Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian (138)

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a very fine and elegant Kangxi Period (1662-1722) phoenix bowl, early Kangxi Period circa 1675-1690, decorated with two well-painted phoenixes and a treed outcropping, all well-executed in a strong blue against a delicately potted pure white body with everted rim. The interior features a single flower encircled within a medallion of double lines. The base is plain...

From our Early Chinese Collection, a fine and large Ming Dynasty lead-glazed pottery ridge (roof) tile, 15th-16th century, Hongzhi through Jiajing Period (1488-1566), depicting a guardian-demon ferociously modeled with bulging eyes, protruding fangs, pointed horns, thick musculature, and standing in defensive posture astride a cloud-swirl with fists clenched around what would have been a weapon made of wood or iron, now since rotted away and lost to time...

From our Shipwreck Ceramics Collection, a charming blanc de chine Guanyin from the Vung Tau Shipwreck circa 1690-1700 (Kangxi Period), one of only 30 ever recovered from this wreck and in this sense quite rare. The Vung Tau Shipwreck refers to a cargo ship of Chinese ceramics that sank in the waters of the Can Doa Islands, nearby to Vung Tao Vietnam between 1690 and 1700, where it had briefly stopped to re-supply on its way to Batavia (Jakarta Indonesia)...

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...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, an exceptional and large Transitional Period (1635 - 1650) kraakware porcelain bowl of the rare Border IX Type. The center well depicts a scholar being served tea, three trapezoidal-shaped panels on the bowl's inner wall depict figures in various landscape settings, and the outside of the bowl is decorated with six additional panels of figures in various landscape settings...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a rare Kangxi Period (1662-1722) porcelain dish depicting a stylized version of an earlier Ming Dynasty kraakware design, featuring an eight-sided buddhist wheel or star in the center medallion, surrounded by ogival panels of buddhist emblems, auspicious symbols, and swatiska motifs in the outer border...

From our Chinese Monochrome Collection, a very fine pair of blanc de chine (dehua) fu dogs modeled as taper stick holders, either late Ming / early Shunzhi (1620-1650), or possibly early Kangxi Period (circa 1662-1690), of well-known and documented form, with each fu dog perched atop a rectangular base with a brocaded ball under its paw and a ribbon held in its mouth...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a good Ming Dynasty kraakware dish, late Wanli Period circa 1600-1620, of well-known and documented form, executed in Border VIII style with a central bird some scholars opine is either a magpie or a duck, sitting upon a lotus pond outcropping and encircled by a ten-point buddhist star, further encircled by ten ogival panels of buddhist symbols in the outer border, all executed in a slightly greyish blue on a barbed-form dish with slightly upturned lip...

From our Japanese Collection, a good Fuyode Ko-Imari Arita blue and white porcelain dish, the term "Fuyode" referring to late 17th century Japanese porcelain painted in the style of Chinese Ming Dynasty porcelain. This is one of the earliest examples of Japanese Arita ware. This dish is painted in underglaze blue with a central panel of flowering peony, and with panels of the “Three Friends of Winter" design (pine, bamboo, and prunus) in the border...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a Transitional Period (1635 - 1650) blue and white kraakware charger of the rare Border IX Type, depicting 2 figures in a central garden setting, surrounded by alternating figures with Iznik style flowers in the border, known as Border IX ...