A Chinese armorial tureen for the Irish / Belgian market (O’dwyer). Yongzheng
The tureen is decorated with blue underglaze lambrequins highlighted in gilt, bearing the full arms of the O’Dwyer family — D’or, semé de mouchetures d’hermine de sable, au lion au naturel, lampassé de gueules (et vraisemblablement armé de sable), rampant — surmounted by a helmet. The design is embellished with the collar of the Order […]
A Chinese famille rose “European subject” plate. Qianlong
The plate is decorated in the famille rose palette, with a scene depicting Les Oies de Frère Philippe, engraved by Nicolas de Larmessin after a painting by Nicolas Lancret, that is now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York. The border is decorated with a gilt interlaced ground punctuated by four lobed reserves alternating floral medallions, […]
A Chinese blue and white teapot decorated with two ladies. Kangxi
Of globular form with a curved spout and loop handle, the teapot is decorated in rich cobalt blue tones with a garden scene. Two elegant ladies stand in conversation beneath a willow tree, beside a balustrade and a garden pavilion, the landscape extending around the body. The domed cover, surmounted by a bud-shaped finial, is […]
Two exceptionally rare, large knives made for the French market (re-attributed to Nicolas de Vauborel of Saint-Malo). China, Kangxi
The two large table knives follow a design typical of the Louis XIV period and are decorated in the imari palette. One side is painted in iron-red and gilt with a branch of peonies, while the other bears the arms of the Vauborel family: azure, a round tower argent, masoned sable. The arms are encircled […]
A Chinese famille verte “bamboo” teapot. Kangxi
The body of the teapot is modelled as a bundle of bamboo stalks, with finely rendered nodes and grooves. This motif continues in the spout and handle, both shaped as partially peeled bamboo stems. The cover follows the undulating section of the stalks, and its finial takes the form of a small curved branch. The […]
An unusual Chinese blue and white ewer with a scroll handle. Early Kangxi
This ewer, inspired by European silver forms, stands on a tall, flared foot and features an arched scroll handle and a high, curving spout. The body is decorated in underglaze blue with lotus scrolls, chrysanthemum blossoms, and stylised floral motifs. On the central register, two medallions contain masks of Buddhist lions framed by baroque scrolls. […]
A Chinese famille rose plate decorated with the Immortals. Yongzheng
In the centre, within a large circular reserve, appears a depiction of the Eight Immortals (Ba Xian), the celebrated figures of the Daoist pantheon, gathered in a rocky landscape beneath a pine tree, a traditional symbol of longevity. Each Immortal can be identified by his or her distinctive attributes: Li Tieguai, leaning on his crutch […]
A pair of Chinese famille rose plates with a lady and two boys in a garden. Yongzheng
Each plate is finely decorated at the centre with a composition depicting an elegant lady seated on a rock, watching two young boys playing nearby. The scene is set in a wooded garden adorned with banana leaves and pierced rocks, before a wall with a circular window through which scholarly objects can be seen. The […]
A Chinese “Flora and Cupid” cup and saucer. Qianlong
The cup and saucer are finely decorated in famille rose enamels, each with an oval reserve depicting a European scene: Flora, shown bare-legged and seated in a park, beside Cupid who offers her a floral wreath. In the background, a classical building with arches and columns is visible, together with a fountain and two small […]
An unusual and very fine Chinese Dutch-decorated charger. Kangxi
At the center of the dish, a scene unfolds in a terraced garden with a flowering prunus and bamboo in the foreground. A man standing, dressed in a red robe, holds a gold ingot in his left hand. At his feet, a kneeling man to his right and a woman standing to his left make […]