8th Nov, 2024 10:00
Asian Art
58
A rare set of Chinese famille verte sweetmeat dishes
Kangxi (1662-1722), comprising four small petal-shaped dishes encircled by eight larger dishes, together forming a single tessellated peony, each dish with steep narrow sides and an everted rim, the interior painted with butterflies and sprigs of flowers or a fruiting peach tree, enclosed by a border of mythical beasts amongst scrolling lotus in iron-red, the rim with shou roundels in gilt against a key fret ground, the exterior with Eight Buddhist Emblems between lotus and shou characters, one dish with a 'Bluett & Sons London' label,
17 to 23cm long (12)
It is very rare to find complete sets of Kangxi famille verte sweetmeat dishes of this type, delicately painted with butterflies hovering over blossoming and fruiting sprays. One set, from the Qing court collection in the Palace Museum in Beijing, was illustrated in 'The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace Museum: Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours', Hong Kong, 1999, pl.96. Another closely related set, in the Nanjing Museum, was included in the exhibition, 'The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty', Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 2003, cat. no. 66. Two more sets were sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 1986 and 2016.
These dishes are replete with auspicious symbols including numerous shou characters and butterflies, both representing longevity. Increasing numbers of famille verte wares with long life symbols were produced at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen in the latter years of the Kangxi period; it is very likely that these dishes were commissioned for the emperor’s 60th birthday in 1713.
For similar lots, see Sotheby's Hong Kong, 20 May 1986, lot 138, and 6 April 2016, lot 3610.
清康熙 五彩描金蝶恋花纹万寿攒盘
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Sold for £96,000
Condition Report
Two large dishes fully repaired with chips and losses.
Another large dish restored to one corner and along the rim.
One small dish with a small chip to one corner.
All with surface scratches and mninor enamel losses.
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Auction: Asian Art, 8th Nov, 2024
Viewing
VIEWING
London Viewing | Auction
Viewing will be held at our London Gallery, Sworders Fine Art, 15 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ as follows:
Friday 1 November, 10am - 4pm
Saturday 2 November, 10am - 1pm
Sunday 3 November, 10am - 1pm
Monday 4 November, 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 5 November, 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 6 November, 10am - 4pm
All lots are, however, extensively illustrated and carry detailed condition reports - see 'Condition report' at the foot of each lot description.
The auction will take place at our Stansted Auction Rooms, Cambridge Road, Stansted Mountfitchet CM24 8GE.
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