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'BLUE AND WHITE' : JANUARY 8th 2009. |
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YUAN or EARLY MING. 14th or 15th Century. Longquan Celadon Ware. A Longquan Celadon Stem Cup with a Bamboo Section Stem. Provenance : Bluett & Son London. The Inglis Collection. Purchased from Bluett & Sons, 30th of March 1965. The Invoice Describes the Stem Cup as "An Old Chinese Stem Cup, the Stem of Bamboo Form : Porcellanous Ware Covered with a Sea-Green Celadon Glaze. Early Ming Dynasty". Paid £45. The Original Bluett Invoice Accompanies this Item. Celadon was a Character in a 19th Century French Play who Appeared on Stage Wearing Green. Celadon has become a Western Term that Applies to a Wide Range of Chinese Ceramics with a Monochrome Green Glaze, Recently Some People have Moved away from this Term and Refer, rather Unromantically, to Celadon Ware as Green Ware. Celadon Originated in Zhejiang Province in the Eastern Han Dynasty, However Green Monochrome Glazes can be Found on Stoneware Much before that Date. Zhejiang is were the Famous Longquan Celadons were made but Celadon was also Produced at Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi. The Production of Celadon Ware Required a Reducing Atmosphere of Around 1300 Degrees C., the Colouring Agent was a Mixture of Iron Oxide and Titanium. The Glaze was Applied very Thickly, and was Full of Tiny Bubbles Which Defuse the Light Giving the Appearance of Richness and Softness. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
YUAN DYNASTY 1279 - 1368. Shufu Ware.A Yuan Shufu Glazed Porcelain Bowl Decorated with Raised 'Classical' Scrolling Plants and a Chinese Character in the Design. Provenance : Robert McPherson Antiques The John Drew Collection of Chinese and Japanese Ceramics. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KAKIEMON. c.1680 - 1700. Japanese Kakiemon PorcelainA Fine Kakiemon Porcelain Bowl. The Kakiemon Enamels Decorated Over a 'Nigoshide Body'. The Decoration Consists of Prunus and Plum Growing from 'Banded Hedges'. The Thickly Potted Shallow Form has an Everted Rim. For a Similar Kakiemon Porcelain Bowl from the Reitlinger Gift See : Japanese Export Porcelain, Catalogue of the Collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (Dr.Oliver Impey, Hotei Publishing, 2002) Page 152 Item 218. Dated to the Early 18th Century. The Ashmolean Museums holdings of Japanese porcelain are excellent, with many pieces of kakiemon on display ; see 'LINKS' for their details and website address. JAPANESE KAKIEMON PORCELAIN : Kakiemon Sakaeda (1596-1666) is popularly credited with being one of the first in Japan to discover the secret of enamel decoration on porcelain, known as 'Akae'. The name "Kakiemon" was bestowed by his overload on Sakaida, who had perfected a design of twin persimmons (kaki: persimmon) and who then developed the distinctive palette of soft red, yellow, blue and turquoise green. Kakiemon is sometimes used as a generic term describing wares made in the Arita factories using the characteristic Kakiemon overglaze enamels and decorative styles. However, authentic Kakiemon porcelains have been produced by direct descendants, now Sakaida Kakiemon XIV (1934-). Shards from the Kakiemon kiln site at Nangawara show that blue and white and celadon wares were also produced. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722. Famille Verte Biscuit Porcelain.An Unusual Kangxi Famille Verte Porcelain Water-Dropper Modelled as a Boy Lying on His Side. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
TRANSITIONAL c.1640 - 1680. Blanc de Chine Porcelain.A Transitional Blanc de Chine Beaker Shaped Vase. The Central Section with Incised Decoration. The Unglazed Base Inscribed in Black Ink with a Single Chinese Character, this is Probably Contemporary with the Piece. Provenance : Private Collection. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722. 康熙 Chinese Export Porcelain.Pair of Small Kangxi Period Chinese Export Porcelain Plates with a European Design. Decorated with Figures 'a la Mode Fontage' Representing the Sence of Smell. The Design is Taken From a French Engraving ( c. 1690 ) Possibly by the Bonnard Brothers. For a Pair of Kangxi Blue and White Porcelain Plates of this Pattern see : Sotheby's, Chinese Decorative Arts and Export Porcelain, London, 27th October and 1st of November 1989, lot 422 ; "A Fine and Rare Pair of European Subject Dishes, Kangxi". For a Another Similar Pair of Kangxi Porcelain Dishes See : Exhibition of Chinese Blue and White - Wanli to K'ang Hsi (S.Marchant & Son, c.1980, catalogue without a date) Item 80. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722. Chinese Export Porcelain.A Kangxi Blue and White Porcelain Vase. Painted in a Strong Tone of Cobalt Blue Against White Body and Clear Glaze. The Design Consists of Lappets with Peony Left White Against the Painted Blue and Other Flower Decoration. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722.A Chinese Export Blue and White Porcelain Ewer and Cover, Kangxi Period (1662-1722). In the Islamic Style. For a similar Kangxi Blue and White Porcelain ewer See : Pronken Met Oosters Porcelein (Stephen Hartog, Uitgeverij Waaders b.v. 1990) Page 73 Item 61. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722.. Chinese Export Porcelain.A Large Kangxi Famille Verte Porcelain Dish. The design consists of a large open-work basket brimming with flowers, the border is of diaper patterns and butterflies. Painted in rich Famille Verte enamels this dish is typical of good quality Chinese Export Porcelain produced in the mid-Kangxi period for the European market. The design is based on popular 17th century Chinese woodcuts and represents abundance or abundant riches. So it can, I think, legitimately be compared to the 'horn of plenty' found in Classical mythology. For a Kangxi Famille Verte Porcelain dish of this pattern see : L'Odyssee De La Porcelaine Chinoise (Various authors, Editions de le Reunion des Musees Nationaux 2003) Page 189 Item 135. As Kangxi c.1680. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
NANKING CARGO c.1752 Qianlong Period 1736 - 1795A Nanking Cargo Bullet-Shaped Blue and White Porcelain Teapot and Cover After a Meissen Form, Decorated with a River Side Garden. Provenance : Christie's Amsterdam, The Nanking cargo. Lot 2090 An English Private Collection R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
MING c.1620 -1640. Blanc de Chine Porcelain.A Late Ming Blanc de Chine Porcelain Figure of Guanyin Holding a Scroll Standing on a Base with Waves Rushing Over it. Provenance : Private French Collection. S.Marchant & Son. Published : Blanc de Chine (S.Marchant & Son, 2006. ISBN 0-9554009-0-2) Page 19 Item 7. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722. Chinese Export Porcelain. A Kangxi Famille Verte Porcelain Dish c.1690 - 1720. Decorated in Strong Famille Verte Enamel Colours with a Creeper Growing up a Pine Tree with Birds in a Terraced Garden. The Border of this European Shaped Dish Shows Phoenix and Peony Against a Seeded Ground. The Gadrooned Rim is Picked Out in Rouge de Fer and Gilt. Provenance : Seymore Robert Delme (died 1894), Cams Hall, Cams Hill, Fareham, Hampshire. Old label (c.1895) to base : 'Pair of octagonal dishes, antique Chinese enamelled Famille Verte from the collection of Seymore Robert Delme, Cams Hall, Hants. Deceased bought at Christies £1.60'. Cams Hall was sold in 1895 after the death of S.R. Delme, the Grade II listed building is now used as a venue for conferences, golf and weddings. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722. Kangxi Six Character Mark and of the Period.A Chinese Export Porcelain Shallow Bowl c1690 to 1710. Kangxi Six Character Mark and of the Period (1662-1722). Painted in strong tones of cobalt blue with a dramatic central scene of an armour clad men with weapons on horseback galloping over peony flowers. The scene is probably taken from part three of The Romance of the Western Chamber, in which General Du routes Sun, who is attacking the Temple of Pujiu (from S.Marchant & Son, reference below, for a full description of the subject matter click on the image). The panels radiating from the central subject shows other mounted warriors with a bannermen as well as panels of flowers. The back with designs including 'Ruyi-Heads'. The Base with a Six Character Kangxi Mark and of the Period. For a pair of Kangxi Mark and Period Porcelain dishes of this size and design see ; Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Sotheby's New York, March 30th 2006. For a similar but larger Kangxi Blue and White Porcelain dish of this pattern see : Seventeenth-Century Blue and White Porcelain and Copper-Red and Their Predecessors (Exhibition Catalogue, S Marchant & Son, London,June 1997) Item 65 Page 69. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
MEISSEN c.1750 German Hard-Paste Porcelain. An 18th Century Meissen White Porcelain Plate. The Lobed Porcelain Plate is Moulded with Forget-Me-Nots. The Base with a Crossed Swords Mark for Meissen. This rather warped porcelain plate was a 'second' and was therefore left undecorated. Some seconds were decorated at a later period but undecorated Meissen seconds are well known. For a similar Meissen Porcelain plate with Naturliche Blumen decoration See : Eighteenth Century Meissen Porcelain, From The Collection of Gertrude J. and Robert T. Anderson (Armin B. Allen, Orlandon Museum of Art, 1988-1989) Page 134 Plate 78. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
CHONGZHEN 1628 - 1644. Ming Dynasty. 明代 Blanc de Chine Porcelain.A Rare Large Ming Blanc de Chine Porcelain 'Temple' Vase. The Thickly Potted Bronze Form Baluster Vase has Two Dramatic Lion Mask Handels with Curved Loops Through their Mouths. The Base is Deeply Recessed and is Entirely Glazed. For a similar Ming Blanc de Chine Porcelain vase with elephnate shaped handles with an inscription dated to 1639 See : Blanc de Chine (P.J Donnelly, Faber and Faber, 1969) Illustration 6C. Provenance : R & G McPherson Antiques. From the Alan Green Collection of Blanc de Chine Porcelain. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
SEVRES 1793 (Before July 17th)An 18th Century Sevres Porcelain Soup Dish. Painted Just Prior to the 'The Reign of Terror' (5 September 1793 – 28 July 1794). The Neo-Classically Inspired Decoration Consists of Flowers and Blue with Gilding. The Base marked with Interlaced LLs For Sevres and PP for 1793 (This Dating System Ceased on July 17th 1793). Painters Mark 'Sc'For Mme Binet, nee Sophie Chanou Painter of Flowers, Working 1779 to 1798. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
MENNECY c.1750 - 1760. French Soft-Paste PorcelainAn 18th Century Mennecy Soft-Paste Porcelain Cup and Saucer Painted with Flowers Over a Lead Glaze. Marked 'D V' to Saucer Base. Produced at the Mennecy Porcelain factory of of Francois Barbin under the protection of the Duc de Villeroy, incised 'D V' to the base. The factory was started in Paris in 1734 but had to move to Mennecy in 1748 because Francois Barbin did not have letters of patent from the king and so was refused permission to produce porcelain in Paris. For a very similar 18th Century Mennecy Porcelain cup and saucer see : French Porcelain, A Catalogue of the British Museum Collection (Aileen Dawson, British Museum Press 1994. ISBN 0-7141-0545-7) Page 55 Item 56. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
NORTHERN SONG c.11th or 12th Century. Early Chinese Stoneware.A Song Pottery Model of a Mythical Creature, Decorated with a Brown Iron-oxide Glaze. Provenance : From a Private English Collection. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
LUDWIGSBURG c.1770 - 1780. German Hard-Paste Porcelain.An 18th Century Ludwigsburg Porcelain Moulded Saucer Decorated with Scattered Flowers. The base with the Ludwigsburg Underglaze Blue Mark of Back-to-Back 'CC's. The Ludwigsburg Porcelain factory was founded by Carl Eugen, Duke of Württemberg in 1758. A year later production began under Joseph Jacob Ringler and from 1761 Faïence was made as well. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
HATCHER CARGO c.1643 Transitional Period : Late Ming or Early QingA Miniature Transitional Double Gourd vase from the Hatcher Cargo c.1643. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
QIANLONG 1736 - 1795. Chinese Export Porcelain.A Chinese Export Porcelain Plate with the 'The Pekinese and the Parrots' Pattern, Early Qianlong c.1735 -1745. The Chinese Export Porcelain plates with this pattern are similar in style to work by C.Pronk, however the four known designs created by Pronk for the V.O.C. are mostly figurative and the Dutch East India Company records of Pronk's work do not support such an attribution. It is possible this design was submitted by a Delft artist. For a very similar Chinese Export Porcelain Plate See : Ancient Chinese Trade Ceramics from The British Museum, London (Various authors, Chen Kang-Shuen,1994) Pages 182 and 183 Item 78. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
MING 1368 - 1644. Early Chinese Pottery A Pair of Ming Pottery Models of Chests. From a Kiln in North China, Jiajing to Wanli, c.1550 - 1600. This pair of Ming Pottery chests were funerary models, the Chinese call them Mingqi, they were made expressly for burial. There were several great period of production, but it was the Ming dynasty that saw the largest amount of pottery models of furniture being made. They were produced from low-fired pottery and had brightly coloured lead-glazes similar to those found on Ming Roof-Tiles. They were made in moulds and quickly assembled, the present example uses the same mould for both the front of the chest as for the back, but so as to not show the doors on the front and on the back, the back panel has been reversed. So, when you look from underneath you can see the moulded door panel on the interior of the piece of furniture. The tops, sides and back are left unglazed, these areas were sometimes 'cold-painted'. A table with offerings of this type of Ming Pottery, purchased from Robert McPherson can be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum. For a Ming Pottery Mingqi chair See: Ming Ceramics in The British Museum (Jessica Harrison-Hall,The British Museum Press,2001) Page 552 Item 20:8. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
QIANLONG 1736 - 1795. Decorated in London c.1755 - 1765.A Chinese Export Porcelain Teapot and Cover, Qianlong Period 1750. Decorated in London, Possibly by James Giles, Between c.1755-1765. The Plain Chinese Export Porcelain was Painted in London with a Large Sprig of English Flowers, and Further Scattered Flowers and an Insects. Many pieces of Chinese Export Porcelain with this type of decoration are now attributed to the decorating studio of James Giles. Plain white 18th century Chinese export porcelain is rare, however there are many pieces from the 1750's and 1760's that were plain, then decorated in London enamelling workshops. So it seems likely they were part of specific orders of white porcelain solely for decoration in England. See : European Decoration on Oriental Porcelain, 1700 -1830 (Helen Espir, Jorge Welsh Books, 2005) page 229, item 31 for a Coffee Cup and Saucer with Similar Decoration. Also See : China for the West, Chinese Porcelain & other Decorative Arts for Export illustrated from the Mottahedeh Collection ( David S. Howard and John Ayers, Sotheby's,1978), page 535, item 548. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
TANG DYNASTY 618 - 907. Early Chinese PotteryA Tang Pottery Whistle with a 'Sancai' Glaze. Made from a Two Piece Moulded the Whistle Represents a Demon. Probably From Henan. For a similar Tang Sancai Pottery whistle see : A Survey of Chinese Ceramics, Vol 1. Early Wares : Prehistoric to Tenth Century (Liu liang-yu, Aries Gemini Publishing Ltd, 1991.ISBN 957-9259-01-1) Page 206. Provenance : From an English Private Collection. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
LATE SHANG DYNASTY. c.13th to 11th Century. Early Chinese PotteryA Late Shang 'Li' Tripod. Cord-Marked Grey Pottery. Provenance : Robert McPherson Antiques. The John Drew Collection. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
HOI AN HOARD. c.1450 - 1500.A Small Blue and White Pottery Box from the Hoi An Hoard Shipwreck. The Cover is not a Perfect fit. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KAKIEMON c.1670 - 1690. Japanese Porcelain. The Decoration Probably 19th Century.Japanese Kakiemon Porcelain, Pair of Moulded Bowls. Decorated in Enamels Over a 'Nigoshide Body'. PROVENANCE : Gerald Reitlinger. Victor Rienaecker Collection. Richard W. Weatherhead Robert McPherson Antiques. The John Drew Collection. PUBLISHED : Catalogue of an Exhibition of Japanese Porcelain by Soane Jenyns London 1956 (catalogue to the O.C.S. Exhibition) Richard W. Weatherhead ; Christie's New York 15th September 1999 "An Important Collection of Japanese Porcelain, Japanese and Korean Works of Art". EXHIBITED : The Arts Council Gallery, London "The Oriental Ceramic Society Loan Exhibition of Japanese Porcelain ", (one of the pair) 1956, Item 143. The 'Nigoshide' Body was a New Whiter Porcelain Body Introduced Between about 1660 - 1680, Solely for use on Kakiemon Wares. Indeed the Kakiemon Palette Evolved at the Same Time. It has Recently been Proposed that the Nigoshide Body is not a New Body at all, Rather it is Just Made from a Clay that has been Levigated and Washed more. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
SONG DYNASTY. 11th or 12th Century. Early Chinese Porcelain.A Pair of Miniature Song Qingbai Porcelain Flower Shaped Dishes. QINGBAI meaning Bluish-White is an Ancient Chinese Term, unlike Celadon which is a 19th Century French Description. 'Qingbai' was used in Song Texts to Describe a Ceramic Ware with a Pale-Blue Glaze, it can be either Porcelain or High Fired Stoneware. The Glaze is normally very Translucent, rather Glassy and Varies From almost Clear to Quite a Strong Blue or Blue-Green. The Jingdezhen Qingbai Porcelain Body tends to be of better quality and is very Fine Grained, where as the Qingbai Body made at Fujian normally has a 'Sugary' Appearance with the Glaze Sitting on the Surface rather than Fuzzed to the Body Like the Finer Pieces from Jingdezhen. Qingbai was Popular Ware from the Song to the Yuan Dynasties (10th to early 14th Century). It was First Produced in Jiangxi Province but was also made at Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces. Provenance : Robert McPherson Antiques. The John Drew Collection. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722. 康熙 Blanc de Chine Porcelain. A Small Kangxi Blanc de Chine Porcelain Model of Liu Hai Standing on the Waves Holding a String of 'Cash' Tempting out a Three Legged Toad. For a very similar, though slightly different model see 'Blanc de Chine' (S. Marchant & Son's, exhibition catalogue of 1985, page 37, item 94). See the two Famille Rose groups in our Polychrome section for another version of Liu Hai and his three legged toad (stock numbers 17648 and 17647). Liu Hai was a minister of State in the 10th Century and is said to have tempted a venomous three-legged toad out from his lair (either from the sea as with the present example or sometimes a well). He used a string of 'cash', you can see the coins at the end of the string, the toad is to his left. The toad was then killed, or in another version of the story Liu Hai stands on the toad who transports him to anywhere he wants. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
HATCHER CARGO c.1643 Transitional Period : Late Ming or Early QingA Transitional Porcelain Cup from the Hatcher Cargo, Chenghua Mark to the Base (1465-1487). R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722. 康熙 Famille Verte Biscuit Porcelain.Kangxi Famille Verte Biscuit Porcelain Brush Rest in the Form of a Mountain Range with Steps, Buildings and Trees. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
SEVRES c.1772 French Soft-Paste PorcelainAn 18th Century Sevres Porcelain Plate with an Indented Rim with Scallop Moulding, Decorated with Flowers. Interlaced LL's for Sevres, Script 'T' for 1772 and the Painters Mark (Possibly an 'L' with a dot) for Joyau (No biographical details are know according to Erikson and De Bellaigue, Sevres Porcelain, Faber and Faber 1987). He was a Flower Painter who worked from 1766 to 1775. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722A Fine Kangxi Porcelain Plate Decorated in the 'Master of the Rocks' Style, c.1690-1700. The Thinly Potted Chinese Porcelain Plate is Very Well Painted with an Extensive Rocky Landscape on the Waters Edge with Two Tiny Figures in the Foreground and Two Small Boats in the Distance. A Hut can be seen to the Left Nesseling Under a Wintry Tree. Master of the Rocks Style Porcelain is Normally Dated to the Late Transitional or Early Kangxi Period in the Reference Books. We have Followed this Dating with all 'Master of the Rocks' Porcelain. But I now Think Plates of this Type were Made Slightly Later, after the Re-oppening of the kilns. When one Compares the Thin Potting, Rich Watery Blues and the Milky White Glaze of these Plates to other 'Master of the Rocks' Pieces they Appear Different. The Shape of the Plate, Thin Potting, Tones of blue and Sheen of Glaze Relate to Kangxi Porcelain of the 1690's not the Earlier More Robust, Thickly Potted 'Master of the Rocks' Pieces of the Late Transitional or Early Kangxi Period. The Drawing of the Chenghua Mark on the back is also Very Similar to Kangxi Porcelain of the 1690's, for Example the Well Know Rotterdam Riot Plates of c.1692-1695 whose Chenghua Marks Could Even be by the Same Hand. The phrase 'Master of the Rocks' is unfamiliar to many Chinese, it is another invented category used by western scholars and collectors to pigeonhole groups of Chinese ceramics, rather like Kraakware or Celadon. However unlike either of these, Master of the Rocks, first coined by Gerald Reitlinger, is a clear, distinct group. This style lasted from about 1645 to 1690. The highly distinctive painting style consists of landscapes with massive powerful mountains in a linier technique. The style is, for want of a better word, ‘painterly’ and often includes distant mountains painted with a very wet brush that contrast with the linier mountains in the mid ground. The style usually employs a technique of blobby dots, either in the landscape or as a border. These dots are painted with a wet brush and have no outline. These designs were certainly inspired by late Ming scroll painters like Wang Jinazhng (active c.1628 – 1644). The same use of brushstrokes in contour like parallels lines can be seen. Mountains with jagged peaks are piled up creating a dramatic structure. But where as many of the scroll painters are known, the ceramics artists are anonymous. Provenance : The John Drew Collection of Chinese and Japanese Ceramics. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
ST.CLOUD c.1700 - 1720. French Soft-Paste Porcelain.An Early 18th Century St.Cloud Soft-Paste Porcelain Trembleuse Cup and Saucer. Thickly Potted with a Lead Glaze Over a Ribbed Moulded Form. Decorated with a Design in Blue and White of Interlocking Geometric Patterns. This Piece Appears to be Earlier than Most of the Blue and White St.Cloud Porcelain we have had, Dating to c.1700 - 1720 rather than c.1720 - 1740. The style of the present example can be seen on Rouen Porcelain and Pottery as well as St.Cloud, and is traditionally related to the great Baroque designer to the French court of Louis XIV, Jean Berain (1640-1711). Berain's style of grotesques and strap-work were used on all types of decorative art from furniture to tapestries, silver ware and just about anything else. His stylistic language is based on a Renaissance understanding of a type of Roman design. However, the designs one finds on St.Cloud porcelain are more linear and weightless, they are more in keeping with ornamental prints. Of the more complex designs, a few have been possible to identify from the original source material. They are not taken from Berain designs but from the etchings of a prolific architect Jacques Androuent Du Cereau, who early in his life spent time working in Italy (in the 1530's). However it seems to me inconceivable that his designs would have been used in the early 18th century unless Berain and his grotesque style were so popular. Both are interpretations of Classical Roman design but from different generations. For a similar St.Cloud beaker and saucer dated to c.1700-1710 see : French Porcelain, A Catalogue of the British Museum Collection (Aileen Dawson, British Museum Press 1994. ISBN 0-7141-0545-7) Page 9 Item 5. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
HATCHER CARGO c.1643. Transitional Period : Late Ming or Early QingA Hatcher Cargo Transitional Porcelain Octagonal Baluster Jar. Late Ming c.1643 Label to Base : The Hatcher Collection Christie's Amsterdam 14-03-1984. The Neck Decorated with a Border of 'Teeth' and Overlapping Lappets Reserved in Blue with Scrolling Flowers Left in the White. The Central Register is Decorated with 'Floating' Flowering Branches, Including Orchids, Plum and Lotus. Below a Band of Stiff Leaves Pointing Downwards. Can be Seen in 17th Century Dutch Paintings by Artists Such as Simon Luttichuys (1610-1661 or 62) and J.D. de Heem (1606-1684). Dr. A.I. Spriggs in His Paper Read to the Oriental Ceramic Society 'Oriental Porcelain in Western Paintings' Illustrated a Painting by C.Cruys Containing a Similar Vessel See : Transactions of the O.C.S. Volume 36, Plate 73d. The Shape and Design are of a Type Made Only for Export. T.Volker in 'Porcelain and the Dutch East India Company' Suggests that this Form Corresponds to the "Pots for Preserves" Ordered from Jousit in 1643, Described as "Octagonal and Round" or "Half Round, Half Octagonal". R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
CHANTILLY c.1765 - 1775 French Soft-Paste PorcelainAn 18th Century Chantilly Soft-Pate Porcelain Coffee Can and Saucer, Decorated with Flower Sprays in Under-Glaze Cobalt Blue. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
HATCHER CARGO c.1643. Transitional Period : Late Ming or Early Qing A Hatcher Cargo Transitional Porcelain Octagonal Baluster Jar. Late Ming c.1643 Label to Base : The Hatcher Collection Christie's Amsterdam 14-03-1984. The Neck Decorated with a Border of 'Teeth' and Overlapping Lappets Reserved in Blue with Scrolling Flowers Left in the White. The Central Register is Decorated with 'Floating' Flowering Branches, Including Orchids, Plum and Lotus. Below a Band of Stiff Leaves Pointing Downwards. Can be Seen in 17th Century Dutch Paintings by Artists Such as Simon Luttichuys (1610-1661 or 62) and J.D. de Heem (1606-1684). Dr. A.I. Spriggs in His Paper Read to the Oriental Ceramic Society 'Oriental Porcelain in Western Paintings' Illustrated a Painting by C.Cruys Containing a Similar Vessel See : Transactions of the O.C.S. Volume 36, Plate 73d. The Shape and Design are of a Type Made Only for Export. T.Volker in 'Porcelain and the Dutch East India Company' Suggests that this Form Corresponds to the "Pots for Preserves" Ordered from Jousit in 1643, Described as "Octagonal and Round" or "Half Round, Half Octagonal". Provenance : Christie's Amsterdam ; Fine And Important Late Ming And Transitional Porcelain, Recently Recovered from an Asian Vessel in the South China Sea. Property of Captain Michael Hatcher. Christie's Amsterdam 14th March 1984. Label to base. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
QIANLONG 1736 - 1795. 乾隆 Jingdezheng White Porcelain.An Unusual Miniature Chinese Export Porcelain Figure of Shoulou on a Rectangular Base with a Ruyi-head Design in recess. This figure was made at Jingdezheng and is therefore not Blanc de Chine which was produced in Dehua, Fujian Province. There were four white figures of this type in the Nanking Cargo sale of 1986. One of the figures was of Shoulou and matches the present example (lot 5736, it was described as being Blanc de Chine). R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
MEISSEN c.1750 - 1765 German Hard-Paste PorcelainAn 18th Century Meissen Porcelain Knife Handel. The Pistol-Shape Handel Part Moulded with a Basket-Weave Pattern (Alt-Ozier, meaning old ozier). Painted with 'Natural Flowers' (Naturliche Blumen). The Metal Later. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
DERBY. c.1815 - 1825 English Bone ChinaA Well Painted Derby Bone-China Porcelain Dessert Plate, Probably Painted by Thomas Steel (1772-1850). Sumptuously Painted with Fruit, Finished with a Simple Gold Rim. Marked with the Derby Over-Glaze Red Mark. For a Very Similar Plate but with a Different Arrangement of Fruit by Thomas Steel See : Derby Porcelain by John Twitchet, Item 68. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
QIANLONG 1736 - 1795. Chinese Export Porcelain with Dutch or English Decoration.A Chinese Export Porcelain Blue and White Bowl, Qianlong (1736-1795). Over Decorated in England or Holland in c.1780. Provenance : Dr Bernard Watney. The Watney Collection of Chinese Porcelain Decorated in Holland and England. Bonhams, New Bond street, London 7th November 2003. Part Two of a Two part Lot. Lot 79 Illustrated on page 48. When Bernard Watney purchased this bowl from us we thought it was Dutch decorated but the Bonham's catalogue of the Watney sale puts forward an interesting theory "The bowl painted with 'bubblehead figures reminiscent of New Hall. This could be an early example of Staffordshire clobbering". We purchased the bowl in Amsterdam, which while not excluding the possibility of it being decorated in England, does make it less likely. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722. 康熙A Kangxi Blue and White Porcelain Bowl. Of Flower Shape Decorated with Buddhist Images. The Base with a Chenghua (Ming Dynasty, 1465 - 1487) Mark. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
CHONGZHEN 1628-1644 or SHUNZHI 1644-1661. Transitional Porcelain. An Unusual Small Late Ming or Very Early Qing Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Dish Made for the Japanese Market, c.1630 - 1650. Incised with a Buddhist Lotus flower. The Back Painted with Stylised Ruyi Head Fungus. The Base with a Chenghua (Ming 1465 - 1487) Six Character Mark. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
ARITA c.1670 - 1690. Japanese Porcelain.A Pair of 17th Century Japanese Porcelain Blue and White Square Dishes. The Bases with Six Character Marks Copying Chinese Porcelain of the Ming Dynasty's Chenghua Reign (1465-1487). Provenance : Robert McPherson Antiques The John Drew Collection of Chinese and Japanese Ceramics. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
ARITA c.1680 - 1700. Japanese Porcelain.A 17th Century Japanese Porcelain Plate decorated in Blue and White. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
CHONGZHEN 1628-1644 or SHUNZHI 1644-1661. Transitional Porcelain. Unusual Late Ming or Very Early Qing Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Dish Made for the Japanese Market. Incised with a Buddhist Lotus flower. The Back Painted with Stylised Ruyi Head Fungus. The Base with a Chenghua (Ming 1465 - 1487) Six Character Mark. The lotus is one of the most important symbols in the Chinese art. This Buddist emblem is a symbol of purity, as the perfect flower grows out of muddy ponds without a stain. The words for lotus in Chinese has the same meaning as to bind, connect (in marriage). It is one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddism. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
17th CENTURY. 明代 Blanc de Chine Porcelain. A Late Ming or Early Qing Blanc de Chine Porcelain Libation Cup of Octagonal Form. One Side with a Two Line Incised Poem. For a Similar Blanc de Chine Cup See : The Burghley House Collection of Chinese and Japanese Ceramics, Page 90, Item No. 233. Also See Donnelly : Blanc de Chine Plate 26c. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
QIANLONG 1736 - 1795. 乾隆. Chinese Export Porcelain.A Chinese Export Porcelain Famille Rose Group. Qianlong c.1750 - 1770. Representing Liu Hai and an Acolyte. The Chinese Immortal Liu Hai is Shown Tempting a Three-Legged Toad with a String of Five Gold Cash. Such Brightly Enamelled Chinese Porcelain Groups, often laden with Meaning to the Chinese, were Made for Export to Europe, where their Meaning would have been Lost. For More information about Liu Hai Click on the Image. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
HATCHER CARGO c.1643. Transitional Period : Late Ming or Early Qing Dynasty.A Late Ming or Early Qing Dynasty Blue and White Porcelain Box and Cover From the Hatcher Cargo Shipwreck of c.1643. Decorated with Scrolling Lotus. The Base Marked 'Brilliant Moon is Double Pure'. Provenance : The Hatcher Cargo, Christie's Amsterdam 1984 or 1985. The Gerald Davison Collection. Label to base ; Ming CP 156. Published : The Handbook of Marks on Chinese Ceramics (Gerald Davison,Han-Shan Tang Books,1994). Page 23 Item 23. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KAKIEMON. c.1680 - 1700. Japanese Kakiemon Porcelain.A Japanese Polychrome Plate Decorated in the Kakiemon Style With Two 'HoHo' Birds on a Rock, the Border with Birds in a Scroll Design. Three Stilt Marks on the back. This Kakiemon design relates to a Chelsea Porcelain Pattern. For a very similar example see Christie's, London, Japanese Works of Art, 6th and 7th March 1989: Lot 322, Kakiemon Shallow Plate, 21.4cm, dated to c.1680 . For Another Kakiemon Plate of This Pattern See See : The World in Colours ( Exhibition of the Oriental Ceramic Society, 2006 ) Item No. 148. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI. c.1670. 康熙An Early Kangxi Blue and White Porcelain Plate in the 'Master of the Rocks' Style. The phrase 'Master of the Rocks' is unfamiliar to many Chinese, it is another invented category used by western scholars and collectors to pigeonhole groups of Chinese ceramics, rather like Kraakware or Celadon. However unlike either of these 'Master of the Rocks' first coined by Gerald Reitlinger, is a clear, distinct group. This style lasted from about 1645 to 1690. The highly distinctive painting style consists of landscapes with massive powerful mountains in a linier technique. The style is, for want of a better word, ‘painterly’ and often includes distant mountains painted with a very wet brush that contrast with the linier mountains in the mid ground. The style usually employs a technique of blobby dots, either in the landscape or as a border. These dots are painted with a wet brush and have no outline. These designs were certainly inspired by late Ming scroll painters like Wang Jinazhng (active c.1628 – 1644). The same use of brushstrokes in contour like parallels lines can be seen. Mountains with jagged peaks are piled up creating a dramatic structure. But where as many of the scroll painters are known, the ceramics artists are anonymous. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
ARITA. c.1670 - 1690. Japanese Porcelain.A Japanese Blue and White Porcelain Dish of Flower Shape from the Arita Kilns. Decorated with a Goose on a Jetty of Land with Flowering Plants and Butterflies. The Rim with an Iron Oxide Dressing. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
Silla Kingdom 57 B.C. - 668 A.D. Korean Stoneware.An Unusual Early Korean Black Stoneware Mug. Provenance : Robert McPherson Antiques. The John Drew Collection. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KAKIEMON. c.1680 - 1700. Japanese Porcelain.Kakiemon Porcelain Pair of Saucers. Decorated in Enamels Over a 'Nigoshide Body'. The 'Nigoshide' Body was a New Whiter Porcelain Body Introduced Between about 1660 - 1680, Solely for use on Kakiemon Wares. Indeed the Kakiemon Palette Evolved at the Same Time. It has Recently been Proposed that the 'Nigoshide' Body is not a New Body at all, Rather it is Just Made from a Clay that has been Levigated and Washed more. Provenance : Robert McPherson Antiques. The John Drew Collection. JAPANESE KAKIEMON PORCELAIN : Kakiemon Sakaeda (1596-1666) is popularly credited with being one of the first in Japan to discover the secret of enamel decoration on porcelain, known as 'Akae'. The name "Kakiemon" was bestowed by his overload on Sakaida, who had perfected a design of twin persimmons (kaki: persimmon) and who then developed the distinctive palette of soft red, yellow, blue and turquoise green. Kakiemon is sometimes used as a generic term describing wares made in the Arita factories using the characteristic Kakiemon overglaze enamels and decorative styles. However, authentic Kakiemon porcelains have been produced by direct descendants, now Sakaida Kakiemon XIV (1934-). Shards from the Kakiemon kiln site at Nangawara show that blue and white and celadon wares were also produced. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KAKIEMON. c.1680 - 1700. Japanese Porcelain.A Pair Japanese Kakiemon Porcelain Shallow Bowls. Decorated on a 'Nigoshide' Body with a 'Shishi' and Flowering Branch.c.1680 - 1700 The 'Nigoshide' Body was a New Whiter Porcelain Body Introduced Between about 1660 - 1680, Solely for use on Kakiemon Wares. Indeed the Kakiemon Palette Evolved at the Same Time. It has Recently been Proposed that the Nigoshide Body is not a New Body at all, Rather it is Just Made from a Clay that has been Levigated and Washed more. JAPANESE KAKIEMON PORCELAIN : Kakiemon Sakaeda (1596-1666) is popularly credited with being one of the first in Japan to discover the secret of enamel decoration on porcelain, known as 'Akae'. The name "Kakiemon" was bestowed by his overload on Sakaida, who had perfected a design of twin persimmons (kaki: persimmon) and who then developed the distinctive palette of soft red, yellow, blue and turquoise green. Kakiemon is sometimes used as a generic term describing wares made in the Arita factories using the characteristic Kakiemon overglaze enamels and decorative styles. However, authentic Kakiemon porcelains have been produced by direct descendants, now Sakaida Kakiemon XIV (1934-). Shards from the Kakiemon kiln site at Nangawara show that blue and white and celadon wares were also produced. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
HATCHER CARGO c.1643. Transitional Period : Late Ming or Early Qing A Ming Hatcher Cargo Kraak Porcelain Dish, c.1643. The Barbed Rim Shallow Porcelain Dish has Typical Kraak Border Panels of Flowers, Fruit and Birds. The Center Decorated with a Bird on a Rock with Peony and a Butterflies. THE HATCHER CARGO, Of the 25,000 recovered pieces most were blue and white porcelain from Jingdezhen. However, a few Swatow and Blanc de Chine items were also recovered. It seems apparent that this cargo was going to be trans-shipped, some for the local South East Asian market, including bird feeders, cricket cages and pickled dishes. However there were many items made for the West, including western shapes. The Dutch East India Company ( The V.O.C.) had been sending wooden shapes out for copying from the 1630’s.Transitional period porcelain (between the end of the Ming and the beginning of the Qing) is often of very good quality with wonderful landscape and paintings of plants. Indeed the quality of this cargo is generally very high. It dates from the very end of the Ming dynasty. A cover with a cyclical date of Sring 1643 has been recovered. It is one of the most important shipwrecks recovered (See 'HISTORY' for more information about the Hatcher Cargo and 'READING LIST' for books about shipwreck ceramics). R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722. An Early Kangxi Porcelain Bowl, c.1662-1674. Thickly Potted with Steep Sides and a Deep Base with a Rounded Thick Footrim Burnt Orange in the Firing. Decorated with Large Flowering Peony, Bamboo and Plum Growing Through a Scholars Rock, the Reverse with Two Birds, the Well of the Bowl with Insects Flying Around Peonies and Rocks. The Inner Border of Half Flower Heads. The Base with a Six Character Mark Translated as 'Antique Made For The Hall For The Cultivation of Virtue'. See Gerald Davison : The Handbook of Marks on Chinese Ceramics (Han-Shan Tang Books, 1994. Out of print) Page 121, Mark 1358. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
MEISSEN c.1750 - 1765 German Hard-Paste PorcelainAn 18th Century Meissen Porcelain Knife Handel. The Pistol-Shape Handel Part Moulded with a Basket-Weave Pattern (Alt-Ozier, meaning old ozier). Painted with 'Natural Flowers' (Naturliche Blumen). The Metal Later. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722.. Chinese Export Porcelain.A Kangxi Famille Verte Export Porcelain Vase. The Square Shape of Double Gourd Form, Decorated in Famille Verte Enamels with Round Panels of Flowers, above that Buddhist Objects Tied with Bows and above that Panels of 'Fu Dogs' (Buddhist lions) in Landscapes Alternating with Coastal Landscapes. Above that, Archaic Characters in Green and Gold with Half Flower Heads Under the Rim. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722. Blanc de Chine Porcelain.A Kangxi Blanc de Chine Porcelain Box and Cover, c.1680-1700. Rib Moulded with the Center Moulded with a Flowering Prunus (Plum). Boxes and covers of this type but smaller were recovered from the Vung Tau cargo of c.1690, these did not have prunus decoration. Similar white porcelain boxes and covers made at Dehua but predating Blanc de Chine were recovered from a Yuan shipwreck. Undoubtedly such a functional shape was a popular item and would have been made over many years with little change. Provenance : S.Marchant & Son. Published : Blanc de Chine (S.Marchant & Son, 2006. ISBN 0-9554009-0-2) Page 140 Item 101. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
WANLI 1573 - 1620. 明代 Ming Porcelain.A Wanli Kraak Porcelain Dish, Late Ming c.1600-1620. For a similar Ming Kraak porcelain dishes see : Kraak Porcelain, a Moment in the History of Trade (Maura Rinaldi, Bamboo Publishing Ltd, 1989). Kraak Porcelain is a Type of Chinese Export Porcelain Produced from the Wanli period (1573-1620) until the end of the Ming Dynasty in the 1640's. Kraakware or Kraak porcelain was the first Chinese Export Ware to arrive in Europe in large quantities. Its name does not, as had been previously thought derived from the name of Portuguese trading ships, it is possible its name derived from Irish ships called Curachs. These trading ships worked between Ireland and England, they were know to the Dutch traders who used a similar word, craquen, to describe Portuguese trading ships. However in the 16th and early 17th centuries the word Kraak was not used in the V.O.C. record or inventories to describe porcelain. The first known time Kraak was first used as a term to describe a type of late Ming blue and white porcelain was in 1673. This was over 100 years after what we now know as Kraak porcelain was first produced, however there is some evidence that it was a term that had been in use for some time. Blue and white porcelain was exported to Europe in large quantities from the mid 16th century. It was highly prized and the Portuguese fort hard against the Dutch to keep control of this lucrative trade, but in 1602 the Dutch sold the cargo they captured from the Portuguese Carrack 'San Tiago' and two years later they sold the cargo of the 'Santa Catarina'. These ships caused a sensation, it was the first time such large amounts of Chinese blue and white porcelain had been avalible in Northern Europe, many of the pieces were 'gifts' rather than to be sold on the open market . All Kraak porcelain was made at the main ceramic centre in China, Jingdezhen. It does vary in style and quality to quite a large extent, and some scholars include pieces as kraakware that others do not, so a definitive description is, I feel, rather difficult. The main group of kraak porcelain is less controversial. Normally thinly potted, often moulded, it's designs are divided into decorative panels, with reserves that might include flowers and animals, taotie masks and stylised tulips. The bases often show 'Chatter Marks'. These are ridges, that radiate from the centre of the base to the foot rim, they are caused by the potters finishing tool catching on the leather hard clay prior to glazing. When one looks at the construction, painting techniques and glazing of kraak porcelain it appears similar in many ways to some of the late Ming porcelain made for the Japanese market. I think it is quite possible that they were both made within the same kilns at Jingdezhen. Kraak porcelain also includes a few rare pieces that have the addition of underglaze copper red and there are a very few know examples of polychrome kraakware. Kraak porcelain went out of fashion at the end of the Ming Dynasty but was later revived during the reign of Kangxi (1662-1722). Swatow porcelain (c.1580-1640) was made in the kraak style but this is thicker and much cruder, the bases often show grit adhering. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
HATCHER CARGO c.1643. Transitional Period : Late Ming or Early Qing Hatcher Cargo, Transitional Porcelain c.1643. A Large Hatcher Cargo Kraak Porcelain Blue and White Dish. The Hatcher Cargo was the first shipwreck cargo to come on to the market. It was sold in three auctions in Christie's Amsterdam in 1984 and 1985. It is a very important cargo of shipwreck ceramics, despite the lack of historical evidence recorded by the salvage team. A porcelain cover dated to the Spring of 1643 helps confirm the date of the wreck. The Ming dynasty ended in 1644 and the period of chaos between between the end of the Ming and the beginning of the Qing dynasty is referred to as the Transitional period. The Hatcher Cargo is a vital dating tool for late Ming and early Qing porcelain. Kraak Porcelain is a Type of Chinese Export Porcelain Produced from the Wanli period (1573-1620) until the end of the Ming Dynasty in the 1640's. Kraak ware or Kraak porcelain was the first Chinese Export Ware to arrive in Europe in large quantities. Its name does not, as had been previously thought derived from the name of Portuguese trading ships, it is possible its name derived from Irish ships called Curachs. These trading ships worked between Ireland and England, they were know to the Dutch traders who used a similar word, craquen, to describe Portuguese trading ships. However in the 16th and early 17th centuries the word Kraak was not used in the V.O.C. record or inventories to describe porcelain. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI c.1692 - 1695. Qing Dynasty.A Chinese Export Porcelain 'Rotterdam Riot' Plate, Kangxi 1662-1722. The Base with a Chenghua Mark (Ming Dynasty 1465-1487). The Center is Painted with a Scene after a Silver Medal by Jan Schmeltzing Showing the Attack on the Residence of Van Zuylen van Nijevelt, Chief Bailiff of Rotterdam. There are Some Figures Dismantling Beams and Masonry, Others Scaling Ladders or Spilling Bales of Merchandise into the Street Near a Cannon, the Rim with Floral Cartouches on a Diaper-Pattern Ground, the Base with a Jade Mark in Blue and White and the Engraved Mark of Augustus the Strong's Dresden Palace. The central scene is taken from a silver medal by Jan Schmeltzing (1656-1693) after an engraving by Gerard van Loon. Howard & Ayers, China for the West, vol.I, p. 60, gives a detailed account of this riot following the execution of Cornelis Kosterman in 1690. The chief bailiff, Van Zuylen van Nijevelt, had sentenced this young guard from the Rotterdam City Hall to death in his attempt to steal some wine from the cellars for a celebration with his colleagues. Howard & Ayers illustrate, China for the West, no. 15, a severed head of Cornelis Kosterman on a funerary monument, which was taken from the reverse of the medal is show in the well of the teabowls. This pattern is usually encountered on standard 8 1/2 inch plates. Small teabowls and saucers appear to be the only other form used for this design. I have given a very precise date for this plate, as the interest in this design must have been quite ephemeral. By the time the medal was stuck, sent to China to be copied and sent back the following year, the event depicted would have been 'old news'. The scene of this riot in Rotterdam is the first depiction of a European political event on Chinese porcelain that I know of. Provenance : Robert McPherson Antiques The John Drew Collection of Chinese and Japanese Ceramics. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722A Pair of Blue and White Kangxi Porcelain Dishes with Chenghua Marks (Ming Dynasty 1465-1487). Provenance : Robert McPherson Antiques. The John Drew Collection of Chinese and Japanese Ceramics. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
HOI AN HOARD c.1450 - 1500 Vietnamese.A Well Painted Blue and White Pottery Box and Cover from the Hoi An Hoard Shipwreck. Provenance : Treasures From The Hoi An Hoard, Important Vietnamese Ceramics from a Late 15th/Early 16th Century Cargo. Butterfields, October 11th to 13th 2000. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
QIANLONG 1736 - 1795. White 'Chicken Skin' Porcelain.A Qianlong White Porcelain Hexagonal Vase c.1780. This White Porcelain Vase with a 'Chicken Skin' Glaze has Indented Panels. Qianlong Porcelain Vases of this Type are Normally Decorated in Famille Rose Enamels. Provenance : Artemesia, Alresford (label to base) R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
FRENCH c.1760 -1785. French Hard-Paste Porcelain.An 18th French Porcelain Toilet Pot and Cover. Decorated in Cobalt Blue of a Slightly Sooty Tone with Large Sprigs of Flowers. The Base Marked .R.f.d. While the shape and design of this 18th Century Porcelain cosmetics box and cover relate to St.Cloud from the first half of the 18th Century this piece is rather later, and was possibly produced in Paris. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722 or YONGZHENG 1723 - 1735. Famille Verte Biscuit Porcelain. A Chinese Egg and Spinach Famille Verte Biscuit Porcelain Bowl. The Enamel Colours are Green, Aubergine, Yellow with Areas Left in the White, Probably Using a Wax Resist. Decorating with enamel directly on the unglazed porcelain body was especially popular in China from the Transitional period in the middle of the 17th century until the second quarter of the 18th century. Egg and Spinach wares are part of this group, they relate closely to Tang Sancai Pottery of the 8th century. Provenance : From a Private Collection of Early Chinese Ceramics. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
NEVERS c.1690 - 1740. French Faïence.A Late 17th or Early 18th Century Nevers Faïence Vase Decorated with a Exotic Looking Scene, a Man with a Large Hat is Seated Under a Tree with a Woman Approaching Him. There is a Hill Top Town or Village in the Distance. The style is European but the shape of this lead-glazed vase was used in China in the Transitional Period. It was introduced into China by the Dutch in 1630's and was referred to as a Rollwagon. Chinese Transitional Porcelain Rollwagon vases often occur with a band of rigidly painted stylised leaves, the French painter has incorporated a version of this around the neck of the present example. For Nevers Faïence with this type of painting See : Les Faïence De Nevers Et Du Centre De La France (Solange de Plas, Editions Ch. Massin, apparently undated c.1980 ?). Pages 28 and 29. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
SOUTHERN SONG or YUAN DYNASTY. 13th or Early 14th century. Early Chinese Porcelain.A Song or Yuan Dynasty Qingbai Porcelain Conical Shaped Bowl with a Thickened Rim. The Base Unglazed. One of qingbai’s most distinct features is its transparent icy-blue glaze and the names given to qingbai have attempted to capture the essence of this colour. Qing means ‘bluish green' and bai means ‘white’ to form the meaning ‘blue white.’ This ware has also been termed yingqing ‘shadow blue,’ yinqing ‘hidden blue,’ and zhaoqing ‘added blue.’The colour was so greatly admired by the Chinese that they often likened qingbai unto their highly prized stone, jade. An exceptional colour of jade referred to as biyu or ‘bluish-white’ exists and is so reminiscent of qingbai that the porcelain was entitled jiayu or ‘imitation jade.’ For more information about Qingbai ware go to the HISTORY section of the website and see Song Ceramics by Mindy McDonald. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722. Famille Verte Porcelain.A Fine Kangxi Famille Verte Porcelain Bowl Decorated with Boys, the base with a Chenghua, Ming Mark (1465-1487). Provenance : Robert McPherson Antiques The John Drew Collection of Chinese and Japanese Ceramics. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722.A Kangxi Export Porcelain Dish. The Complicated Blue and White Design Consists of a Central Rock with Various Flowering Plants and Branches. To the Right are a Number of Geese, the Left with Pots of Flowering Plants. The Back with Moulded Ogee Panels with a Blue and White Leaf Mark to the Center. This blue and white Kangxi pattern also exists in the Famille Verte palette. Provenance : Robert McPherson Antiques. From the Collection of Kangxi Blue and White Porcelain belonging to an American lady living in London. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
ZURICH c.1770 Swiss Hard-Paste PorcelainAn 18th Century Porcelain Teabowl and Saucer Made at Zurich. Decorated with Birds.'Z' Mark in under-glaze blue. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
MING DYNASTY 1368 - 1644. Early Chinese Bronze.A Small Ming Dynasty Bronze Vase. Decorated in the archaic style, the body with two small loop handles. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722. Blanc de Chine Porcelain.A Kangxi Blanc de Chine Model of Guanyin. Figures of Guanyin are by far the most common of all Blanc de Chine figures and indeed one of the most common images in Chinese figurative art. Guanyin was the Goddess of mercy, She was especially revered in the area where this figure was produced ; Dehua in Fujian Province. But her origins stem from Tibetan Buddhism, she was originally the patron saint of Tibetan Buddhism 'Avalokitesvara'. This Blanc de Chine Guanyin is very similar to the brown glazed Guanyin, also from Fujian Province in our archive section stock : 19633. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
QIANLONG 1736 - 1795. Chinese Export Porcelain.A Pair of Chinese Export Porcelain Plates Decorated in Famille Rose Enamels, Qianlong Period c.1750. Decorated in bring Famille Rose enamels with different types of exotic carp swimming among water plants and lotus flower heads. For a Qianlong blue and white porcelain example with a very similar patterns see : The Nanking Cargo Chinese Export Porcelain and Gold, 28th April 1986, Christie's Amsterdam. Lots 1222-1250. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
MEISSEN c.1740 - 1750. German Hard Paste PorcelainAn 18th Century Meissen Teabowl and Saucer in the 'Blanc de Chine' Style. Decorated with prunus spriggs in relief, the bases with a crossed swords mark in underglaze blue for the Meissen porcelain factory. The saucer with an impressed 'P' the teabowl with a '67'. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
YONGZHENG or Early QIANLONG c.1730 - 1750. Chinese Soft-Paste Porcelain.An 18th Century Chinese Soft-Paste Porcelain Vase with Raised Decoration. Provenance : The Late Mrs Beryl Joyce. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
TOURNAI c.1775 - 1790 Belgium Soft-Paste PorcelainA Well Painted Tournai Soft-Paste Porcelain Plate Decorated in Polychrome Enamel with Roses and other Flowers. For Examples of 18th Century Tournai Porcelain with this Type of Decoration See : Des Porcelaines Et Des Fleurs, Manufacture De Tournai 1750-1891.(I.S.B.N. D/2004/8751/1) Pages 26, 28, 29. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722. Qing Dynasty.A Kangxi Blue and White Porcelain Bowl. Painted with Two ladies Either Side of a Censer. The Well Decorated with Two Long Sleeved Dancing Boys. Six Character Commendation Mark to Base. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
TRANSITIONAL c.1620 - 1650. Blanc de Chine Porcelain.A Transitional Blanc de Chine Porcelain Dish (Ming or Early Qing c.1620 - 1650) from a Serving Set. The base with a small seal mark. Provenance : From the Collection of The Counts of Cao Di San Marco. Remains of an old label with the initials 'R.M.C.' and 'Ming', another label with the number 27. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
EASTERN HAN 25 - 220. Early Chinese PotteryA Han Pottery 'Mingqi' Figure of a Dancer from Sichuan Province. Moulded from Reddish Brown Pottery. A large Ceramic Workshop has been Discovered at Chengdu, the then Capital of Sichuan, where a Large Numbers Fragments of Figures have been Found. The Sichuan Province was a flourishing area during the Han Dynasty, because of increased agricultural production and improving transport links as well as an expanded border, which from the Western Han period meant better links between the court and a veriety of non-Han frontier areas. Dancers, mucicians, conjurers and acrobats circulated from region to region. As with the Tang dynasty (618-906) the Han dynasty had a fascination for the exotic, and in particularly for foreign music and entertainment. See : Mysteries of Ancient China, New Discoveries From The Early Dynasties (Edited by Jessica Rawson, British Museum Press,1996). Pages 208-214. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
SONG or YUAN DYNASTY (11th/14th Century). 宋朝 or 元朝 Cizhou Ware. Cizhou Ware Vase of Plain Elongated Form, Song or Yuan Dynasty. It is Difficult to Know The Exact Date of Such Simple Vase. Cizhou Ware Changed Little Over The Years. However The Form and Potting Point to it Being Either Song or Yuan Dynasty. This piece is of stoneware which has a buff colour. To that has been added a thick layer of creamy white slip which has finaly had a layer of clear glaze applied. The potters finger marks can clearly be seen in the the slip towards the bottom of the vase. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
SONG DYNASTY c.11th or 12th Century. Early Chinese Porcelain.A Pair of Song Qingbai Porcelain Taper-Stick Holders. One of qingbais most distinct features is its transparent icy-blue glaze and the names given to qingbai have attempted to capture the essence of this colour. Qing means ‘bluish green' and bai means ‘white’ to form the meaning ‘blue white.’ This ware has also been termed yingqing ‘shadow blue,’ yinqing ‘hidden blue,’ and zhaoqing ‘added blue.’ The colour was so greatly admired by the Chinese that they often likened qingbai unto their highly prized stone, jade. An exceptional colour of jade referred to as biyu or ‘bluish-white’ exists and is so reminiscent of qingbai that the porcelain was entitled jiayu or ‘imitation jade.’For more information about Qingbai porcelain see our history section. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
FRENCH c.1760 - 1790. French Faïence.An 18th Century French Faïence Dish with Polychrome Decoration of Flowers. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
JAPANESE c.1800 - 1830. Japanese Pottery.A Kyoyaki (Kyoto) Crackle Glazed Japanese Pottery Dish with Enamel Decoration of Pines and Bamboo. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722. Famille Verte Porcelain.A Kangxi Famille Verte Porcelain Dish Decorated with Prunus and Bamboo. Provenance : Robert McPherson Antiques. The John Drew Collection of Chinese and Japanese Ceramics. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722 Qing DynastyA Miniature Chinese Export Porcelain Blue and White Teabowl and Saucer, Kangxi c.1690-1710. Decorated with fish swimming among water weed. The base marked with the character for Jade Provenance : The John Drew Collection of Chinese and Japanese Ceramics. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722.A Pair of Kangxi Blue and White Porcelain Vases. This Pair of Chinese Export Porcelain Vase has a Central Subject of a Lady with a Boy in a Garden Landscape. The sides are Decorated with Further Landscapes, the Shoulder with Lappets Against a Prunus and Cracked Ice Ground. The Tops with Inscribed Vases, Books and other Objects, the Reverse Being with Different Un-Inscribed Vases. Provenance : Robert McPherson Antiques. From the Collection of Kangxi Blue and White Porcelain belonging to an American lady living in London. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
ARITA. c.1690 - 1720. Japanese Porcelain.A Pair of Japanese Blue and White Arita Porcelain Saucers Depicting Figures in a Landscape. Provenance : Robert McPherson Antiques. The John Drew Collection. . R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
HATCHER CARGO c.1643. Transitional Period : Late Ming or Early Qing Dynasty.A Transitional Blue and White Porcelain Bowl from the Hatcher Cargo, Late Ming or Early Qing Dynasty. The Hatcher Cargo was the first cargo of shipwreck porcelain to come on to the market. It was sold in three auctions in Christie's Amsterdam in 1984 and 1985. It is a very important cargo of shipwreck ceramics, despite the lack of historical evidence recorded by the salvage team. A Ming porcelain cover dated to the Spring of 1643 helps confirm the date of the wreck. The Ming dynasty ended in 1644 and the period of chaos between between the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty is referred to as the Transitional period. Most of the cargo is comprised of Chinese blue and white porcelain with a few pieces of Blanc de Chine porcelain from Dehua in Fujian Province. The Hatcher Cargo is a vital dating tool for late Ming and early Qing porcelain. Provenance : Christie's Amsterdam, The Hatcher Cargo June 1984. label to the base. The Gerald Davison Collection. Label 'Ming CP 142'. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
QIANLONG (c.1775). 乾隆Blue and White Qianlong Export Ware Dish Made in Imitation of Dutch Delft Herring Dishes. Dr.C.Jorg Notes That the Dutch East India Company's (the V.O.C.) 'Requirements' of 1773 Included Herring Dishes of Two Sizes. A Narrower Type for Single Herring Was Made, as Well as the Double Herring Dishes like the Present Example. See PORCELAIN AND THE DUTCH TRADE, the Hague 1982, p.179 fig.89. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI (1662 - 1722). 康熙Kangxi Six Character Mark and of the Period. Small Porcelain Dish Decorated with Flowering Lotus. Provenance : Christies (London) 14 June 1990, lot 176, Allen Collection (label to base). R & G McPherson (stock number 16887). Private Collection. A Kangxi Dish of This Pattern was Included in the Oriental Ceramics Society's Exhibition of 'The Art of the Ch'ing Dynasty', 1964, Catalogue no.110. Also see: Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Sotheby's Hong Kong 21st and 22nd of May 1979 For a Very Similar Kangxi Dish. This is the only size I have seen for this pattern, a pattern that appears on small Imperial porcelain dishes from the Kangxi period up until the end of the Qing Dynasty. The Kangxi examples are, as one might expect, all very similar. The glaze is thick and the rich blue seems to float in it. Some have small firing faults, for example tiny bubbles that sometimes get stained with age. Others, like the present example have tiny short stained glaze lines (only visible when you look very closely). R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
17th CENTURY. c.1640 - 1700. Blanc de Chine Porcelain.A Blanc de Chine Porcelain Octagonal Libation Cup on Four Short Feet. The Undecorated Body has a Creamy White Glaze with a Warm Tone. For a Pair of Similar Blanc de Chine Porcelain Wine Cups See : Blanc de Chine (S.Marchant & Son, 2006)Page 146, Item 110. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
SONG DYNASTY or JIN DYNASTY (12th - 13th century). 宋朝 or 金 Early Chinese Pottery Song or Jin Dynasty Pottery Bowl of Cizhou Type from the Henan-Hebei Area. Decorated with a Iron Oxide Black / Brown Glaze. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
KANGXI 1662 - 1722A Kangxi Porcelain Brushpot. Decorated in Blue and White with the 'Hundred Antiques' Design. The 'Hundred Antiques' is a Pattern Comprising a Mixture of Either the 'Eight Treasures' (pearl, lozenge, stone chime, rhinocerous' horn, coin, mirror, book, and leaf) and or 'The Four Treasures'. The Later being the Symbols of the Four Arts (music, chess, calligraphy and painting). These Symbolic Depictions are Combined with Numerous Conventional Representations of Sacrificial Vessels, Flowers, Animals, as Well as Small Decorative Motifs. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
MEISSEN c.1735 - 1740 German Hard-Paste PorcelainA Meissen Porcelain Plate in the Kakiemon Style. Moulded with a 'Sulkowsky' Basket-Weave Pattern . Decorated with a Kakiemon Style Pattern Called the 'Fliegnender Hund' (Flying Hund) or 'Geflugelter Drache' (Winged Dragon). The Moulded Basket-Weave Pattern Called 'Sulkowsky' Derives its Name from an Armorial Dinner Service. For a very Similar Meissen Kakiemon Style Plate See : Eighteenth Century Meissen Porcelain, From The Collection of Gertrude J. and Robert T. Anderson (Armin B. Allen, Orlandon Museum of Art, 1988-1989) Page 65 Plate 31. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
TRANSITIONAL or Early KANGXI c.1650 - 1700. Chinese Biscuit Glazed PorcelainA Transitional or Early Kangxi Period Aubergine Biscuit Glazed Porcelain Brushpot. The Lower Inside of this Brushpot has Been Left Unglazed. We had dated the present brushpot to the Kangxi period but since exhibiting the piece two people have offered the opinion that it is Transitional, rather than Kangxi. Biscuit Porcelain is quite difficult to date, for example Egg and Spinach biscuit porcelain is often attributed to the Transitional period in the 17th Century, but we had a piece with the interior decorated in what was clearly a Yongzheng style (1723-1735). So it seems that the production of biscuit porcelain was often continued over a long period of time. We have therefore dated this brushpot and the very similar brushpot (19882) to the Transitional or Early Kangxi period. Provenance : Berwald Oriental Art. Imperial Oriental Art. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
LATE KANGXI or YONGZHENG (1723 - 1735). c.1710-1735.A Pair of Unusual Chinese Export Porcelain Jugs and Fitted Covers, Late Kangxi (1662 -1722) or Yongzheng (1723 - 1735) Period. The Moulded Baluster Form is Decorated with Complex Patterns Only One Jug and Cover Has Holes Pierced For a Metal Attachment to Join the Handel to the Body.One Jug and Cover is Painted in a Stronger Blue, the Other Jug and Cover has Slightly Run in the Firing. The Shape and Decoration are Based on Dutch Delftware of c.1700-1730 but Similar Designs can also be Found on Saint-Cloud Porcelain of c.1710-1740. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
MEISSEN c.1750 - 1765 German Hard-Paste Porcelain.An 18th Century Meissen Porcelain Folk Handel. The Pistol-Shape Handel Part Moulded with a Basket-Weave Pattern (Alt-Ozier, meaning old ozier). Painted with 'Natural Flowers' (Naturliche Blumen). The Metal Possibly Later. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
17th CENTURY. Blanc de Chine Porcelain.A 17th Century Blanc de Chine Inscribed Porcelain Beaker from Dehua in Fujian Province. Provenance : Peter Wain. A Private English Collection. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
SAINT CLOUD c.1720 - 1740 French Soft-Paste Porcelain. An 18th Century French Soft-Paste 'Trembleuse' Coffee Cup and Saucer Made at the St.Cloud Factory. Thickly Potted with a Lead Glaze Over a Ribbed Moulded Form. Decorated with a Design in Blue and White of Interlocking Geometric Patterns. The base of the cup and the saucer marked in cobalt blue '4 SC T Bi' the saucer '4 S C T D'. This design is in a style traditionally related to the great Baroque designer to the French court of Louis XIV, Jean Berain (1640-1711). Berain's style of grotesques and strap-work were used on all types of decorative art from furniture to tapestries, silver ware and just about anything else. His stylistic language is based on a Renaissance understanding of a type of Roman design. However the designs one finds on St.Cloud porcelain are more linear and weightless, they are more in keeping with ornamental prints. Of the more complex designs, a few have been possible to identify from the original source material. They are not taken from Berain designs but from the etchings of a prolific architect Jacques Androuent Du Cereau, who early in his life spent time working in Italy (in the 1530's). However it seems to me inconceivable that his designs would have been used in the early 18th century unless Berain and his grotesque style were so popular. Both are interpretations of Classical Roman design but from different generations. For a Similar 18th century Saint Cloud teabowl and Saucer See : French Porcelain, A Catalogue of the British Museum (Aileen Dawson, British Museum Press,1994) Page 24, Item 25. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
YONGZHENG 1723 - 1735 Chinese Export Porcelain.A Chinese Export Famille Rose Porcelain Teabowl and Saucer, Yongzheng Period 1723 - 1735. The Thinly Potted Teabowl and Saucer Decorated with Early Famille Rose Enamels Showing a Garden Scene with the Top of a Wall and a Bird Flying Above Peony and Prunus. Well decorated Yongzheng Famille Rose teabowls and saucers such as the present example were made in large numbers. While they are often decorated with Chinese subject matter, the shapes are normally of export type. The straight flaring profile of the teabowl is characteristic of the Yongzheng period and occurs in blue and white as well as Famille Rose. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
TRANSITIONAL c.1643. Blanc de Chine Porcelain. A Rare Transitional Blanc de Chine Porcelain Fu Dog (Buddhist Lion) Taper-Stick Holder From the Hatcher Cargo, Late Ming or Early Qing Dynasty c.1643. This piece is rare in that there were very few pieces of Blanc de Chine porcelain recovered from the Hatcher Cargo of c.1643. As similar Blanc de Chine Fu dogs were made over such a wide historical period, the few pieces to come from this wreck are important tools in establishing a chronological framework, not just for Blanc de Chine Fu dogs but all Blanc de Chine. For more information about Buddhist Lion or Fo Dogs click on the image. For a similar Blanc de Chine Porcelain Fo Dog from the Hatcher Cargo see : BLANC DE CHINE, PORCELAIN FROM DEHUA. A Catalogue of the Hickley Collection Rose Kerr & John Ayres, Art Media Resources Ltd 2002. Page 30 Figure 19. R and G McPherson dealers in antique Chinese porcelain |
