Provenance
S. Marchant & Son, London, with their label to the base.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium. Acquired from the above on 18 May 2009 and accompanied by a copy of their original invoice. (see added scans)
Description
Finely painted to the interior with a continuous landscape scene of immortals gathered on rocky outcrops beside a pavilion, one holding a tally while another gestures in discussion, a crane flying overhead carrying a chip in its beak, the exterior with a continuous mountainous river landscape.
The scene illustrates the well-known auspicious theme hai wu tian chou (‘adding one more counter to the Sea House’), a visual pun on longevity. According to the legend, each time the sea transforms into mulberry fields and back again, a tally is added to record the passage of time; the accumulation of such counters symbolises the attainment of great age. The crane, itself an emblem of longevity and harmony, reinforces this message, while the imagery of scholars or immortals in discussion further alludes to wisdom and the passage of time.
Bowls of this type belong to the refined group of late Transitional to early Kangxi wares and are notable for their painterly quality and narrative compositions.
Reference:
Two near-identical examples were included by S. Marchant & Son, London, in their 1989 exhibition of 'Transitional Wares for the Japanese and Domestic Markets' , p. 36, nos. 48, 49.
A near-identical example from the Jie Rui Tang Collection, illustrated in 'A Culture Revealed. Kangxi Era Chinese Porcelain from the Jie Rui Tang Collection', 2017, pp. 84-85, no. 25. Sold with Sotheby's New York, 20 March 2018, lot 312. (sold USD 60.000,00) (link)
Another near-identical example sold at Christie's New York, 10 May 2011, lot 265. Later sold at Christie's London, 12 September 2018, lot 13. (sold GBP 25.000,00) (link) Another sold with Sotheby's Hong Kong, 4 April 2012, lot 3232. (sold HKD 325.000,00) (link)
A closely related example is in The British Museum, London, registration number Franks.321.+. (link) Another example is in the Butler Family Collection, illustrated by Katherine Butler and Teresa Canepa, 'Leaping the Dragon Gate: The Sir Michael Butler Collection of Seventeenth-century Chinese Porcelain', p. 387, fig. III.4.28a,b.
Lot 63
Kangxi mark and of the period
Dia.: 16 cm - H.: 5 cm
Estimation
€ 15.000,00 – € 25.000,00
Provenance
S. Marchant & Son, London, with their label to the base.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium. Acquired from the above on 18 May 2009 and accompanied by a copy of their original invoice. (see added scans)