primarily used by the king and his court. The enamels are of a famille rose type, thickly applied, and in the case of this fairly large bowl, very well-painted in the Siamese taste. The interior turquoise is of a particularly rich, deep bluish-green tone. The base and interior of the foot are clear glazed and are the only areas that are not completely covered in enamel. There is a bit of wear from use, as would be expected, but the overall condition is very good, with no cracks, chips or repairs.

Diameter: 7 in., Height: 3 5/8 in.

This bowl is decorated overall in various colors of overglaze enamels both inside and out. The base shows the original blue-green clear glaze with only the footring exposed, revealing the white paste and having some sand adhering from the firing. Made for the Thai market, the bowl's exterior displays images of Thepanom and Norasingh against a black enamel ground with stylized flames. The bowl has damages as seen in the photos, with Japanese old gold lacquer restorations to breaks and a small rim chip. There is a chip to the interior of the footring and another short crack extending from the rim for about an inch and a half. The bowl shows considerable wear from age and use and is priced accordingly.

Height: 3 1/8 in., Diameter: 6 in.

This bowl is decorated in underglaze cobalt blue with a stylized design of two birds perched on a sprig of flowers and encircled by stems covered in little round buds, giving the design an abstract quality. The base is unglazed and shows the characteristic chatter marks from the trimming, often seen on Tianqi wares. The footring is unglazed with numerous sand grains adhering. The outer sides have two hastily drawn circles and X's. There is considerable rim fritting as seen on most porcelains of this period. There is a small rim chip, also. It was probably shipped to Japan for use in the Japanese tea ceremony, shortly after it was made. Tianqi porcelains were in high demand among tea ceremony practitioners, even in the 1970s, when this piece was acquired.

Height: 2 in., Diameter: 6 1/8 in.

This tea bowl sized dish is decorated in underglaze cobalt on two sides of the exterior with a rapidly-brushed floral design, and with a flower on the interior base. It is well-potted and raised on a low footring with a recessed base that is glazed and reveals chatter marks from the trimming. The footring was hastily cut, with an uneven, but glazed-over area to one side. The rim shows typical fritting and glaze loss, otherwise there are no cracks or restorations. The glaze shows wear from age and use.

Diameter: 4 7/8 in., Height: 2 3/8 in.

This dish is decorated in underglaze cobalt blue with a design of three men playing a game of “go.” It was recovered from a shipwreck site in the Southern Philippines off the coast of Mindanao. There is a slight pitting to the glaze overall from years of submersion. There is also a tiny rim chip and very small areas of rim fritting. The glazed base displays a hastily drawn seal mark expressing luck or good wishes. The footring is unglazed exposing the white paste.

Diameter: 5 3/8 in., Height: 1 3/8 in.

This circular box is well-carved with cranes and clouds in low relief on the lid and covered with an even, sea-green, translucent celadon glaze that highlights the carving. The bottom half of the box is incised with lines radiating from the base and representing the petals of a chrysanthemum flower. The base is glazed and the footring is unglazed exposing the white paste – somewhat soiled with use. The interior of the base and lid is also glazed with an even sea-green celadon tone. There is a minute nick on the interior rim of the bottom half of the box. There is some wear and soiling from use. Generally very good condition. Acquired at auction ca. 1985

Diameter: 3 3/8 in., Height: 1 ½ in.

The base has a “min yao” Yongzheng seal mark in overglaze iron-red enamel, but the cup probably dates to the later 18th Century. The decoration is in overglaze enamels and the rim has a faint brownish wash. Although the piece is in very good condition-- no chips, cracks or restoration, the glaze has numerous tiny iron specks, particularly visible on the interior. The footring displays the very white paste often seen in 18th Century wares.

The design is inspired by the well-known, but rare imperial “chicken cups” of the early 18th Century, which were derivative of the extremely rare ones from the Chenghua period.

Diameter: 3 ¼ in., Height: 2 ¼ in.

This globe-shaped vase is decorated overall in gilt enamel in a floral pattern. It is raised on a low footring and glazed white on the base. Both the foot and mouth rim are unglazed, exposing the fine white porcelain paste. The interior is covered in a clear glaze. It is in good condition, with no damage, however it leans somewhat to one side and has the expected rubbing to the softer gold enamel decoration.

Height: 2 7/8 in., Diameter: 3 in.

Large mountain-form brushrest molded with a fanciful design of a mythical horse prancing over stylized waves. Known as haima in Chinese, this decoration was popular on ceramics in the late transitional period through the early Kangxi period and often seen painted in wucai or enamels on biscuit. The molded haima design appears to be somewhat unusual and the high relief of this design combined with the cobalt glaze make for a striking effect similar to that of carved celadon wares. The cobalt is of an even tone and covers all except the base where the fine, high quality porcelain paste is revealed. Being molded in two parts, this piece is hollow and a small hole is present in the middle of the base that permitted gases to escape in the firing. Very good condition, some wear to the base.

Height: 2 7/8 in.; Width: 3 7/8 in.; Depth: 1 ¾ in.

Small beehive-form pot is covered in a rich, lustrous copper-red glaze that drains to a pale celadon tone on one side. The interior is glazed white with the glaze crackles being highlighted by ink staining from long term use. The copper has drained from the mouth leaving the often seen attractive white ring. The glaze stops at the beginning of the foot which though left unglazed has burnt a pale orange tone in the firing. The foot has kiln grit adhering to it from the sandy clay pad on which it was fired. The base is glazed and has a pale celadon tone. This piece has seen much use and there are areas of old ink residue around the mouth and interior. The potting of the mouth is slightly uneven but not damaged.

Purchased in Japan in the 1970s

Height: 2 in.; Diameter: 2 1/8 in.

This slightly-waisted bottle vase is of a rich lavender red tone infused with overall speckling of deep red. The red glaze drains to a buff colored ring around the lip and continues into the interior for an inch or two. The glaze stops very evenly just above the neatly trimmed footring. A four-character seal mark in underglaze colbalt blue is centered within a circle of clear glaze that is bordered with two incised concentric rings. The rest of the base is unglazed , showing the fine, white porcelain paste. Excellent condition.

Height: 8 3/4 in., Diameter: 4 1/8 in.

Small square form tapers gently to a slight ogee shoulder around the square mouth. Covered in a thick ge or guan type Song dynasty style glaze suffused with pale golden brown stained crackles. The glaze forms a curtain effect on two adjacent sides where the second application does not completely cover the first. The glaze was wiped clean from the low carved foot before firing and the exposed pale grayish-white paste has a light golden brown skin probably from re-oxidation in the firing. The base is slightly inset and glazed with a thinner application of the exterior glaze. The interior is glazed white with a finer overall crackle than the exterior. There is a considerable amount of ink residue, especially at the interior corners. The interior crackles exhibit deep red, black and golden brown staining. Good condition overall, even though there is evidence of much use, having some wear to the glaze on the corners and wear to the foot.

Height: 1 1/8 in.; Width: 2 1/8 in sq.

This cream-white glazed vase is covered overall with a network of fine crackles stained over time with a pale brownish tone. The small meiping form tapers gracefully from a broad shoulder to a narrow waist and flares out again at the base. The base is glazed leaving the slightly rounded footring unglazed. The interior is glazed and the crackle pattern continues inside the neck. Vases like this one were used in the scholar’s studio. Good condition, no damages. Small pin pricks from the firing.

Height: 5 5/8 in.; Width: 3 5/8 in.

Dish-shaped stand is set on a rather high foot. The open center of the dish is ringed with a raised collar with the opening designed to accommodate a footed lacquer or ceramic tea bowl. Decorated in the doucai manner with a design of two four-clawed dragons chasing jewels, outlined in underglaze blue. The outlines are then filled in with colored enamels and both the central collar rim and the outer dish rim are gilded with gold enamel. The underside is decorated with concentric rings and three stylized bats in underglaze cobalt blue. The slightly rounded footring is unglazed revealing the white paste. No damages or repairs, though the gilding on the rims has wear consistent with use. Small brown iron stain on the footring from contact with the clay pad on which it was fired. Overall very good condition.

Bowl or cup stands of similar form (not decoration) often accompanied jian ware or temmoku tea bowls in the Song dynasty. Wood or lacquer stands of this sort are still used in the formal tea ceremony in Japan when serving thick tea in Song style tea bowls.

Height: 1 in.; Diameter: 4 ¼ in.
Interior diameter of opening: 2 in.