Catalog (321)

From our Japanese Collection, a fine and large mid-to-late 18th century blue and white porcelain dish, circa 1740-1780, painted in the Chinese style depicting a home with people on an embankment, a treed outcrop in the distance with geese flying overhead, and some unidentified structures in the foreground. The entire scene is surrounded by a border of characters, and all executed in a greyish blue on dense grey porcelain paste, typical of 18th century Japanese Arita ware. The back of the dish is...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a charming little export ware teacup and saucer, late Kangxi to Yongzheng Period (1700- 1735), with loosely painted floral motifs both on saucer and tea bowl, all executed in an attractive blue.

Size and Condition: Saucer 5 1/2 inches in diameter, teacup 3 1/4 inches across, 2 inches tall. Small nick to lip of teacup

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, an extremely well-painted pair of Qianlong Period (1736-1795), "soft paste" porcelain dishes, depicting what is probably a tea merchant's house on the bank of the Pearl River in Canton, including the typical "river scene" elements of bridges, water, land masses, and distant mountains, all executed in an especially vibrant blue, with an ornate border richly decorated in a combination of butterflies, ruyi head, and cash diaper motifs.

The design o...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a fine Qianlong Period (1736-1795) sauce tureen base of rectangular form with chamfered corners, depicting a gentleman with ladies on a fenced terrace pavilion along with a flowering tree, surrounded by an intricate border design of cash diaper motifs, key frets, and flower sprigs, all executed in deep blue upon a body of dense 18th century export porcelain.

This particular example is quite unusual due to its subject matter. While in various inc...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a very good Qianlong Period (1736-1795) Famille Rose porcelain dish, depicting a domestic scene of a husband, wife, and child sitting upon a bench, while their servant plays fetch with the family dog, all well-painted and better than average for typical export ware. The skill of the painter is evidenced here by amongst other things, the skillful use of shading in the blue, green, and pink enamels of the folds of the clothing to create depth and texture. Th...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a charming and unpretentious Famille Rose teacup and saucer, Qianlong Period (1736-1795), most likely late Qianlong 1760-1785, decorated in a delicate floral pattern in Famille Rose palette, with a Batavian Brown (iron oxide) dressing on the reverse.

Size and Condition: The saucer is 5 inches in diameter, the teacup 2 7/8 inches across, 1 1/2 inches tall. Small inconsequential nick to footrim of teacup essentially perfect.

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a very fine Qianlong Period (1736-1795), blue and white sauce tureen base of rectangular form with chamfered corners, depicting a river scene with fenced pagodas, people, bridges, and boats on water, with a meticulously intricate border design of cash diaper motifs, butterflies, key frets, and other details, all executed in an attractive blue of varying shades upon a body of dense 18th century export porcelain.

Qianlong Period export ware such a...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a very rare Kangxi Period (1662-1722) porcelain dish, which is actually a Kangxi version of an earlier Japanese version of yet an even earlier Ming kraakware design, depicting a flower basket in the center medallion, surrounded by ogival panels of buddhist objects and auspicious symbols in the outer border, all very well-painted in varying shades of good Kangxi blue with an excellent glaze.

To novice eyes, this dish probably looks like just anot...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, an exceptionally rare Kangxi Period (1662-1722) porcelain dish made in the Transitional Period style, depicting a man and two boys in the center well, with the border executed in a facsimile of the Border IX Transitional Period kraakware design of 1635-1650. Maura Rinaldi discusses the Border IX design in "Kraak Porcelain, A Moment in the History of Trade" p. 112-115.

This dish is a highly obscure and esoteric item that is probably best suited on...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a fine Qianlong Period (1736-1795) large export porcelain dish or small charger, depicting "Three Friends of Winter," pine, prunus, and bamboo, in a fenced garden setting with floral sprigs and cash diaper motifs on the border. The reverse is plain.

This is an unusually well-executed example of 18th century export ware. The painting is very refined and precise, with delicate shading to the flowers, and a wonderful sense of restraint and proporti...

From our Japanese Collection, a fine and rare early 18th century blue and white porcelain Arita bowl, Edo Period circa 1700-1730, painted in the Chinese style, depicting Shoulao (the Chinese god of wisdom and longevity) on a flying crane in the center well, with four alternating reserves depicting the Eight Immortals on the outer wall, separated by reserves of shou characters (Chinese good luck signs), and all executed in a slightly greyish underglaze blue typical of early 18th century Arita wa...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a very fine and rare pair of Kangxi Mark and Period (1662 - 1722) aster dishes, ex- Christie's (see last photos for actual Christie's catalog listing), well-executed in a deep Mohammedan blue, with three aster blooms painted amidst a reserve of scrolling tendrils on shallow petal-lobed bodies. These are encircled by sixteen aster sprays symmetrically painted on the border and repeated on the reverse, along with the six character Kangxi Mark (and of the...

From our Japanese Collection, a very fine and very early imari charger, late 17th - early 18th century (circa 1690-1730), decorated with a flower pot, a scholar’s rock, and a large tree in full bloom upon a terraced pavilion, all executed in the typical early imari palette of blue, orange-red, and gilt, with the border done in a rich brocade of flower motifs.

Ordinarily, we do not gravitate much towards early Japanese imari simply on aesthetic grounds. These earlier pieces, while of cou...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a truly once in a lifetime find, this massive and breathtaking piece is an exceptionally rare Kangxi Period (1662- 1722) blue and white porcelain fishbowl, ex-Sotheby’s, potted in classic deep U-form with rolled rim. It is very well-painted in a rich underglaze blue of the highest quality, the design depicting Chinese style flower baskets within four individual lotus shaped cartouches, each separated by reserves of stylized aster sprays. Additionally...

From our Shipwreck Porcelain Collection, a fine blue and white porcelain dish, ex-Christie's, executed in the "Boatman Pattern" from the so-called "Nanking Cargo," which is the term applied to the porcelain recovered from the wreck of the Geldermalsen that sank on January 3rd, 1752. The Geldermalsen was a cargo ship belonging to the Dutch East India Company that struck a reef on its way back from Canton China, and sank off the coast of Indonesia in the Linnga archipelago. It took with it to the ...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a truly superb example of Qianlong Period (1736-1795) Famille Rose porcelain, depicting a lady receiving what is either wine or tea, while her female servant attends to her with a fan. The outer border is decorated with eight individual reserves executed alternatively in either puce or black, with each puce reserve so well-executed that they are essentially miniature paintings in their own right. The inner border is decorated with smaller puce cartouches ...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a very fine Kangxi (1662-1722) Mark and Period porcelain dish depicting a scholar with two ladies on a terraced pavilion, bordered by two bunches of flowering branches on the outer rim. The scene is probably derived from an earlier wood-block print. The reverse is decorated with flower sprigs on the outer rim, with a well-drawn six character Kangxi mark of the period contained within double circles in the center. The dish is executed in high quality un...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a very fine Kangxi (1662-1722) Mark and Period porcelain dish depicting a distinguished gentleman and an elegant lady exchanging glances under the willow tree of a fenced pavilion. Cross-hatched motifs decorate the border, along with four vignettes of peaches signifying longevity. The reverse is decorated with what appears to be stylized mountains on the outer rim, with the six character Kangxi mark of the period contained within double circles in th...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a very fine and unusual Kangxi Period (1662-1722) porcelain dish of European form, depicting two gentlemen discussing business alongside a boat dock while an attendant stands nearby with tea. This particular dish is extremely well-painted with a proficiency that rivals even some of our better mark and period pieces, and is executed in a very rich palette of four different shades of cobalt blue. On the reverse, there are stylized branch motifs along w...

From our Shipwreck Porcelain Collection, a fine blue and white dish, ex-Christie’s, executed in the "Boatman Pattern" from the so-called "Nanking Cargo," which is the term applied to the porcelain recovered from the wreck of the Geldermalsen that sank on January 3rd, 1752. The Geldermalsen was a cargo ship belonging to the Dutch East India Company that struck a reef on its way back from Canton China, and sank off the coast of Indonesia in the Linnga archipelago. It took with it to the bottom ...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a very fine Kangxi (1662-1722) Mark and Period porcelain dish depicting two elegant ladies in a garden setting containing scholar’s rocks and banana leaf plants; one lady holds a fan while the other holds her hands clasped together. Cross-hatched motifs decorate the border along with four vignettes of peaches signifying longevity. The reverse is decorated with what appears to be a stylized “clouds and mountains” design on the outer rim, with the...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, an unusually fine Qianlong Period (1736-1795) tureen base or shallow basin, depicting a river scene with a large fenced pagoda, a stone bridge, and several people on boats and pontoons, together with a meticulously intricate border of ruyi heads, cash diaper motifs, key frets, butterflies, and other marvelous details.

This piece is top quality in terms of "Nanking Ware" (not to be confused with Nanking Cargo Shipwreck pieces); it really gets no ...

From our Shipwreck Porcelain Collection, a fine and large blue and white Ca Mau Shipwreck dish ex-Sotheby's, Yongzheng Period 1723-1735, datable more specifically to circa 1725. The scene depicts Europeans (most likely Dutch traders) on what was once mistakenly thought to be Deshima Island in Nagasaki Harbor Japan, but which recent scholarship now concludes is either a scene of Holland in the Netherlands, or Gothenborg in Sweden. We personally agree with the academic viewpoint that the scene dep...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a very fine and well-painted Kangxi Period (1662-1722) porcelain dish with apocryphal Chenghua Period mark, depicting two elegant ladies looking out over a terrace with banana leaf plants and trees. Cross-hatched motifs decorate the border along with four vignettes of peaches signifying longevity. The reverse is decorated with stylized mountains on the outer rim, and a six character apocryphal Chengua Period mark is contained within double circles in ...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, an unusually fine and early Qianlong Period (1736-1795) Nanking meat platter, depicting a willow tree and scholar's table objects amidst a flowered outcropping as the central design, surrounded by an elaborate border of butterflies, buddhist symbols, scrolls, and floral motifs.

Like our similarly shaped Qianlong Period Tureen Base Item # 959327 (Sold), this piece is top quality in terms of "Nanking Ware" (not to be confused with Nanking Cargo Sh...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, an absolutely superb Kangxi Mark and Period Charger, 1662-1722, depicting an elegant lady in a garden pavilion tending to a lit censer while her servant stands adjacent with a ruyi-shaped fan. An egret flies overhead and two rabbits sit in the foreground beneath a banana leaf plant. On the outer rim, there are four cartouches of other elegant ladies interspersed with four cartouches of flowering plants, all separated by key fret reserves. The reverse d...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a very fine Qing Dynasty barber's bowl, Yongzheng Period (1723-1735), beautifully painted in soft famille rose enamels, depicting two elegant ladies in a fenced garden setting alongside a flowering tree with birds overhead. Floral sprays are on the outer rim and on the reverse. Batavia brown / iron oxide dressing to the rim edges.

Overall, this is an especially fine and decorative example, much better painted than most such pieces typically enco...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a fine Famille Verte porcelain dish, Kangxi Period (1662-1722), well-painted with a figural scene of three people, two of which occupy an outdoor pavilion while a third looks on from the inside. Floral sprays, butterflies, and twin-fish are represented in the cavetto, while the border is executed in classic piecrust form.

While Kangxi era plates of this style and shape are by no means uncommon, this particular example was selected for the excell...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a fine Rose-Verte porcelain dish, Yongzheng Period (1723-1735), well-painted in the center depicting an elegant lady, a young boy, and a deer carrying peaches on its back signifying longevity. Bordered on the cavetto with floral sprays, and dressed on the rim with iron oxide.

Rose-Verte is a less commonly encountered version of the Famille Rose and Famille Verte palettes. It is often loosely grouped into the Famille Rose category, but is actu...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a very fine Kangxi Period (1662-1722) porcelain plate with flower basket motif, the border executed with cash diaper design interspersed with four vignettes of floral sprigs. This piece is export ware but still arguably "Chinese taste" given the understated elegance and restraint from over-decoration. The genius of its appeal is in the wonderful balance between the painted areas and the areas of unpainted white reserve, which provide lovely contrast to...

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...

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 ...

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's book: "Th...

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...

PLEASE NOTE: WE HAVE RECENTLY RE-ACQUIRED THIS VERY FINE PLATE FROM A CLIENT WHO IS LIQUIDATING HIS ANTIQUE HOLDINGS DUE TO HEALTH ISSUES AND MEDICAL EXPENSES: WHILE WE ARE VERY SADDENED TO LEARN OF THIS CLIENT'S CONDITION AND CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES, WE ARE GRATIFIED AT LEAST TO BE ABLE TO ASSIST THIS WONDERFUL GENTLEMAN IN THIS MANNER, AND TO RE-OFFER THIS FINE PLATE ONCE AGAIN: From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a very finely painted "Tea Production Plate," early Qianlong Period circa ...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a good famille rose barber's bowl, Yongzheng Period (1723-1735), nicely executed in floral sprig pattern using lively and well-preserved famille rose enamels in rose, blue, aubergine, yellow, green, orange, and opaque white. Dressed on the rim edge with Batavia Brown / iron oxide finish typical for the period. The reverse shows two purpose driven holes in the footrim not made in modern times, but actually made during the 18th century, as these barber's bow...