Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Chinese (203)

Hard porcelain vase, decorated with polychrome enamels on an underglaze cobalt blue background. The scene represents 2 dragons evolving in a sky dotted with clouds and flames above a body of water from which a carp emerges. This illustrates the Chinese legend of the 3 carp transformed into dragons, a symbol of success through perseverance. The vase is made of hard, wheel-mounted porcelain, blown with the greatest care with cobalt blue and then enameled. The decoration is painted in enamels of exceptional thickness. The drawings are of excellent quality, the dragons have 5 claws. We do not know of any other vase enameled in this way with such pasty enamels. The hypothesis of over-decoration made in the 19th century on an older vase to market it is weak because the vase is contemporary with the style of dragons, moreover a European intervention is impossible because it is obvious that the drawings were traced handmade Asian. Finally the hypothesis of Japanese over-decoration should be excluded because the style of the dragons would not correspond. Why did you use these atypical enamels which must have required special attention? This vase is absolutely exceptional. "Three carp went up the yellow river to the Dragon Gate waterfall to try to cross it and thus become a "Dragon". After many attempts, two succeeded and, transformed into dragons, helped the third to overcome the obstacle ". Symbol of endurance, tenacity and success. China Qing period 19th century. Very damaged, broken and glued back together. However, the base and neck intact. Height: 46 cm

Chinese dignitary in cast bronze hot-gilded with mercury. Ming dynasty, 17th century or before. The hands and face are gilded, the rest of the figure was lacquered in several colors, traces of these pigments remain, notably red. The dress is incised with scrolls. The face expresses several feelings, kindness, compassion and joviality, were these the personal characteristics of the character or those of his function? Over the centuries, a beautiful natural verdigris patina has formed in places, especially on the base and the top of the headdress, which gives a venerable antique appearance to this powerful statuette. In the back are pierced 2 small holes , as well as at the back of the base, was it to receive a glory or any other bronze element? Height approximately 37cm. No restoration, no soldering. Original gilding.

Young Chinese lady in enameled porcelain in the famille rose style. She is represented standing, holding a fan, and rests on a square base. Her dress is richly decorated with flowers and butterflies. His face is calm and smiling. She is very beautiful. This type of statuette decorated with this specific palette of colors was executed in large numbers in China at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th under the reign of the Jiaqing Emperor of China. Usually these statuettes are of low quality and represent crudely executed Chinese sages and deities. The statuette presented here is an exception, in fact it is a pretty feminine subject, the enamels are of excellent quality, the color palette is wide and the details are numerous and executed with care. There are numerous accidents, several small chips and losses and the fan was previously replaced. It is a rare porcelain. Height: 252mm

The Chinese god of longevity is depicted standing holding a peach branch laden with fruit in his left hand. The peach is the symbol of immortality. The artist has represented Shoulao slightly bent by the weight of his years, his gait is hesitant and his step seems reduced and slow. The left arm rests on the kidneys to relieve the pain. The details are finely sculpted, the hairs of the beard are precisely incised. The facial expression is well rendered. The hair is pulled back into a bun covered with fabric. Chinese work in boxwood, Qing period, 19th century or perhaps before. Height: 120mm No repair. The boxwood split on the chest.

These polylobed wooden cups covered with a thick layer of sculpted cinnabar red lacquer were to be used as planters. The interiors and undersides are lacquered in black. It is very likely that the interiors were lined with gilded copper or tin containers, in order to protect the lacquer from permanent humidity, the black lacquered backgrounds suffered from this humidity.A fractured place reveals a piece of textile. Some scholars affirm that the use of textile to reinforce the lacquers would no longer be practiced after the reign of Kanghi, at the beginning of the 18th century. Numerous damages, gaps and cracks. 232x180x82mm

Small scholar's chinese table in precious wood. The table is cut from a single plank of wood. The shape is simple and elegant. The wood is very hard, dark brown in color with red highlights, its grain is very fine, similar to mahogany or rosewood. When touched, the surface is slightly irregular, indicating the use of careful manual finishing with a scraper. Good condition. Very heavy. 3400g. 543x322x62mm Can be used as a base.China early 20th century or before.

Chinese porcelain jar. On a very beautiful underglaze lavender blue background are painted, in dark cobalt blue also underglaze and in white enamels, characters Shou (happiness) and Swastika (eternity) surrounded by fumaroles, around the base and the neck are represented respectively friezes of waves and stylized clouds. Below the mark of Emperor Qianlong in underglaze blue. This jar was a vase whose neck was certainly damaged. It was transformed into a pot probably during the 19th century in China and a wooden lid probably from huang hualy was added to it. The glass has age cracks which can be clearly seen in the photos. Good condition, normal wear and tear, no repairs. Total height 320mm. The vase alone: 272mm.

Small cabinet with drawers in precious wood. It opens with a sliding door revealing 3 drawers. The door is inlaid with silver threads depicting the Chinese character "Shou" meaning longevity, the other panels are inlaid with a simple silver thread. This small cabinet with a simple shape is made of very hard wood with a dense grain, almost black in color with red reflections. It is probably some kind of rosewood, perhaps red sandalwood, called zitan in China. The cabinet work is of good quality, the joints are perfect. The support handle is made of yellow metal alloy, bronze or brass? It is possible that it was changed because it seems to us that it should also have been made of silver. Beautiful old patina of the wood. Good condition, some silver wires have become slightly twisted as the wood has shrunk over time. 129x101mm.

The urn is made of very hard porcelain stoneware, the body and lid were turned. 5 cases were glued to the slip on the shoulder, as they are deeply hollow, without however crossing their support, I think that they must have served as a receptacle for incense sticks, a decoration of petals and stylized flowers is vigorously incised before firing, then covered with a cracked celadon glaze. Chinese work from the Song dynasty around the 11th-12th century. A chip in the setting, 3 of the five cases glued back together. No shortage or restoration. Hight 250mDiameter 132mm

Jar with pouring spout serving as an important ewer for tea, wine or water. Decor of a dragon energetically painted in underglaze cobalt blue, its eagle claws widely deployed. 4 sturdy handles allow you to hang the ewer. This type of hanging container is made of bronze and was used on boats, hence its name "sampan teapot". The pouring spout was formerly restored. All the rest of the object is in good condition.China 17th century or before.

Small iron in cast bronze, relief decoration in the traditional archaic style, exceptionally part of the handle is in jadeite. Usually these irons are simply made of bronze because they were utilitarian objects, which is why it is curious that this one has this precious contribution. The tip fits perfectly and seems to be well 'origin. It must be an iron used in an important family. Difficult to give a precise date, the bronze has a beautiful, very old patina, 19th century or much earlier. Good condition 141x84mm.

Rare porcelain or (porcelain stoneware?) dish from China, from the 17th century or before. The ceramic is thick and solid, the decoration of peonies is incised then painted in turquoise and aubergine enamels. The incised lines of the design demarcated surfaces comprising the enamels mixing during firing. The peonies are treated simply and energetically, the artist has gone to the essential, his drawing is powerful. This kind of decoration is unusual for this type of Chinese ceramics called "Fahua", usually, the decorations are complicated, cluttered with details. Here the design is minimalist. Which is the whole point of it. An old collection label mentions: No. 3.. Kishiu prince's oven. Diameter 332 Good condition. slight wear from use. Diameter between 332 and 328mm

Small bird cage in split and carved bamboo, it is supported by a bronze hook made up of several riveted elements. Inside different elements for the comfort of the bird, porcelain drinkers, side perch and feeder in copper and center a pretty perch in green hard stone. This circular perch is carved in relief of 2 chilong (dragons) in the archaic Chinese style. The stone is very hard and appears to be jade, green stained and veined with black. We think it is a "Bi" disc, older than the cage, which was adapted to it. The "bars" part of the cage separates from the base for cleaning, the 2 parts are held together securely by 4 turned bone nails, which once in place are discreetly decorative. The base rests on 4 small pearl-shaped stone feet, held by a central bronze axis. The cage is entirely made of bamboo, a layer of lacquer partially covers it. This layer being not uniform, and partly concealing the beautiful veins of the bamboo, we think that it was deposited late. This type of cage was produced in China for centuries, but their fragility means that very few of these cages have reached us. It is difficult to date them precisely, however if we refer to the interior elements of it we can advance the date to the second part of the 19th century, in fact the two small porcelain decorated in iron red with Lions Buddhist are typically from the end of the Qing dynasty, reign of Emperor Tongzhi, around 1860. However the cage is perhaps earlier. There is a small artificial bird certainly original, wearing real feathers. Dimensions 31x26cm Total height with hook 38cm. Good condition.

This small carved jade plaque was certainly the element of the central part of a Ruyi scepter, a symbol of the power of Chinese leaders. The plaque is finely carved with deep patterns, we can distinguish a bat, a symbol of happiness, and a vase of lotus flowers. The vase could mean abundance and the flowers seem to be Buddhist Lotuses unless they are immortal peonies. On the body of the vase is represented the intertwined feminine-masculine symbol, Ying and Yang. The color varies, depending on the lighting and especially the background, the color is a pale greenish-celadon. Dimensions 83x44x10mm Chinese work from the middle Qing probably around 1800, Qianlong or Jiaqing reign. Transformed into a pendant by drilling a hole.

Lithograph on black and white paper of a Lohan (Arhat). In the 9th century this portrait was painted, along with those of 15 other Ahrats, by the painter Guanxiu who was a Buddhist monk. 900 years later, in 1757, Emperor Kienlong during a visit to Shengyin Monastery in the former Hangzhou Province discovered the 16 portraits there. Admiring and in order to perpetuate them, he ordered the cutting of 16 sculpted stones to produce numerous prints of these works of art, of which here is one of the rare proofs. Since then, the original stones and paintings have disappeared. We still have, thanks to the emperor, the testimony of lithographs which were printed from 1757 and probably during part of the 19th century. We don't know how many copies. The Metropolitan Museum houses the complete series of 16 prints. One of them is identical to  ours. Good condition, no repairs. Slightly creased, stained and faded. Dimensions: 110x50cm We keep 2 other lithographs from this series representing two other Lohan.

The artist has represented a standing character, leaning on a broom, with a blissful and amused expression on his face turned towards the sky. This is probably Shih Te, a mischievous young Chinese monk who, according to legend, lived in the Kwo-Ching-Su temple in China during the Tang period around the 9th century. He is always represented with a broom because he was employed in the maintenance of the temple. As a young teenager rejected by his village, he was discovered wandering in the mountains by Feng Kan, a senior priest who brought him back and housed him at the Kwo-Ching-Su temple. He is almost always accompanied by his friend Han Shan and sometimes the priest Feng Kan and a Tiger. The terrible and feared animal served as a docile mount for Feng Kan. In Chinese symbolism Shih Te takes care of the body in particular. With his friend Han Shan who takes care of the mind, they are very respectful of nature and live in harmony with it, very simply almost in harmony. rags content with little. The peaceful presence of the tiger confirms this universal harmony with nature. The work is unfortunately not signed and only a specialist could identify the author and the period. The artist went to the essential, vigorously and without hesitation, his brushstrokes are precise and energetic revealing confidence and artistic maturity. The painting is done with black chinese ink, passed with a brush on centuries-old paper. The work was formerly reinforced by lateral strips of paper, it must have been kept rolled for a long time which explains the multiple horizontal slits, today it is presented in an old European wooden frame, very simple but of beautiful construction that we can date from the end of the 19th century. We have kept this framework. The painting is probably from the Ming period or earlier. Dimensions: paint only 675x1410mm with side margins 860x1410mm with the old wooden frame: 1060x1600mm.

2 belt buckles (or fibulae) in cast bronze and hot-gilded with mercury. Decorated in relief with bats and clouds on an engraved amati background. In the center are set white jade plates cut in the shape of stylized bats. Two half-pearls are set on the hooks, as they are very worn it is difficult to identify the material, probably reddish translucent stone but perhaps glass paste? Chinese work from the beginning of the Qing period, end of the 17th or beginning of the 18th century. Good condition, no repairs. Usual wear. Dimensions 62x49x20mm.

4 elements of a dragon in embossed copper or bronze and hot-gilded with mercury. 2 or 3 elements must be missing. The dragon's legs have 4 claws which would seem to exclude imperial affiliation, however the monumental size of more than 5 to 6 meters long would indicate an order for a temple or for the palace of an important person. You have to imagine the golden dragon writhing on an immense panel of dark wood carved with flames and clouds. We had thought that the dragon could be partly hidden by the clouds, as in certain paintings, but the fact that 2 of the 4 elements join end to end seems to exclude this hypothesis. The metal sheet is thick, the embossed work is of good quality and the details are finely executed. The eyes are made of copper alloy with a black patina. In certain places, small openings are made in the metal to accommodate small decorative elements, such as the mustaches which have now disappeared. The gilding is worn as shown in the photos. Some details are riveted. Beautiful old patina, oxidation on the reverse. This is an absolutely unique set. We do not know of any other example. Head dimensions: 820x500x65mm. The other elements have approximately the same size. It is difficult to give a precise date. Certainly during a prosperous period in China, we would say before 1850 probably 18th century.