Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Chinese (86)

(AT CUSTOMER REQUEST, WE ARE POSTING A NEW SERIES OF HIGHER QUALITY PHOTOS HERE OF THIS PIECE, AND IN A DIFFERENT LIGHTING ENVIRONMENT...

From our Chinese Monochrome Collection, a fine carved jade image of Guanyin, late 19th- early 20th century, depicting the deity with a wonderful serene expression in a variation of Royal Ease mudra while sitting upon a rockwork base, and cradling a ruyi sceptre in her right arm. The jade is of pale olive tone with russet colored highlights and is rather substantial in heft, weighing almost 1.4 pounds.

Size and Condition: 5 inches tall, 4 1/4 inches wide, 1 1/2 inches thick...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a very fine Peking carpet, North China circa 1890-1920. This particular example features a large open golden orange field, which varies wonderfully in intensity of color throughout the pile. It's sparsely but elegantly decorated in restrained Chinese taste, using only leafy vines set against the open field, and bordered with a rich and still quite vibrant inky blue / navy blue outer border...

From our Chinese Monochrome Collection, a fine and large lacquered carved wood stand, late 19th - early 20th century, elegantly constructed with four chilong / serpentine legs and carved with floral motifs.

Size and Condition: 30 inches tall, 22 inches across the widest span of the legs, 15 inches in diameter for the circular top...

DUE TO RECENTLY ANNOUNCED CHANGES, AND FURTHER PROPOSED CHANGES THAT HAVE NOT YET BEEN FULLY IMPLEMENTED OR PROMULGATED BY THE US GOVERNMENT, IT IS NOT CLEAR TO US AND MOST ANTIQUE IVORY DEALERS, EXACTLY WHERE (WHAT JURISDICTIONS), TO WHOM, UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES, AND WHAT TYPE OF NEW PERMITS MIGHT BE REQUIRED FOR US TO CONTINUE MARKETING ANY OF OUR ANTIQUE IVORY PIECES FOR SALE...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a very fine Peking carpet, North China circa 1900-1920. This fine example features a mustard yellow main field decorated with floral sprays, flying birds, flower vases and Buddhist emblems, all well-executed in varying shades of blue, purple, light green, gray and beige...

DUE TO RECENTLY ANNOUNCED CHANGES, AND FURTHER PROPOSED CHANGES THAT HAVE NOT YET BEEN FULLY IMPLEMENTED OR PROMULGATED BY THE US GOVERNMENT, IT IS NOT CLEAR TO US AND MOST ANTIQUE IVORY DEALERS, EXACTLY WHERE (WHAT JURISDICTIONS), TO WHOM, UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES, AND WHAT TYPE OF NEW PERMITS MIGHT BE REQUIRED FOR US TO CONTINUE MARKETING ANY OF OUR ANTIQUE IVORY PIECES FOR SALE...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a high quality Rose Medallion plate, 19th century either Tongzhi Period (1862-1874) or Guangxu Period (1875-1908). Executed in the typical palette of pinks, blues, greens, yellows, whites and gilt with four individual cartouches: Two contain various figures usually representing scenes from either The Romance of the Western Chamber or The Dream of Red Mansions, the other two contain birds and foliage...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a good ginger jar with "double shu" design bestowing "double happiness," late 19th century, either Tongzhi (1862-1874) or Guangxu Period (1875-1908).

Jars such as this current example were often given as gifts containing foodstuffs with the lids glued shut. As a result, many lids were broken upon opening and subsequently lost to history, which is why so many are seen without their original lids...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a very charming Rose Medallion tea ensemble for one, late 19th century, Guangxu Period (1875-1908), consisting of a teacup and saucer, an uncommon bell-shaped small teapot, and an attractive deep tray with canted corners, all executed in typical Rose Medallion palette of green, orange, rose pink, blue and gold...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a high quality Rose Medallion plate, 19th century either Tongzhi Period (1862-1874) or Guangxu Period (1875-1908). Executed in the typical palette of pinks, blues, greens, yellows, whites and gilt with four individual cartouches: Two contain various figures usually representing scenes from either The Romance of the Western Chamber or The Dream of Red Mansions, the other two contain birds and foliage...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a very fine and large pair of Rose Medallion vases, mid-late 19th century, most likely late Daoguang to Tongzhi Period circa 1845-1874, certainly no later than Guangxu Period (1875-1908), executed in the typical palette of pinks, blues, greens, yellows, whites, and gilt, depicting four well-painted panels of figures alternating top to bottom with four other well-painted panels of birds, butterflies, and foliage, separated by a band of foliage with four car...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a high quality Rose Medallion plate, 19th century either Tongzhi Period (1862-1874) or Guangxu Period (1875-1908). Executed in the typical palette of pinks, blues, greens, yellows, whites and gilt with four individual cartouches: Two contain various figures usually representing scenes from either The Romance of the Western Chamber or The Dream of Red Mansions, the other two contain birds and foliage...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a very high quality 19th century ginger jar done in the "1000 Antiques" design against a "cracked ice" ground, either Tongzhi (1862-1874) or Guangxu Period (1875-1908). One could be forgiven for thinking this piece is Kangxi (1662-1722) given the high quality of the paste, the high quality of the underglaze cobalt blue, and the proficiency of the painting. Indeed, if Kangxi, it should be two-three times our price...

These are photos of the last two panels comprising this magnificent eight-panel gilt lacquer export screen. These are panels number seven and eight that would continue off to the right of the six panels already photographed...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, an elegant 19th century porcelain baluster jar with cover, decorated with figures in a fenced garden setting with scholar’s rocks, butterflies, and floral sprays.

Some collectors tend to be a bit haughty when it comes to 19th century blue and white wares, as it is generally recognized that these blue and white pieces tend to fall off in quality as we get late into this period...

From our Chinese Monochrome Collection, a large carved ivory elephant bridge, late 19th century, depicting a procession of eight individual elephants of graduating size, nicely carved from a single tusk...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a magnificent eight-panel gilt lacquer export screen, 19th century, exquisitely painted in finely detailed gilding on a black lacquer ground, depicting a wide array of festive scenes with figures in elaborate garden pavilions and riverside pagodas, with rolling mountains and hills in the distance, all set inside a floral and key-fret scroll border...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a beautiful pair of pith paintings, circa 1840-1860, each representing a lady of high stature, possibly royalty, being attended to by her servant. One is reclining upon an opium bed with a large screen while her servant lights her pipe; the second sits upon a throne in a dragon embossed robe, also backed by a large and well-painted screen, and is being presented a ruyi scepter by her servant. Both pieces are extremely well-painted and represent very fine e...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a stunning and large Chinese lacquered jumu cabinet, mid to late 19th century, featuring exquisitely painted birds and floral motifs on a rockwork base, executed in gilt and subtle polychromes that are contrasted against a rich red lacquer ground. The outer frame features medallions of split tail sea dragons, auspicious symbols, and textile motifs, while the sides feature depictions of stylized floral motifs. The interior has 2 levels along with a hidden...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a magnificent eight-panel gilt lacquer export screen, 19th century, exquisitely painted in finely detailed gilding on a black lacquer ground, depicting a wide array of festive scenes with figures in elaborate garden pavilions and riverside pagodas, with rolling mountains and hills in the distance, all set inside a floral and key-fret scroll border. The scenes portrayed exhibit a wonderful range from courtship scenes to musical ensembles to riverboat rides...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a very rare and seldom seen Peranakan Chai Hup or ceremonial vegetable box, 19th century, used for food offerings to Tiangong, the God of Heaven, during traditional Baba Weddings.

The terms "Peranakan" or "Baba Nyonya" or "Straits Chinese" are often used interchangeably to describe the descendants of Ming Dynasty Chinese immigrants who settled along the Malay Peninsula, which encompasses parts of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. But the ethnograp...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a very fine Rose Medallion punch bowl, mid-late 19th century, most likely late Daoguang to Tongzhi Period circa 1845-1874, and certainly no later than Guangxu Period (1875-1908). Executed in the typical palette of pinks, blues, greens, yellows, whites, and gilt, depicting a large and well-painted panel of figures in the center well that seems to represent some scene of officialdom, along with three trapezoidal panels of figures on the bowl's interior separ...

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:

In the main scene, we see the famous Jin Dynasty calligrapher Wang Xizhi (303 AD - 361 AD) sittin...

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 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 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, 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 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 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, an interesting so-called "Scholar's Examination Dish,” Kangxi Period (1662-1722), decorated in a slightly greyish underglaze blue, depicting a leaping carp juxtaposed against a fierce dragon clutching at the flaming pearl of wisdom, with wave shaped aquatic motifs on the border, and a square fu character on the reverse.

We have not researched the symbolism of this particular piece ourselves, but we are told by a colleague that the leaping carp...

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 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 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 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 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 Shipwreck Porcelain Collection, a good teacup and saucer ex-Sotheby's, from the Ca Mau Cargo, Yongzheng Period (1723-1735), executed in the "Tu Hai" pattern in underglaze blue.

This particular teacup and saucer is a very good example that somehow managed to survive over two centuries under the sea, essentially unscathed. Shipwreck porcelain comes off the sea floor in a wide variety of conditions, with many pieces utterly destroyed, others cracked and chipped, others whole but enc...

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 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 ...

Ex Bonhams: From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a large gilt copper alloy and lacquered repousse figure of Vajrapani, 18th century, standing pratyalidhasana with a ferocious expression on a repousse and chased lotus throne, left hand in tarjani mudra and his right hand raised above his five-leaf crowned head. The figure is clothed in flowing robes open at the chest to reveal ornamental body jewelry and jeweled necklaces. Vajrapani's face retains a lot of cold-painted flesh colored lacquer, ...

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 (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, 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 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...

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...

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, 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 dish, ex-Christie's, executed in the "Peony and Pomegranate 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...

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 Chinese Blue and White Collection, a very interesting late 18th century export porcelain plate, depicting an unusual subject matter of a gondolier in what is either an Italian canal in Venice, or a Dutch canal in Amsterdam. The plate is executed in a good underglaze blue with an unidentified edifice in the foreground, and a border of floral motifs. Perhaps architecture buffs can recognize with specificity what the edifice is, and nail down for us whether this is actually an Italian or D...

From our Shipwreck Porcelain Collection, a good blue and white teacup and saucer in the "Batavian Bamboo Pattern," ex-Christie's, 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 th...

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...