Catalog (76)

This tubular shaped holder is partially hollowed on one end in order to receive a peacock feather decoration. The jade is a white tone with white mottling and a very slight hint of green when held to the light. It has a soft polish and even wear from use. Good condition.

Length: 2 ½ in., Diameter: ¾ in.

This is a pair of glass bowls with saucers that are of a deep, even amethyst tone with high translucency. The pieces are molded, then turned, having highly polished interiors. The two bowls have well-carved pronounced footrings. The backs of the saucers retain the mold shapes, but with a glossy polish.

Bowls: Height: 2 ¼ in., Diameter: 4 ½ in.
Saucers: Diameter: 5 ¾ in.

Glazed with a clear glaze of slight greenish tone over a buff porcelanous stoneware body. It rests on a medium-tall footring with a base that is carved in the Song manner to a subtle point at its center. The interior has a carved rib design that is partially obscured by the glaze. An unglazed ring, exposing the greyish buff paste encircles the interior of the base. The bowl is in very good condition with no restorations, chips or cracks. Purchased in Japan in the 1970s where it was used as a teabowl.

Diameter: 6 ½ in., Height: 2 ¼ in.

The mouth rim of this apple-shaped soft paste porcelain jar is encircled by fifteen uniformly pierced holes. The green souffle glaze covers the exterior and continues over the mouth ring. The interior is fully glazed with a dark green souffle type glaze. The glaze has an overall lightly mottled effect from having been applied by blowing it onto the body through a tube. The base in unglazed and slightly soiled from use and age. There are two dark old tape stains visible. Overall, the condition is very good; it is rather stoutly potted so as not to tip easily and may have been intended for use as a vessel for flower arrangements.

Height: 4 in., Diameter: 6 1/8 in.

The fine porcelain paste, decorated in cobalt blue, depicts a garden scene with bird and flowers in the center of the dish, surrounded by stylized flowers in circular cartouches. The back is divided into six panels, each centered by a splashed dot. The footring is unglazed, revealing the fine white paste, and there is a bit of sand adhering from the firing. The base is glazed and chattermarks are visible from the trimming of the clay before firing. There are a few small areas of rim fritting that are characteristic of this ware. Otherwise, the condition is very good with no cracks or restoration. Purchased in Japan in the mid 1970s.

Diameter: 5 ¾ in., Height: 1 ¼ in.

Decorated in a wu cai palette of overglaze enamels. There is some wear to the enamels from long use, but overall in good condition. The stand and lid are from the late 19th Century / early 20th Century. Purchased in Japan in the 1970s, where it had been used for the tea ceremony as a container for powdered green tea.

Diameter: 3 ¼ in., Height: 3 7/8 in., Height with stand and lid: 5 in.

Used as a container for red cinnabar seal paste, intended for use on a scholar's table. There are a few minor firing flaws. The lid fits rather loosely. Overall good condition with some remnants of red seal paste. Acquired in Hong Kong in the 1960s.

Height: 1 ½ in.; Length: 4 ½ in.

Possibly made for use as a ceremonial item. Some rim fritting, one frit to underside as shown. A few pinholes and a small stain spot to the interior, otherwise good condition. Acquired in Hong Kong in the 1960s.

Height: 1 3/8 in.; Diameter: 8 ½ in.

The pendant is formed from sheet silver with a repousse design of a man riding a fu lion amid a floral background on one side and the other side with Chinese characters surrounded by flowers. The work is very well-executed in high relief and minute detail. The chain is fashioned from round soldered links suspended from which there are two bells on smaller chains. The bells are of spherical form and are covered with incising. On the side of the pendant, there is a small slot presumably for a key that is now missing. The pendant is not a functioning lock, however. The condition is very good overall, though there is oxidation clearly evident from being in its original, unpolished state.

Pendant width: 3 in.; Height: 2 ¼ in.; Thickness: ½ in.; Chain length: 14 ½ in.

This well-modeled figure of a recumbent ox is one of twelve figures representing the traditional Chinese zodiac. It is formed in grey earthenware and was originally carved in a thin slip of white clay, much of which still remains. The head is sculpted with an expressive face having large eyes and short, thick horns. The characteristic hump occurs on the back just behind the head. The legs are tucked under the sides with the hooves exposed. His long, serpentine tail twists around the right rear leg. There is a bit of burial earth still adhering and only a couple of small chips. The overall condition is very good.

Height: 4 in.; Length: 5 ¼ in.

This circular-form lidded box is of a type found widely distributed throughout Southeast Asia as a Chinese trade item exchanged for spices, pearls, precious metals produced by the various foreign island cultures. Small boxes such as this one were possibly intended for cosmetics or spice storage. This box is painted with a stylized flower on the lid surrounded by a hastily-painted leaf border. The base is likewise painted with two abstract floral designs. It is glazed overall with a clear glaze of slightly grayish tone. The footring is unglazed revealing the porcelain paste. The general condition is good however there are a few tiny old chips from use and some crackled areas to the glaze. There is a small glaze skip to the lid rim and general soiling from use or burial.

Height: 2 3/8 in.; Diameter: 3 ¼ in.

This cylindrical seal is fashioned from a very pale yellowish-green soapstone and incised on one end with archaistic characters encircled by a shallow incised ring. Otherwise, the seal is undecorated and has a pleasant, satiny sheen from age and use. There are numerous old small chips and wear to the edges of the carved end but not on the characters. This piece has the mellow appearance of an object that was used over a long period of time. The stone is lightly veined and mottled and shows a bit of red streaking on the carved face. There is also a faint remnant of red seal paste in the incising.

Height: 3 15/16 in.; Diameter: 1 ¾ in. carved end, 1 5/8 in. top end

This small bottle, probably used to hold aromatic oils, rises from an unglazed foot to a swelling shoulder, then tapers inward to a narrow neck with a slightly everted mouth. It is decorated in underglaze cobalt blue with a stylized, almost abstract landscape on one side; the other side has a few brief calligraphic strokes, one of which is perhaps a bat. The base and foot are unglazed, exposing the white porcelain paste which is now somewhat soiled from age and use. Bottles such as this one are found distributed throughout SE Asia as a result of the China trade. This one was said to have been found in the southern Philippines near Mindanao. Very good condition with no damages or restorations. There are a few characteristic pin pricks in the glaze.

Height: 3 ½ in.; Diameter: 3 ¼ in.

As with most blanc de chine figures, this piece was made in a press mold in two halves, then joined together with finishing touches added before the clay was dry. The face was molded separately then attached, and the hands and ribbon were modeled by hand. It is glazed overall except for the base with a pale blue-green tinged white glaze having a slight undulating texture. Guanyin is seated on a rock covered by her flowing robe on the back and sides. The folds of the robe are indicated by carved and incised lines. The unglazed base shows the white porcelain which appears to be like that of Jingdezhen rather than Dehua. The bluish toned glaze also looks like Jingdezhen glaze, so this piece was likely not from Dehua where figures such as this one were most often produced. This piece was likely made for a small shrine. The aperture on the middle back was perhaps used for attachment or possibly for the insertion of prayers. Overall good condition with no breaks or repairs, however there is some glaze fritting in a few places on the left sleeve, the right eyelid, the top of the hood and a tiny one to the side of the nose. Fritting like this is also often seen on Jingdezhen pieces.

Height: 8 in.; Width: 3 in.

This figure is press-molded in the traditional manner of blanc de chine sculptures from late Ming times through the Nineteenth Century. It is well-modeled from highly refined, very white porcelain. The interior is unglazed revealing the fine white body. The figure has a glossy creamy white appearance from the fine, evenly-applied clear glaze. She sits with one knee slightly raised and hands concealed by the flowing robe. A beaded pendant adorns the chest. The facial features are very well modeled down to the subtle pupils of the eyes. The individual strands of hair are incised over the entire coiffure and topknot is covered by the loosely flowing hood. The figure sits in a meditative attitude with a pleasing beatific expression on her face. Several clay shrinkage cracks occur on the interior but do not extend to the exterior, which is characteristic of many blanc de chine wares. These cracks occur during the drying or firing processes and have no effect on the exterior appearance. There is a minute glaze crack on the hood that is not noticeable unless the location is known. There are a few small pinholes in the glaze also characteristic of old Dehua wares. Otherwise, very good condition with no restorations.

Height: 11 ½ in.; Width: 7 ¼ in.

This small but well-proportioned guan-form jar with broad shoulder tapering to a narrow base is stoutly potted as were many such late Yuan porcelains intended for export to Southeast Asia and the Philippines. This piece is decorated in the classic Yuan format of horizontal registers of primary and secondary designs; the largest register having the chrysanthemum scroll painting with the upper register around the neck displaying the often-seen classic scroll and the base with a band of downward pointing petals. The cobalt is of a grayish-blue tone suggesting that of a native Chinese source perhaps mixed with Persian cobalt. The painting, though rapid, is that of a practiced hand, and the blue has a heaped and piled effect with blackish speckles in the cobalt blue—all characteristics of blue and white porcelains of this period. The clear glaze is fairly even and lustrous with a bluish tinge. The base and footring are unglazed and three finger marks remain on the exterior base where the piece was held for dipping in the glaze. The footring is flat and beveled on the outer edge where the excess glaze was trimmed off before firing. The interior is unglazed. There are a few iron specks and pin pricks and pinholes resulting from the firing. There is a small firing flaw about 1/8 in. in diameter where a bubble in the clay erupted in the firing process. The overall condition is good. The imperfections are all characteristics of early blue and white wares of the Yuan dynasty.

Height: 3 ½ in.; Diameter: 4 in.

Dish-shaped stand is set on a rather high foot. The open center of the dish is ringed with a raised collar with the opening designed to accommodate a footed lacquer or ceramic tea bowl. Decorated in the doucai manner with a design of two four-clawed dragons chasing jewels, outlined in underglaze blue. The outlines are then filled in with colored enamels and both the central collar rim and the outer dish rim are gilded with gold enamel. The underside is decorated with concentric rings and three stylized bats in underglaze cobalt blue. The slightly rounded footring is unglazed revealing the white paste. No damages or repairs, though the gilding on the rims has wear consistent with use. Small brown iron stain on the footring from contact with the clay pad on which it was fired. Overall very good condition.

Bowl or cup stands of similar form (not decoration) often accompanied jian ware or temmoku tea bowls in the Song dynasty. Wood or lacquer stands of this sort are still used in the formal tea ceremony in Japan when serving thick tea in Song style tea bowls.

Height: 1 in.; Diameter: 4 ¼ in.
Interior diameter of opening: 2 in.

Bubble-suffused apple green glass made to imitate jadeite, good condition.

Diameter: 3 ½ in. ext., 2 ¾ in. int.