Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Chinese (197)

Very red cast bronze censer,rich copper alloy. Partially gilded with mercury.The body is very thick,the object is heavy.The carving of the details is deep and it seems that the decor is entirely sculpted without prior molding which is quite unusual. Honestly I hesitate as to the construction technique.At first I thought it was a repoussé work but the metal is much too thick and the examination of the interior leads us to think that it was rather casted and ciseled. The handles are made apart and welded.The decor is drawn with energy,the dragons are powerful.The patina is natural and antique which guarantees an old object and not a recent fake. The mark of Xuande is incised below the base but it is certainly aprocryphal, because it would imply that it is an imperial censer but the 5 dragons represented all have only 4 claws. It is consistent to date it from the end of the Ming to the beginning of the Qing, 17th century. Some deformations, wear and dents due to the malleability of the copper metal but easy to straighten. Gilding normally worn with use. Original patina. No restorations. Width 23cm.

Unmarked bronze seal or scholar's weight? It represents a fantastic animal firmly camped on its legs. The artist has given it an interesting mischievous expression. It is in cast bronze, the finish is of the highest quality as well as the chasing. The perfection of the line of the hairs is the work of an excellent chiseller. The movement of the head which turns to the right makes the body tilt to the left while the tail compensates to the right only an excellent sculptor can make such a realism. Could this be a representation of a Kilin ? Good condition. Height 5,8cm.

Cast bronze censer. Thick and heavy. It rests on 4 feet. The simply twisted handles seem to be part of the one and the same casting which would be a technical feat because I don't see any traces or rivets or welds. A frieze of stylized flowers surrounds the upper body. On the front part, the prestigious mark of Emperor Xuande cast in high relief is probably apocryphal. The exterior of the censer must have been regularly cleaned because the metal bears no patina except in the hollows of the patterns which are inaccessible to the cleaning cloth, on the other hand the interior shows us a beautiful very old patina. Despite the simplicity of the decor, this censer is very elegant and of good quality. Probably Chinese work from the 17th century. High: 128mm Weight: 750g Bon état,pas de restauration.

This form of jug called a monk's cap is of Tibetan origin. The model was adopted in China from the beginning of the 15th century and very appreciated. Monks' cap jugs were made of porcelain. They are always of good quality. The example presented here is made of thick bronze (yellow copper alloy). I don't think it's cast but rather hammered bronze.The border of the top in strong relief would indicate a cast bronze. But it is not certain. The body seems casted and the handle and the foot seem hammered. Under the foot we can see traces of turning tools. Which does not help us much because the beautiful finish of a circular bronze was sometimes done on the lathe, whether the part was cast or hammered. The object is very old 18 ° or before. The handle was repaired with a bronze sleeve but that was a very long time ago because a strong old patina also covers the sleeve. I am not an expert in Tibetan art but I think that the craftsmen of Tibet like rather used copper,for jugs plates or vases, much easier to hammer. Ming period China or Tibet? H: 17cm. Usual wear and small accidents of centuries use

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.

Cup with handles cut from white Celadon jade. Decorated with “nails” in relief in the archaic style. The two handles stand out widely from the cup. The handles of this type of cup were most often damaged and restorers have partially reduced or even completely eliminated them. The one presented here has exceptionally preserved its handles in their entirety. One of the two has probably been slightly damaged and ground as we can see in the photos. The studding design appears simple but is technically complex. The finish is neat. The top of the handles is incised with a pattern whose meaning escapes us. 104x27mm Good condition. Beautiful velvety appearance. Uniform celadon color. Chinese work from the 17th century.

Stoneware food jar covered with a brown glaze, probably ash-glaze. There are adhesions which I think are firing defects because they are very hard and not marine concretions due to long immersion which could scratch easily. The clay is beige in color. It would seem that the potter used the coiling technique to create this ambitious shape, I draw your attention to the difficulty of firing such a heavy jar with such a small base, there must have been a lot of breakage or sagging, so not many have been done. The work of the fire drew pretty flows by chance. Although it is a utilitarian jar, the shape is very elegant. It is an extremely rare form of jar of which we fortunately know of another model, although smaller, which was sold in Melbourne by Christie's in March 2004 under n° 515 (photo joint)and which had been discovered in a Chinese junk from the end of the 16th century. Apparently she was alone and had to serve as needed by the crew. So here is a much bigger second one. Curiously the Height is exactly equal to the width. 45x45cm.Very large. The one in Melbourne appears to have a mark printed in the clay.Probably of wanly period but perhaps earlier. Good condition. No restauration. Wears and alterations due to time.

Porcelain vase with splashed decoration in green, yellow and aubergine enamels.This small size reminds me of an desk object like a small vase to decorate the table of a scholar. One crack. H:78mm

Small tea or wine bowl? in Chinese hard porcelain. Decoration of vases and stylized emblems painted in hight fired cobalt blue for the contours and colored enamels with muffle fire. Mark of Emperor Ming Chenghoa, but produced in Jingdezhen in the 18th century, probably during the reign of Kangxi. Good condition. 70x36mm

Chinese hard porcelain dish. Interesting and rare decoration in underglaze cobalt blue representing emblems and antiquities. The designs are very neat and beautiful. On the reverse of the dish, in a double circle is drawn a mark in the form of a tetrapod vase, one of the typical marks of the Kangxi period. The color of the blue is superb, it is a beautiful example of the finest creations of cobalt blue from the Kangxi period at the very beginning of the 18th century. There is a firing defect underneath, extended by a crack and 2 chips on the edge, one tiny and the other large in scale. The photos show all these accidents. Diameter: approximately 22cm.

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.

Lacquered wooden box. Decor of a painted landscape, colors and details powdered with gold. Chinese work from the end of the Ming dynasty, 17th century. The lacquer has withstood the centuries well, it bears the beautiful wrinkles of the retraction of the wood, typical of this period. Worn decor, broken wooden base, glued. No restored parts or hidden defects. The condition is visible on photos. Inside 2 Chinese characters painted in cinnabar red lacquer. Length: 415mm

Porcelain or stoneware vase covered with a thick, deep black glaze that is stained with brown streaks in places same as Tenmoku style. The ceramic is very heavy, thick and solid. The glaze is deep and thick, in some places it flows in very thick drops.The rim of the neck has no glaze which makes me think that it must have been lightly ground, if so it should not be missing much as the vase is very elegant and well proportioned. I think that it's Ming périod perhaps earlier. Height about 40cm.

Very rare lacquered wooden box, inlay of the "hundred precious items" type. The decoration represents sages and animals in a landscape, antiquity and friezes of stylized dragons. The inlays are mainly in mother-of-pearl, but also in stone, steatite and above all a superb lapis lazuli of a rare blue stained with green, details are in sculpted cinnabar lacquer and also inlaid, others are in tinted bone and horn, and finally details are painted with gold powder. Chinese work from the Ming period. The box must have stayed in the humidity for a very long time and the lacquer is destroyed. There is little lack of encrustation. Major restoration work is to be expected but the rarity of the object justifies. 29x19x12cm

Probably Tibet. Miniature Buddha in cast bronze gilded with the mercury technique. Under the base curiously we can see a Vajra cast in relief. The sculpture is simple rustic, the details are little or not chiseled, however the gilding is of the best quality, very thick and tends to flake.Traces of pigment on hairs and eyes. The style of the base with elephant and Buddhist Lions in front and crosses at the back, makes me think of the 15th century style. No restaurations. Very nice patina really old. Height: 6,6cm

Jade brush rest in the shape of a creature.Between the front legs there is a hole to hang it as a pendant. Celadon colored stone stained with rust. Jade old ,Song dynasty. Good condition, the stone slightly crumbled has rare places. Long about 9cm.

The vase is cast in one piece. Inspired by archaic Chinese bronze ritual vessels, it bears a Taotie mask decoration. This decoration is reduced to two narrow bands instead of occupying more space as usually on the bronzes of the Ming period, this more austere character, the slender shape and the patina with a much more antique aspect allows us to think so. older, probably from the Song period or earlier. The base split on one side as shown in the photos. No welding, no hammering, no restoration. Below an antique verdigris patina. Height:26cm.

White jade jewelry representing a phoenix in flight among plants. The vigorous, angular sculpture and multi-level carving are typical of the period of the 15th-16th century during the Chinese Ming dynasty. However, it could be older. The color of jade is grayish white, it was inlaid on the lid of a pretty precious wooden box with beautiful veins, which contributed to protecting it. Two malachite flower vase are inlaid on either side of the jade pendant. This box and this assembly must have been created around 1900. 13 x 9 x 4.5cm.