Chinese & Japanese Works of Art
Japanese wood Netsuke of a Goat, signed, C19th
Price: £75
A Japanese boxwood netsuke sculpture of a seated goat, its head turned expectantly to the right, the fur naturalistically rendered and the underside with modelling marks and a signature carved to the rear left foot. Netsuke were carved toggles used to attach hanging objects, usually okimono, to the sash of a kimono and became the subject of the master carver’s art, sometimes of the very highest class. They were formed from ivory or wood, as here, and always display the holes through which the fastening cord was threaded (see image 3). There is certainly artistry to be seen in this example, particularly in the rendering of the head (see image 6) but the artist’s signature cannot be identified. Netsuke began to fall out of fashion in the nineteenth century as European dress gradually became more popular but a dating here to this period seems reasonable.
Chinese cloisonné Vase decorated birds, C20th
Price: £25
A Chinese cloisonné vase of baluster form, the ovoid body above a spreading foot and below a stepped concave neck, the top and bottom finished with gilt metal bands and the base in blue enamel, the decoration in the cloisonné technique of polychrome glass derived enamels set in wire outlines (the so called ‘cloisons’ from the French word), with birds in a stylised garden scene with lotus on a black ground with a wire inlay design representing clouds, between elaborate borders at the top and bottom including ‘ju’i’ lappets and stylised lotus leaves. The cloisonné technique was developed in China in the early Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and then used throughout, right up until the C20th; indeed pieces are still produced today. The later examples can have their own charm and often the quality of the work is excellent, as here, with an imaginative use of colours and shading effects to the enamels. Dating is most likely to the early twentieth century and this vase clearly shows that a high standard of workmanship was still maintained at this time.
Japanese Blue and White Teapot, Cover and Liner, Aizu-Hongo ware, late C19th/early C20th
Price: £75
A Japanese ceramic teapot of globular form with a short upright rim and a slightly countersunk lid with a round knob, two lugs for the attachment of a carrying handle and a short straight angular spout, boldly decorated in underglaze blue and white with flowering peony, the rim and cover with a band of whorl pattern, the base flat and unglazed and the interior with a fitted liner or strainer of tapering conical form with a flat bottom and small pieced holes. A similar teapot can be seen in the collection of the University of Idaho (see image 13) where it is described as having been made at the Aizu-Hongo kilns in Japan, situated in the Fukishima prefecture. Teapots in this style were made in large quantities between 1885 and 1911 and many were exported to America appearing in export catalogues of the period. The addition of a liner or strainer is a most unusual feature for an Oriental teapot but was standard for these particular wares. The lugs would have been fitted with a bamboo handle making it easier to handle the piece with hot water inside. A practical design, but this teapot is rather more likely to be admired than used in the present day.
Chinese Blue and White Snuff Bottle and Stopper, early C20th
Price: £45
A Chinese porcelain snuff bottle and stopper, the round slender pear shape body with a concave neck and a lobed ‘garlic’ rim decorated with a typical landscape scene of rocky outcrops, trees pavilions and a lake with mountains and birds in the distance, the cap form stopper in blue with an unglazed wand, the glazed base with an artemisia leaf. The form here is rather less commonly found than the standard flattened ovoid shape and the work recalls pieces from the Kangxi period (1662- 1722) where an artemisia leaf is often found as decoration underneath, but the paste of the foot and the style of the painting indicate rather later work, most likely dating to the early twentieth century. But the traditions of old have been well maintained and this is an attractive piece in miniature which has survived in excellent condition.
Chinese Famille Rose Snuff Bottle and Stopper, early C20th
Price: £45
A Chinese porcelain snuff bottle and stopper, the cylindrical body with a stepped shoulder, a short concave neck and a modelled rim, decorated in Famille Rose enamels with a bird sitting on a branch of flowering peony, a two character signature to the reverse, the glazed base with an artemisia leaf in iron red, the cap form stopper with an unglazed wand. While the decoration recalls eighteenth century export wares the paste of the foot and the style of painting indicates a rather later dating here, probably to the beginning of the twentieth century. But the design is attractive and deserves its artist’s signature, which cannot be identified, and the piece has survived in excellent condition.
Chinese Blue and White Snuff Bottle with Jade stopper, early C20th
Price: £45
A Chinese snuff bottle of flattened ovoid form, the stopper with a jade top above the cork sealed wand, decorated in underglaze blue with two birds amidst flowering peony or plum blossom, the base with a four character mark in underglaze blue. The paste of the foot and the fairly coarse style of the painting suggest a circa date to around 1900 or a little thereafter but the design is attractive and the bottle survives with its stopper and wand intact which is not always the case.
Chinese boxwood carved figure with silver inlay of Li Tieguai circa 1900
Price: £55
A wood carving of Li Tieguai dressed in an elaborate robe, carrying a crutch in his right hand and holding his belt in his left, represented standing on a crab. Li Tieguai was one of the eight Daoist immortals and is often depicted as a beggar carrying a crutch. He was associated with medicine and while known for his irascible temper was benevolent to the poor and needy. By legend, a handsome scholar whose spirit left his body to meet with other immortals, it is said that on one occasion his apprentice cremated his body before his return to it, forcing him to inhabit instead the body of a lame beggar. He is associated with the crab, a deer, or a bat, the crab motif, seen here, perhaps being related to the story of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea and using their powers to traverse the waves. Li Tieguai was often the subject of the wood carvers’ art and this figure is a good example of the representations of him produced in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. The carving is expressive and unusually inlaid with silver wire detail indicating considerable care in the manufacture. Most likely this figure was intended for the export market and would have been destined to stand on the mantle piece of a Victorian interior.
Chinese rice grain Dish with Jingdezhen Mark, late C20th
Price: £35
A small ceramic dish of saucer form, decorated in underglaze blue, red, green, black enamel and gold with a central roundel of a dragon amidst flames within a border of geometric design and bats, itself within a ground of stylised fans and flowers edged with a diaper border, the reverse with a four character seal mark in underglaze blue reading 'Jing-De-Zhen-Zi', indicating manufacture at the well known kiln town of Jingdezhen in the Jiangxi province. The rim of the plate has 'rice grain' decoration where the porcelain is pierced and the glaze allowed to cover the openings made so that the holes can be seen in a strong light. The mark here found on other pieces and seems first to have been used around 1950 but was still employed around forty years later. Dating is probably to the late twentieth century.
Chinese Cantonese style hexagonal Jar and Cover, C20th
Price: £150
A Chinese porcelain jar and cover, the body of flattened hexagonal form above a spreading foot and below a shouldered rim, the cover overhanging with a circular knob and the base with a countersunk foot. The decoration is in ‘Famille Rose’ enamels in a wide palette of colours in the nineteenth century ‘Cantonese’ style; two main panels of birds and flowers and four smaller panels with landscape scenes on a stylised ‘cracked ice’ ground with flower heads, the base and top rim with two forms of repeating key pattern and the neck and lid with stylised floral decoration on a yellow ground. The form here was introduced in the nineteenth century but copied again in the twentieth as is the case here where the paste of the foot rim and general style of the decoration indicate later work. But the quality has been reasonably well maintained and dating is probably no later than around 1950, providing an attractive and accessible accessory for a contemporary setting.
Chinese pumpkin shape Teapot with cream craquelure glaze circa 1900
Price: £55
This is an unusual Chinese teapot of ‘pumpkin’ form with a typically lobed body but of extremely compressed proportions, with a short spout, a shallow fitted lid and flattened loop handle in the form of a stylised dragon. It is clearly ‘archaistic’ in style and the cream craquelure glaze recalls pieces from the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and even before, particularly the so called ‘guan ware’, but while earlier lobed pieces can be found, particularly shallow bowls, there do not seem to be any precedents for this form of teapot and there are no parallels amongst later pieces either. The paste of the foot and the general style of the glaze certainly indicate a dating to around 1900 and just possibly slightly before. A piece, then, for a curious collector who might perhaps be lucky enough to make further discoveries about its origin.
Japanese Arita Square Dish, Cheng Hua mark, circa 1880
Price: £55
A fine quality Japanese porcelain dish of square shape with chamfered corners and a wavy edge rim, the central well slightly sunk and the sides curving slightly upwards, the reverse with an unglazed circular foot rim, decorated to the front in underglaze blue with a typical landscape scene of a rocky outcrop with pavilions next to a lake in the foreground with mountains in the background, the border with alternating swastika and stylised flower head panels, the reverse with scrolling karakusa and a four character mark to the centre reading ‘Chenghua Nian Zhi’ or ‘Made in the Chenghua period’. Pieces like this decorated in underglaze blue were made in the potteries at Arita for export to the West in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This dish is an excellent example of the type, well painted and potted, with the rather unusually shaped edge rim. The Japanese artists sometimes optimistically marked their pieces as from the Chinese Cheng Hua period (1465–1487), a modest piece of whimsy intended to deceive nobody. The paste of the foot here indicates a circa date firmly in the nineteenth century, certainly to around 1880 and perhaps slightly before.
Chinese Plate No 9 from the series Beauties of the Red Mansion, Jingdezhen, 1988
Price: £35
This is the ninth plate from the series ‘Beauties of the Red Mansion’ comprising twelve plates in all, produced by ‘Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain’ and titled ‘Beauties of the Red Mansion’. The plates were designed by the master artisan Zhao Huimin and depict characters from the famous Chinese romance novel ‘The Dream of the Red Chamber’ or ‘The Story of the Stone’ written by Cao Xueqin during the Qing Dynasty. Each plate depicts one of the court lady characters which appear in the work (Pao-chai, Yuan-chun, Hsi-feng, Hsi-chun, Mao-yu, Ying-chun, Tai-yu, Li-wan, Ko-ching, Hsiang-yun, Tan-chun, Chiao-chieh), all renowned not only for their physical beauty but also for their complex personalities and roles in the narrative of the novel. The ninth plate depicts Ko-Ching, the wife of a cousin of Pao-Yu, the hero of the novel, and much loved both by him and his Mother. Unfortunately, she becomes ill and dies, much mourned by her family. The plate has an elaborate inscription on the back along with the factory name and the date of production, 1988. While the work is detailed it is not hand done but seems to have been produced by some form of printing process. The ‘micro dot’ detail of this can be seen in some of the images. The plate comes with its original box and descriptive leaflet which gives extensive background detail and a translation of the inscription on the reverse. These are not always found, making this an interesting collector’s item.
Chinese Plate No 3 from the series Beauties of the Red Mansion, Jingdezhen, 1985
Price: £35
This is the third plate from the series ‘Beauties of the Red Mansion’ comprising twelve plates in all, produced by ‘Imperial Jingdezhen Porcelain’ and titled ‘Beauties of the Red Mansion’. The plates were designed by the master artisan Zhao Huimin and depict characters from the famous Chinese romance novel ‘The Dream of the Red Chamber’ or ‘The Story of the Stone’ written by Cao Xueqin during the Qing Dynasty. Each plate depicts one of the court lady characters which appear in the work (Pao-chai, Yuan-chun, Hsi-feng, Hsi-chun, Mao-yu, Ying-chun, Tai-yu, Li-wan, Ko-ching, Hsiang-yun, Tan-chun, Chiao-chieh), all renowned not only for their physical beauty but also for their complex personalities and roles in the narrative of the novel. The twelfth plate depicts Chiao-chieh, the daughter of Hsi-Feng who was eventually forced to abandon the luxury and wealth of court life as a result of the unscrupulous actions of her Mother. The plate has an elaborate inscription on the back along with the factory name and the date of production, 1985. While the work is detailed it is not hand done but seems to have been produced by some form of printing process. The ‘micro dot’ detail of this can be seen in some of the images. The plate comes with its original box and descriptive leaflet which gives extensive background detail and a translation of the inscription on the reverse. These are not always found, making this an interesting collector’s item.
Set of six fine quality Satsuma cups and saucers, signed, early C20th
Price: £180
A set of six earthenware cups and saucers, the cups straight sided with loop handles and the saucers with an interior well, finely painted with six different genre landscape scenes, matching on each of the two pieces and within geometric pattern black and gilt borders, in a palette of colours emphasising browns, grisaille and gilt, on a cream ground with a very fine craquelure glaze which is repeated on the reverse of the saucers and the base of the cups, all twelve with a small central mark of three gilt characters on a black ground. The style of decoration here is that of the workshops from the province of Satsuma who produced a wide range of pieces, some of exhibition quality, for export to the West in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. While not by one of the best known artists, these cups and saucers are of very high quality and the identity of their maker, which unfortunately cannot be established at present, is probably contained in the signatures. The detail of the painting speaks for itself and all six scenes feature Mount Fuji in the background with a lake in front with figures on the bank engaged in a variety of activities including one scene of a figure contemplating the mountain itself - the artistry is sometimes combined with a wry sense of humour. While most likely part of a larger tea service, these six cups and saucers may possibly have been intended just as cabinet display pieces. Certainly, they could fulfil that function now. Dating is probably to the early twentieth century and within the Taisho period (1912-1926).
Japanese black lacquer musical jewellery Box, mid C20th
Price: £45
A Japanese jewellery box and hinged cover, with a mirror and blue ridged fabric lining to the inside face, of rectangular form, the exterior decorated with landscape scenes and the lid with a border of shaped pieces of abalone shell, the interior with two upper compartments, lined with ridged blue fabric, the hinged lids with red tassels and also decorated with landscape scenes, fitted with hinge like devices to allow them to be lifted up revealing two further compartments below, one lined with ridged blue fabric and the other with a black lacquer lid cover which lifts up to reveal a music box below, the base with four feet and a winding device for the music box which plays music [WHAT?] when the lid is opened. These boxes were made in Japan in the 1950s and 1960s for export and this example is in particularly good condition and comes with its original key.
Japanese Arita Tea Set, boxed, late C20th
Price: £55
This is a Japanese porcelain tea set, comprising a teapot and cover, with an interior wire ‘sieve’ at the base of the spout, and five footed teabowls, all decorated in underglaze blue with enamel highlights in red and green and incorporating floral and landscape designs with geometric patterns. The teapot lid and all the five bowls are signed, presumably with the factory or decorator’s name, in underglaze blue and the lid of the box also has a calligraphic inscription. While made towards the end of the twentieth century, the style of decoration here reflects earlier pieces made at the kilns in Arita for export to the West. Certainly, the quality is a match for the older counterparts and the set has both practical and decorative appeal. Five cups are included since the Japanese ‘set’ contains one less item than the European one. The inscription on the lid, which is found elsewhere on similar sets, apparently contains the wording ‘Sweet smelling goods’ and ‘Arita Ware’.
Chinese Cork Diorama in a Glazed Wood Frame, C20th
Price: £25
A fine quality Chinese carved and coloured cork sculpture with pavilions on rocks, pine trees and crane amidst reeds, all rendered in minute and meticulous detail and set in a fan shape glazed frame of lacquered wood set on an altar table form stand.
Chinese cork carving, also known as cork sculpture, is a traditional Chinese art form depicting intricate landscapes with pavilions and animals. The cork (from cork bark of trees) is cut, carved, coloured and glued together into pictures after which it is wood-framed, usually painted in black lacquer, with clear glass protection. The tradition seems to have begun in the early twentieth century when the Chinese wood carving artist Wu Qiqi from Xiyuan village in Fuzhou was inspired by a wood carving picture that brought back from Germany to create something in imitation using locally cork for the main elements with rice paper plant to form the animals. The sculptures proved popular and many were exported. This piece is an excellent example with a particularly attractive frame and probably dates to before the Second World War.
Chinese silk embroidery panel, early C20th, later framed
Price: £75
A very fine quality Chinese silk embroidered panel, the main design showing two birds sitting on branches of flowering lotus, the scene in two halves in close mirror image, within an inner gilt thread border of stylised clouds and an outer border of repeating butterflies. The precision and detail of the stitching display the very best work of the Chinese needlework craftsmen, most likely women, working in the early twentieth century. Embroidered panels were exported to the West, sometimes in their own Chinese made frames as screens or table screens and sometimes unmounted for framing on arrival. The frame here is modern, although highly sympathetic, but the fabric borders at the edge, a common feature of these pieces, look to be contemporary with the panel itself suggesting that an older frame was recently replaced. The combination is most successful, and the embroidery itself remains in excellent condition with no loss to the threads or staining to the silk backing, which is not always the case, making this a fine decorative addition for a contemporary interior.
Pair of Chinese hardstone plaques, early C20th
Price: £95
A pair of Chinese lacquer panels, the gold ground with painted decoration and hardstone inlay depicting four of the eight immortals, or Baxian, in a stylised garden scene. Amidst painted rocks and flowering prunus with lakes and mountains in the background stand, on the left plaque, Lan Caihe, the patron of florists and gardeners, and Lü Dongbin, a scholar and poet, and on the right plaque Zhongli Quan, associated with death and the power to create silver and gold, often depicted holding a fan, and Li Tieguai, associated with medicine and easing the suffering of the sick and needy, identified by his iron crutch and calabash bottle. The eight immortals are figures of legend which feature in Chinese mythology and are worshipped by Taoists as well as appearing in secular Chinese culture. They are often depicted in Chinese art and it is possible that we have here two plaques from an original set of four representing them all. That said, the compositions here are well balanced with perhaps a deliberate contrast between the attributes of the figures. Plaques with hardstone inlay are known amongst the items exported to the West in the early twentieth century and sometimes occur as furniture screens. The work here is both colourful and expressive and an excellent example of the genre. The frames with their silk border may be slightly later but are certainly Chinese and well complement the compositions which they surround contributing to a highly decorative ensemble for a contemporary interior.
Chinese Rose Medallion Saucer circa 1860
Price: £45
A Chinese saucer with a lightly lobed edge decorated in the Cantonese style with ‘c’ border panels of ladies with attendants and birds and flowers on a gilt ground with green enamel scroll work, butterflies and peony blooms. This well known design is termed ‘Rose Medallion’ from its palette of colours and the use of vignette panel scenes (the ‘medallions’). It was one of the successors to the ‘Mandarin’ wares produced for export in the late eighteenth century and evolved around 1840, being produced in a varying range of qualities until the end of the century. It was used to decorate vases, bowls and table wares and this saucer, originally with a matching cup, would have come from a small tea service. The work is good quality with no flaking to the enamels and the gilt detail to the ladies’ hair well preserved, implying a circa date of around 1860. While it has become detached from its original companions it can stand today as a decorative item in itself and a fine recollection of a once popular style.
Pair of Chinese Paintings on rice paper, C19th, later framed
Price: £110
A pair of Chinese paintings on rice paper of two figures, a lady and a gentleman, in traditional court dress. She holds a fan while he holds a quiver of arrows in one hand and a bow in the other, suggesting, perhaps fancifully, a contrast between war and peace. Finely detailed, almost jewel-like, cabinet paintings of this type were made in the 18th and 19th centuries for export to Europe, from the Chinese ports and in particular Canton. The subject matter included botanical studies, commercial and domestic scenes and, as here, people depicted wearing elaborate Chinese dress. These paintings were often issued in sets or albums either to be enjoyed as connoisseurs’ items or for framing to be used as wall decoration. The detail of the brushwork here, especially seen on the robes, and the expression of the faces represents the best of work which was exported and the rice paper ground is in remarkably good condition with little or no trace of foxing. Dating is fairly certainly to the nineteenth century and perhaps to the 1840s/1860s since the style of work resembles that seen on the porcelains produced at this time. The simple frames are doubtless a twentieth century addition and allow these two miniature masterpieces to be displayed with great effect.
Chinese Mandarin Pattern Spoon Tray, Qianlong period circa 1760
Price: £280
A Chinese Spoon Tray of typical form with lobed hexagonal sides and a flat unglazed base, decorated in 'famille rose' enamels to the centre with a court figure scene depicting a male courtier sitting on a low table surrounded by ladies and a child (the term 'mandarin' derives from the name of the male court officials who are so often seen in the scenes decorated in this style), the border with small vignette panels in puce and orange enamel depicting landscape scenes and flowers on a gilt stylised floral ground, the exterior plain.
This piece comes from an original tea service which would have comprised a wide variety of objects decorated in the same pattern to include a teapot, cover and stand, a caddy and cover, a sugar bowl, a cream jug and cover, bowls and saucers and so forth. The form can be seen (along with a matching teapot stand) at Lunsingh Scheurleer, Chinese Export Porcelain pl 149. Dating is to the middle of the Qianlong period (1736-1795) around 1760. The quality of the decoration speaks for itself and this piece has survived intact with very little wear to the decoration.
Japanese Arita blue and white stencil decorated Bowl, early C20th
Price: £45
A Japanese bowl the sides curving inwards to the short foot and the rim faintly lobed, decorated in underglaze blue with boys playing in a stylised garden scene below a floral border, the centre interior with a medallion of a ‘ho ho’ bird and leaves. The work here could be termed ‘naif’ and this is due in part to the techniques of decoration which seems to employ stencilled designs rather than hand painted decoration. This can be seen most clearly in image (5). Many pieces in this style, both bowls and plaques, were exported to the West in the early twentieth century and were presumably cheap to purchase on their arrival. Most likely they were made at one of the kilns in the Arita district, the home of many workshops producing wares for export. This is not the grandest of the Japanese pieces made for the West but has a simple charm which can be enjoyed today, as when it was made, at an affordable price!
Two similar Chinese Mille Fleur pattern plates, mid C20th
Price: £55
Two porcelain plates of typical form with a shallow well and a flat rim, richly decorated to the front in ‘Famille Rose’ enamels with densely arranged floral blooms (peony, chrysanthemum, lotus) on a gold ground, the reverse plain and one with an apocryphal four character mark in iron red reading ‘Qianlong Nian Zhi’ (Made in the Qianlong period). This sumptuous floral design, often termed ‘mille fleur’ (thousand flowers) was developed by the Chinese in the mid eighteenth century (Qianlong period 1736-1795) and employed for the next two hundred years or more. The paste of the foot rim and the slightly garish finish of the gilding suggest mid twentieth century work here (the Qianlong mark is wildly optimistic!) but both the plates are as well painted as some of their predecessors and make a highly decorative ensemble.
[Please note that the stands are not included with these items]
Chinese silk textile picture, Zhichun Pavilion, the Summer Palace, C20th
Price: £25
This is a Chinese silk textile picture depicting the Zhichun Pavilion within the Summer Palace, Beijing. Built by the Chinese Empress Cixi as a sanctuary for quiet retreat, the Summer Palace is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces. The Zhichun Pavilion is situated on the small island in front of the Hall of Jade Ripples, beside Kunming Lake’s east bank. It backs onto a hill and to the south it faces the sun allowing a view of spring’s arrival, it’s name translating as ‘knowing Spring’. Image (7) shows a contemporary view and this silk textile was, no doubt, made as a tourist souvenir, perhaps in the 1960s.
Pair of Japanese ceramic Bookends, seated Boy and Girl, mid C20th
Price: £55
A pair of Japanese ceramic bookends, each modelled as a seated figure, a boy and a girl, dressed in elaborate robes, the boy wearing a typical Oriental conical hat, both holding in their upraised arms a carrier’s ‘yoke’, their throne-like chairs with gilt decoration to the sides. While figures like this were sometimes made in Europe, this pair not only look Japanese but were clearly made there. The style of the decoration and the paste of the foot both confirm this. Dating is probably to the 1950s when Japan was exporting a variety of novelty ceramic items for a Western audience. The two yokes are a strange addition. Normally these are seen with hanging containers attached, usually for water. Image 9 shows a typical and heavily burdened ‘water carrier’ figure from the late nineteenth century. Our pair here can hardly be regarded as taking a rest, so the carrying implements were presumably simply added to enhance the design. The result, though, is extremely pleasing and would more than enhance a small collection of books today.
Chinese Export Blue and White Plate with Clobbered Decoration, circa 1780
Price: £75
A Chinese Export Plate of typical form with a flat slightly everted rim and a shallow indented well, the reverse with an unglazed foot rim, decorated in underglaze blue with a stylised garden scene, rocks, peony and two birds, the edge with a narrow band of diaper patter, later decorated in bright enamels with highlighting to the decoration underneath and additional decoration to the border, eight panels, four with flower heads on a green ground alternating with four depicting fish and seaweed, the reverse with three peony blooms and a ‘shop’ mark to the centre all in iron red.
The demand in Europe for polychrome wares from China and Japan was sometimes greater than the supplies sent over and this was remedied on occasion by a second firing on arrival or later to add the colouration desired. The additional enamel decoration would fire at a much lower temperature than the original blue and white so the process was quite safe. The main exponents of the technique were based in Holland and England, often operating as quite small concerns, and there is considerable variation in the quality and style of the decoration they applied. At its best, as here, it can have a naif charm of its own. From the middle of the nineteenth century in England such pieces began to be referred to as ‘clobbered’, a word derived from ‘clobber’ which originally referred to shoe and then clothing repair work. The form and foot rim of this plate allows a secure dating to the late Qianlong period (1736-1795) and the decoration was probably applied in Holland not so long after. By 1900 its use to describe these hybrid porcelains was common and has remained so ever since. The wares are not ones for purists but for those who enjoy a bit of whimsy in a decorative style which is certainly the case here!
Please note that the wood stand is for display purposes only and is not incuded with this lot.
Chinese Famille Rose circular Potiche and Cover, Qianlong period (1736-1795), with later wood stand
Price: £750
A Chinese circular potiche and cover, the base of broad ‘U’ form with a short foot, the cover of flattened domed form with the everted rim extending outwards slightly from the base and a circular hollowed knob at the centre, the whole with a milky white glaze and lavishly decorated in Famille Rose enamels with two complementary sprays of flowering peony at the front and back and two further matching sprays on the lid, the edge of the lid dressed in brown and the centre of the knob with an iron red flower, the top rim also dressed in brown and surrounded by a small geometric pattern border in iron red.
The Famille Rose palette (the term was coined by the French art historian Albert Jacquemart, 1808 – 1875, who produced a classification system for Chinese porcelains) with its emphasis on pink colourings was introduced during the Yongzheng period (1723-1735) and used prolifically by the decorators of Chinese ceramics during the eighteenth century, being found in a variety of styles on vases, jardinieres and tablewares. The format of the decoration here shows the pattern at its best and unusually repeats the front design on the reverse with the cover matching this. More usually the main design simply trails round to the back with near blank space between the two meeting floral branches. The form, too, is not often found and is more likely to have been conceived as an independent object, perhaps one of an original pair, rather than as a component of a dinner service. In a sense it is a ‘first cousin’ to the well known ginger jar shape, examples of which can carry near identical decoration. Surviving in near perfect condition it would be a fine addition to a collection of Chinese eighteenth century export ware as well as a highly attractive decorative object in its own right.
The potiche is sold with a later Chinese wood stand, probably dating to the late nineteenth century, which is an added enhancement.
Chinese silver plate Trinket Box with ceramic plaque, C20th
Price: £25
A Chinese silver plate box and cover of ovoid form, the sides with raised stylised floral decoration and the cover with an inset ceramic plaque with a ju’i lappet border mount depicting two ladies in a garden scene. These boxes seem to have been made as tourist souvenirs and to judge from the style of painting of the plaque date to the mid twentieth century or slightly later. Some have a mirror in the underside of the cover and this may possibly, but not necessarily, be missing here.
Japanese small blue and white Jar and Cover with inner liner, decorated Prunus, late C20th
Price: £25
A small blue and white ceramic jar and cover of ovoid form with a domed lid and an inner cover underneath, the white craquelure glaze ground decorated in underglaze blue with flowering plum blossom or prunus below an elaborate border to the neck, the cover similarly decorated. While highly decorative, the work here relies on the use of stencilled designs, a technique developed by the Japanese in the early twentieth century and used on pieces exported to the West at that time. This jar is rather later and dates to the late twentieth century but retains the appeal of its earlier predecessors. The use of an inner cover or liner was a distinctively Japanese feature, but not all the jars made survive today with both their lids intact.
Japanese kang Table, carved design of phoenix, pine and waves, C20th
Price: £65
A hardwood, probably rosewood, small low table of rectangular form with four short bracket feet, the top with a deeply carved design extending over the rounded edges of a phoenix standing on a branch of a pine tree with crashing waves to the bottom left, the ground with a densely punched decorated surface, the reverse plain but with etched lettering ‘R.S’ ‘J,69’ and a ‘dymo’ label reading ‘SHIMIZU’.
The form here is more commonly associated with pieces made in China and is that of a small low table designed to be used in combination with a ‘kang’, a raised brick platform heated from below that served as a family's main living, sleeping, and dining area during colder months. But similar pieces were also made by the Japanese, sometimes in black lacquer with mother of pearl inlay, and the style of the carving here suggests Japanese rather than Chinese workmanship. All the decorative elements seen here (phoenix, pine, waves) can be found elsewhere in Japanese art but there does not seem to be any specific symbolic meaning intended, just an imaginative composition by an accomplished craftsman. Dating is probably to the first half of the twentieth century and the carved marking are almost certainly later, with the original format ‘dymo’ label dating most likely to the 1960s.
Japanese miniature wood sample Cabinet, late nineteenth century
Price: £55
A small wood cabinet with three drawers and two sliding doors, two of the drawers with marquetry inlay to the front faces both patterned and grained, the sliding doors with graining effect and the third drawer plain. Two of the drawers are signed with the same character and the underneath of the cabinet has further signature marks.
This is an example of Japanese marquetry technique known as ‘Yosegi-Zaiku’ in which intricate geometric patterns made from small pieces of wood were used to decorate the surfaces of small pieces of furniture such as jewellery cabinets or ‘kotan-su’ (kodansu). The technique originated in the town of Hakone, near to Tokyo, in the Edo period (1601/3 to 1868) but continued into the Meiji era (1868-1912) and beyond. Some of the pieces produced have an elaborate array of designs, but what we appear to have here is a sample or specimen piece showing the types of effect the craftsman could produce. This is further complicated by the fact that the top right drawer, which has no decoration at all and is not signed underneath like the other two, appears to be a later replacement with a different form of handle. But there is still some charm and no small amount of skill here. Dating is most probably to the late nineteenth century and this experimental ‘kodansu’ could easily find a place in an early twenty first century setting.
Chinese Blanc de chine figure of Budai, late C20th
Price: £35
A Chinese white glazed figure of Budai, the so called ‘laughing Buddha’ modelled standing with his typically broad chest exposed, a smiling expression and a small sphere in his hand which represents the ‘wish fulfilling jewel’. These white glazed wares, termrd 'blanc de chine' were a classic of Chinese ceramics and made principally at Dehua in the Fujian province from the fourteenth century onwards becoming one of the staples of the Chinese porcelains exported to the West in the eighteenth century. But they are produced even today and the modern examples can be of surprisingly good quality as is the case here where the paste and finish of the foot suggests a late twentieth century dating. The interior is unglazed and there are scratched marks to the bottom which can be ead as either '617' or 'L19'.
Japanese turned wood tea caddy, chazutsu, mark for Hakone, C20th
Price: £45
A Japanese turned wood tea caddy, the polished surface of the base, shoulder and lid revealing the grain of the timber and contrasting with the natural bark finish of the central section. The ovoid section body is capped with a tightly fitting circular lid to ensure an airtight seal which would keep the tea fresh. Known in Japanese as ‘chazutsu’, this particular type of tea caddy was made at Hakone, a mountainous town in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan, famous for its traditional wood crafts. The two character mark on the shoulder appears to comprises 根 (Ne) to the left translating as ‘root’ and 箱 (Hako) to the right translating as ‘box’ which, taken together reads ‘Hakone’. This is an excellent example of the type with an elegant shape and a fine patina and has survived in perfect condition without scratches or damage to the surface. Dating is most likely to the second half of the twentieth century.