A Chinese Imperial porcelain wucai saucer dish. Six-character mark of Jiajing within a double ring in underglaze blue, Kangxi,
A Chinese Imperial porcelain wucai saucer dish. Six-character mark of Jiajing within a double ring in underglaze blue, Kangxi, 1662-1722. Courtesy Marchant
painted in the centre with two iron-red carp, one leaping from the water and the other swimming beneath, all amongst lotus leaves, flowers, arrowhead, grasses and aquatic plants, encircled by an underglaze-blue double ring, the cavetto with four further carp and a mandarin fish amongst dense aquatic plants, flowerheads and grasses, beneath an underglaze-blue double line at the rim, the underside similarly painted. 8 ¼ inches, 20.9 cm diameter. Price on request
Formerly in a private English collection.
An identical dish is illustrated by Wang Qingzheng in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, no. 178, p. 272.
Marchant 120 Kensington Church Street, London, United Kingdom W8 4BH. www.marchantiques.com
A Chinese porcelain famille rose square vase. Early Yongzheng, circa 1723.
A Chinese porcelain famille rose square vase. Early Yongzheng, circa 1723. Courtesy Marchant
decorated with tapering panels each with a different bird, including a bird of paradise, all perched amongst flowering branches of magnolia, peony, camellia, winter prunus, tree peony and prunus within a black enamel frame with chamfered corners, beneath faceted panels with stylized pink flowerheads on a yellow ground reserved on a pink flowerhead diaper ground and beneath grisaille landscape panels on the gently flaring neck, the galleried rim with a green-ground keyfret band. Ormolu stand. 23 ¾ inches, 60.2 cm high. Price on request
Formerly in a private French collection, purchased from the heirs of a career soldier who brought it back from China at the end of the 19th Century.
A famille verte vase of identical form with moulded relief figures is illustrated by Anthony du Boulay in The Taft Museum, Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 1995, no. 1931.92, p. 648.
Marchant 120 Kensington Church Street, London, United Kingdom W8 4BH. www.marchantiques.com
Chinese Imperial porcelain blue and white, underglaze copper-red and celadon vase. Six-character mark of Kangxi and period
A Chinese Imperial porcelain blue and white, underglaze copper-red and celadon vase. Six-character mark of Kangxi in underglaze blue and of the period, 1662-1722. Courtesy Marchant
of club form slightly tapering towards the foot, painted on each facet with a mountainous river landscape with houses, viewing pavilions, pine, wuti and incised celadon rockwork, two panels with fishermen, one beneath the moon, each panel within underglaze blue double lines, the flat shoulder with four sprays of prunus, lotus, bamboo and daisy with tall branches of bamboo, repeated on the cylindrical flaring tall neck. 21 1/8th inches, 53.7 cm high. The unglazed base with recessed glazed centre, bearing a six-character mark of Kangxi in underglaze blue and of the period, 1662-1722. - Price on request
Formerly in a private American collection.
No other vase of this type appears to be recorded.
A similar blue and white vase, painted with a night visit to the Red Cliff and inscribed with part of the poem, together with a similar Kangxi mark and identical sprays of bamboo on the neck, is illustrated by Wang Qingzheng in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, no. 31, pp. 42-43, another from the Wang Xin Lou collection is illustrated by Julian Thompson and Dr. Robert D. Jacobsen, in Imperial Perfection, The Palace Porcelain of Three Chinese Emperors, no. 2, pp. 30-31.
Marchant 120 Kensington Church Street, London, United Kingdom W8 4BH. www.marchantiques.com
A pair of Chinese porcelain blue and white triple-gourd bottle vases, Kangxi, 1662-1722
A pair of Chinese porcelain blue and white triple-gourd bottle vases, Kangxi, 1662-1722. Courtesy Marchant
each painted on the lower section with archaic bronze style taotieh masks between stylized animal heads, the centre bulb with three further taotieh masks and the top bulb with three archaic style characters in white on blue-ground roundels beneath lappets on the cylindrical tall neck, all between underglaze blue double lines. 9 7/8th inches, 25.1 cm high. Price on request.
Formerly in the collection of Richard Bennett, Esq.
Included by Gorer in The Catalogue of the Collection of Old Chinese Porcelains, formed by Richard Bennett, Esq., Thornby Hall, Northampton, 1911, no. 16, p. 5.
An identical pair, from the W.J. Holt collection, is illustrated by Hobson, Rackham and King in Chinese Ceramics in Private Collections, London 1931, Fig. 256, p. 145.
A similar larger vase is illustrated by Wang Qingzheng in Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, no. 58, p. 90; one of a similar pair is illustrated by R.L. Hobson, C.B. in The Catalogue of The Leonard Gow Collection of Chinese Porcelain, no. 52, colour plate XV, p. 16.
Marchant 120 Kensington Church Street, London, United Kingdom W8 4BH. www.marchantiques.com
« Mémoires d’Opiums » @ Louvre des Antiquaires«
Ensemble de plaquettes precieuses. © Galerie Delalande
PARIS - Du 1er septembre au 27 novembre 2011, le Louvre des Antiquaires propose une exposition intitulée " Mémoires d’Opiums ". Elle revient sur l'utilisation de l'opium fumé et sur tous les rituels qui l'accompagne. Vous plongerez au cœur de la Chine du XIXème siècle pour découvrir des pièces uniques tirées des plus belles collections internationales.
Le Louvre des Antiquaires consacre une exposition pour faire la lumière sur ce qu'on appelle aujourd'hui, une drogue : l'Opium. Originaire d’Asie Mineure, l'opium provient du pavot, cette graine était utilisé dans la cuisine et sa tête était utilisées a des fins médicales, efficace pour traiter de nombreuse maladie ainsi que pour soulager la douleur. Depuis le VIIème siècle, le pavot est cultivé et consommé en Chine, or c'est au XVIIème siècle, que le pavot se révèle avoir d'autre fonction. Le tabac ayant été interdit par le dernier Empereur Ming en 1637, " l'opium à fumer " voit le jour. La pratique nait, d'abord, dans la haute société chinoise, puis elle se banalise. Dès 1830, les fumeries se multiplient dans le pays. Puis, le danger de l'opium se fait resssentir, jusqu'à presqu'anéantir une partie de la société. Face au ravages qu'il fait, l'opium est immédiatement interdit au cours du XIXème siècle. Progressivement les fumerie disparaissent.
L'opium ne tarde pas a traverser l'Asie pour arriver en Europe puis la France. Très vite, il acquiert un véritable succès auprès de l'élite intellectuelle, suscitant une " fascination sur l’imaginaire occidental ".
" Mémoires d’Opiums " se penchera sur les rites et les pratiques liés à l’opium fumé en Chine, que vous découvrirez à travers le décor reconstitué d’une fumerie d’opium. Des objets rares utilisés pour l’extraction, la préparation, la conservation et la consommation de cette drogue destructrice. L'exposition, sans vous faire fumer, vous fera voyager à travers le temps et l'Orient.
Lampe et pipe à opium. © Galerie Delalande
PARIS.- Starting in September, Le Louvre des Antiquaires will offer an exhibition devoted to the rites and practices of opium smoking in China in the 19th century: «Opium Memories». In the recreated décor of an opium smoking den, Dominique and Eric Delalande have brought unique pieces for the first time coming from the most beautiful international collections.
From 1 September to 27 November 2011, «Opium Memories» looks back at the history and rituals of this poppy-derived drug. The exhibition will show a set of rare objects used to extract, prepare, store, and consume opium. Sculpted screens, embroidered suits of high-level dignitaries, pipes covered with lacquer or adorned with tortoiseshell, seal skin, or silver, retainers made of sculpted ivory, wrought metal plates, and cylindrical cloisonné boxes bring back memories of the hidden world of opium dens... from centuries past.
From poppy to opium…
Originally from Asia Minor, the poppy has been grown and consumed in China since the 7th century. Its seeds are used for food preparations and its heads for medicinal decoctions. It was used primarily to soothe pain and treat a number of ailments and epidemics.
It wasn’t until the 17th century that the poppy started to be smoked in China. The prohibition against tobacco by the last Ming Emperor in 1637 led to the first opium consumption. Having adopted the habit of inhaling smoke, smokers ultimately replaced tobacco with the opium poppy, from which the sap is extracted to obtain «chandoo», a semi-liquid purified opium intended solely for smoking. The practice first entered the habits of the Chinese elite, and then quickly spread from there. Around 1830, smoking dens started popping up everywhere in the country.
In the 19th century, the spread of opium resulted in the most extreme ravages affecting all classes of society. In 1906, China instituted a policy of forbidding opium, which proved very effective and led to the elimination of legal smoking dens.
In Europe, travellers returning from China and Indochina imported the use of opium, and the phenomenon soon spread to France. Opium seduced an intellectual elite, which helped spur a fascination over the Western imagination. As a result, at the turn of the 20th century, opium became the symbol of new sensory experiences and a token of membership in a cultural elite.
In 1821, Thomas De Quincey, whose works have just been published by Pléiade, wrote «Confessions of an English Opium Eater» later translated by Musset and then Baudelaire, which inspired Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique (1830).
Other known artists and writers revealed that they were regular consumers: Mallarmé, Verlaine, or Théophile Gautier who, in 1838, launched into a detailed description in the short story «The Opium Pipe». A century later, Cocteau made his contribution with his «Diary of a Detoxification».
Rituals and paraphernalia of «smoke eaters»
Between aesthetic exploration and spiritual quest, the ritual had to be precise if an optimum effect were to be achieved, and the accessories had to be given extra special attention, because of all narcotics opium is probably the one requiring the most sophisticated paraphernalia.
Special staging was a must for initiation. Opium was smoked lying down on a more or less ornate mat or bed where vertical panels surrounded the bed of woven wood or bamboo.
Depending on the case, the opium and paraphernalia were placed directly on the «Kang Table», a small four-legged table, or on a tray where the pipe and various small implements needed by the smoker were placed:
• for preparation : lamp, needle, wick trimmer, opium dispenser and box, laudanum pot for the opium mixed with alcohol, bowl holder…
• for consumption : pipe, bowl, lollipop, plate…
• for cleaning : brushes and scrapers…
• occasionally for salvaging : a poker for scraping the barrel of the pipe and recovering a kind of carbon deposit called dross, opium ashtray, dross boxes…
All these objects of a bygone art draw the interest of a small number of collectors, more motivated by the high artistic quality rather than by the object of the «trip». Some choose to highlight comparisons of different types of the same object, most often a unique collection of pipes consisting of different materials. Others opt for another approach in which the largest number of objects belonging to the opium smoker’s paraphernalia is gathered together.
By recreating the atmosphere of a smoke den, «Opium Memories» offers an exotic voyage to the heart of the Celestial Empire and unveils the mysteries surrounding the blue curls of opium smoke. These objects have come down through the centuries and continents, and now bear witness to Chinese artisanal virtuosity in the 19th century.
Dominique Delalande founded his gallery in 1978 at Le Louvre des Antiquaires. A former director of a shipping company, he was first a collector of marine objects and meerschaum pipes.
Joined by his son Eric in 2005, their internationally renowned gallery has been specializing in marine and science objects, tobacco and opium objects, collectors’ canes, and erotic objects for more than 30 years.
Kang table garnie d'un ensemble en argent. © Galerie Delalande.
Arts de la Chine @ Delorme & Collin du Bocage, Cannes, Mardi 02 août à 19h00
Grand vase de Chine. Porcelaine, Époque Kangxi (1662-1722). Monture en bronze doré et ciselé, Époque Louis XV. photo Delorme & Collin du Bocage
Porcelaine à décor polychrome à fond bleu et or à décor de bouquets dans des réserves et polychromes. Époque Kangxi (1662-1722). Monture en bronze doré et ciselé. Anses en forme de roseaux à enroulement. Socle ajouré à décor de feuilles d'acanthe. Elle porte plusieurs marques au C couronné. Époque Louis XV.
Haut.: 71 cm - Diam: 37cm - Estimation : 40 000 - 50 000 €
Importante paire de vases cloisonnés couverts. Chine XIXe siècle. photo Delorme & Collin du Bocage
de forme ovoïde en émail bleu décoré de fleurs, feuillages et rinceaux et de réserves polylobées à fond jaune à motifs de vases fleuris. Haut.: 118 cm Ils reposent sur une base formant piétement à quatre pieds en bronze ciselé terminés par des boules. Estimation : 30 000 - 40 000 €.
Paire de vases de forme bouteille en céladon à motifs de godrons et d'anses ajourées. Époque XVIIIe siècle. photo Delorme & Collin du Bocage
Ils sont montés dans une belle monture de bronze ciselé et doré. Socle à feuillage et volutes, anneaux mo-biles en bronze et collerette à volutes ajourées. Haut.: 31,5 cm - Larg.: 13 cm - Estimation : 25 000 - 30 000 €
Paire de vases montés en bronze ciselé et doré. Époque XVIIIe siècle. photo Delorme & Collin du Bocage
De forme balustre, les laques sont à décor or de feuillage et fleurs sur fond brun. Ils présentent une monture en bronze ciselé et doré rocaille. Volutes feuillagées formant deux anses et relié à une collerette et une base ajourée. Haut.: 32,5 cm - Larg.: 18 cm - Estimation : 20 000 - 25 000 €
Paire d'animaux fantastiques à tête de dragon en porcelaine blanc de Chine. photo Delorme & Collin du Bocage
la patte levée. Chine. Restauration à la patte de l'un. Haut.: 37 cm - Long.: 25 cm - Estimation : 14 000 - 15 000 €
Vase couvert de couleur bleu poudré, Chine XVIIIe siècle. photo Delorme & Collin du Bocage
Socle en bois sculpté et doré de forme circulaire à bord godronné reposant sur trois pieds en console à motifs d'enroulement. Haut.: 32 cm - Diam.: 42 cm - Estimation : 10 000 - 15 000 €
Vase en porcelaine céladon à col évasé et anneau médian dans une monture en bronze ciselé. Époque XVIIIe siècle. photo Delorme & Collin du Bocage
de feuillages, rinceaux formant anses sur les cotés et reposant sur une base rocaille ajourée. Haut.: 31 cm - Larg.: 19 cm - Estimation : 10 000 - 12 000 €
Delorme & Collin du Bocage. Mardi 02 août à 19h00. HOTEL MAJESTIC BARRIÈRE 10 La Croisette, 06407 Cannes - Salon Croisette et le Salon Dinard. EMail : info@parisencheres.com - Tél. : 01 58 18 39 05
A pair of Empire ormolu-mounted Chinese porcelain baluster vases, the porcelain Jiaqing period (1796-1821)
A pair of Empire ormolu-mounted Chinese porcelain baluster vases, the porcelain Jiaqing period (1796-1821), the mounts, circa 1815, the neck and handle mounts, circa 1820. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2011
Each of bottle shape, stoutly potted with rounded sides, densely decorated with the Eight Daoist Emblems, anbaxian, tied with long fluttering ribbons, amongst 'ball' flowers, butterflies, cloud scrolls and bats in flight, with a lappet band rising above the short slightly-splayed foot, all set against a celadon ground, surmounted by a flared collar cast with stylized leaves and beaded rim, the flanking handles modelled with goats standing on fruiting and acanthus-wrapped conrnucopiae issuing from bearded satyr masks draped with fruiting vine garlands, the stand cast with flower-filled entrelacs above acanthus scroll feet terminating in rams' heads, on a square panelled plinth base, each vase with one vine garland replaced, with paper label inscribed 'Prov Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry K.T. P.C. G.C.V.O' and with depository label 'THE PANTECHNICON TURNHAM GREEN, W4 4JH' inscribed '10.10.80' and numbered '103' and '104' respectively; 48½ in. (121 cm.) high (2). Estimate £200,000 - £300,000 ($320,400 - $480,600). Price Realized £2,841,250 ($4,534,635)
Provenance: Almost certainly acquired by either Elizabeth Montagu, 3rd Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry (1743 - 1827), or by her grandson, Walter Francis, 5th Duke of Buccleuch and 7th Duke of Queensberry (1806-1884) for Montagu House, London, or Montagu House (later know as Buccleuch House), Richmond, or Dalkeith Palace, Midlothian, Scotland, and subsequently moved to Drumlanrig, Dumfriesshire, Scotland [illustrated at Drumlanrig in September 1960], thence by descent to Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch and 10th Duke of Queensberry (1894-1973), sold, Christie's London, 5 July 1973, lot 19.
Sold anonymously, Bonhams London, 18 September 1980, lot 43.
Literature: M. Girouard, 'Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfriesshire', II, Country Life, vol CXXVIII, pp. 434-437, illustrated p. 435, pl. 3.
THE MOUNTS
This pair of vases is related to a pair of Louis XVI Sèvres porcelain vases with ormolu handles in the form of goats modeled by Thomire and subsequently supplied by Robert Fogg to George IV in October 1812 (F.J.B. Watson, 'George IV as an Art Collector', Apollo, June 1966, p. 419, plate II). Although Fogg would not have had a monopoly on using these mounts, it is interesting that the present example is mounted with similar handles undoubtedly inspired by the Thomire 'goat handle' example, though possibly from the hand of another craftsman, yet most probably also supplied by Robert Fogg.
THE PORCELAIN
The current vases are not only notable for their impressive size and skillfully rendered decoration, they also act as a fascinating example of the Chinese taste for auspicious imagery and Daoist symbolism. An ancient indigenous Chinese religion, Daoism stretches back more than two thousand years. Notwithstanding the Manchu emperors' preference for Tibetan Buddhism, Daoism continued to thrive throughout the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). As a popular form of decoration on Qing porcelain, the Eight Daoist Emblems were first adopted as a decorative subject on porcelains during the Yongzheng period (1723-35). The emblems represent the attributes of the Eight Daoist Immortals, including Li Tieguai's iron crutch and gourd, Zhong Liquan's fan, Zhang Guolao's bamboo drum with two rods, Lu Dongbin's sword and flywhisk, He Xiangu's lotus or sieve, Han Xiangzi's flute, Cao Guojiu's castanets, and Lan Caihe's basket containing flowers or peaches. In the famous story of the Eight Daoist Immortals crossing the sea, each immortal used their respective items to demonstrate their powers. As popular figures in Daoism, the immortals are believed to embody the moral and physical ideal that mortals aspire to achieve, and are venerated for their spiritual powers. Moreover they are conceived as mediators between mortals and the Dao, which means 'the Way'. Often depicted with the God of Longevity, Shoulao, the immortals and their emblems are all associated with the theme of longevity. For further information on the legends and history behind each of the Eight Daoist Immortals, refer to Stephen Little, Taoism and the Arts of China, Chicago, 2000, pp. 313-335.
The auspicious and religious connotations of the Eight Daoist Emblems are heightened by the depiction of the surrounding 'ball' flowers, clouds and bats. The colourful 'ball' flowers, piqiujin, are traditionally used to express the notion of celebration and happiness. The word for cloud in the Chinese language is yun, a homophone for 'fortune', and the word for bat is fu, a homophone for 'blessings' and 'happiness'. The decorations on the vases thus combine to convey a multitude of auspicious blessings and wishes.
Chtristie's. The Exceptional Sale 2011, 7 July 2011, London, King Street www.christies.com
A set of four Empire ormolu-mounted Chinese porcelain baluster vases, the porcelain Jiaqing period (1796-1821)
A set of four Empire ormolu-mounted Chinese porcelain baluster vases, the porcelain Jiaqing period (1796-1821), the mounts, circa 1815. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2011
Each with globular bodies surmounted by wide cylindrical necks, densely decorated with the Eight Buddhist and Daoist Emblems (bajixiang and anbaoxian) amidst blue cloud scrolls, bats in flight and 'ball' flowers in raised white slip, with a band of gilded lotus lappets rising from the base, all reserved on a celadon ground, surmounted by an out- scrolled collar cast with acanthus leaves and flowering branches and egg-and-dart rim, the flanking scroll handles issuing from flower heads wrapped in acanthus and terminating in dolphin heads, the stand cast with fruiting laurel wreath above four dolphin feet issuing from scrolling acanthus, on a square plinth base, each vase with paper label inscribed 'Prov Duke of Buccleuch and Queensbury K.T. P.C. G.C.V.O' and depository label 'THE PANTECHNICON TURNHAM GREEN, W4 4JH' inscribed '10.10.80' and numbered '99','100','101' and '102' respectively, two vases with label printed 'michael davis' and inscribed 'Bonhams 1/27', one vase with hairline crack to the body; 51 in. (130 cm.) high (4). Estimate £600,000 - £1,000,000 ($961,200 - $1,602,000). Price Realized £7,993,250 ($12,757,227)
Provenance: Almost certainly acquired by either Elizabeth Montagu, 3rd Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry (1743 - 1827), or by her grandson, Walter Francis, 5th Duke of Buccleuch and 7th Duke of Queensberry (1806-1884) for Montagu House, London, or Montagu House (later know as Buccleuch House), Richmond, or Dalkeith Palace, Midlothian, Scotland [photographed at Dalkeith in 1911], thence by descent to Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch and 10th Duke of Queensberry (1894-1973), sold, Christie's London, 5 July 1973, lot 20.
Sold anonymously, Bonhams London, 18 September 1980, lot 41.
THE BUCCLEUCH 'DAOIST' VASES
These magnificent 18th Century Chinese porcelain vases mounted in the early 19th Century with sumptuous French ormolu are exceptional in many respects; the superb quality of modelling, cast and ciselure of their lavish gilt-bronze mounts, the delicate polychrome enamel ornamentation forming such striking background for the mounts, and of course the impressive scale of the vases, but also their provenance, linking them to the 3rd Duchess of Buccleuch, or her grandson, the 5th Duke of Buccleuch, two of the foremost art collectors of the early 19th century.
The vases are not only notable for their impressive size and skillfully rendered decoration, they also act as a fascinating example of the Chinese taste for auspicious imagery and Daoist symbolism. An ancient indigenous Chinese religion, Daoism stretches back more than two thousand years. Notwithstanding the Manchu emperors' preference for Tibetan Buddhism, Daoism continued to thrive throughout the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). As a popular form of decoration on Qing porcelain, the Eight Daoist Emblems were first adopted as a decorative subject on porcelains during the Yongzheng period (1723-35). The emblems represent the attributes of the Eight Daoist Immortals, including Li Tieguai's iron crutch and gourd, Zhong Liquan's fan, Zhang Guolao's bamboo drum with two rods, Lu Dongbin's sword and flywhisk, He Xiangu's lotus or sieve, Han Xiangzi's flute, Cao Guojiu's castanets, and Lan Caihe's basket containing flowers or peaches. In the famous story of the Eight Daoist Immortals crossing the sea, each immortal used their respective items to demonstrate their powers. As popular figures in Daoism, the immortals are believed to embody the moral and physical ideal that mortals aspire to achieve, and are venerated for their spiritual powers. Moreover they are conceived as mediators between mortals and the Dao, which means 'the Way'. Often depicted with the God of Longevity, Shoulao, the immortals and their emblems are all associated with the theme of longevity. For further information on the legends and history behind each of the Eight Daoist Immortals, refer to Stephen Little, Taoism and the Arts of China, Chicago, 2000, pp. 313-335.
It is important to note that these magnificent vases have not been pierced or cut to accommodate the ormolu mounts but kept intact, suggesting a respect for the integrity and indeed value of the porcelain as far back as the early 19th century.
THE ACQUISITION: ELIZABETH, 3RD DUCHESS OF BUCCLEUCH, OR WALTER, 5TH DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH?
The six magnificent vases offered here (lots 10 and 11) share a remarkable aristocratic provenance: They were either acquired by Elizabeth Montagu, 3rd Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry (1743 - 1827), the only daughter and heiress of George Montagu, Duke of Montagu and 4th Earl of Cardigan, for her house at Richmond or at Whitehall and subsequently inherited by her grandson Walter, 5th Duke of Buccleuch and 7th Duke of Queensberry, KG PC (1806-84), or acquired directly by the 5th Duke in the late 1820s when he came of age and, in 1827, inherited the Montagu estates from his grandmother. By then one of the richest landowners in Britain, and with a large number of properties including Montagu House (Whitehall), Boughton, Dalkeith, Drumlanrig and Bowhill to furnish, the 5th Duke commenced a period of considerable expenditure on building, decorating and collecting.
A household inventory for old Montagu House, dated 1820, lists a number of oriental wares, including 'Sea Green China Vases and Covers mounted in Ormolu and with Ormolu Handles', 'Sea Green China pot Pourries and covers mounted in ormolu' and 'enameld China Jars', documenting the duchesses early interest in Chinese porcelain (An Inventory of the Household Furniture Pictures Etc. at Montague House, Whitehall, 1820, Northampton County Record Office, Ms. GB/NNAF/F185176). However, it was her grandson Walter, 5th Duke of Buccleuch, who became the greatest collector in England after the Prince Regent, building not only the largest collections of Boulle furniture and Sèvres porcelain but also of ormolu-mounted Chinese porcelain (see T. Murdoch ed., Boughton House The English Versailles, London, 1992).
Whether purchased directly for Montagu House, Whithall, or subsequetly moved there, Montagu House certainly formed a most suitable setting for these superb vases. Described in 1908 as 'One of the most imposing of the private palaces of London', it was built during the zenith of a brilliant and cosmopolitan society which centred on the youthful Queen Victoria and was host to the aristocracy during the London season. Apart from housing the exceptional Buccleuch art collection that included works by Raphael, Rubens, Rembrandt and Canaletto, Montagu House held the finest British collection of miniatures outside the Royal Collection, as well as exquisite porcelain, furniture by André-Charles Boulle, Riesener and Carlin and a host of ormolu objets d'art (see E. Beresford Chancellor, The Private Palaces of London Past and Present, p. 303).
MIRRORING THE PRINCE REGENT'S TASTE:
THE ROYAL VASES AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE
Bold in form, scale, magnificence and style, the only known parallels to the Buccleuch vases are those acquired by George, Prince of Wales, later George IV, which are now at Buckingham Palace, London.
The extensive collection of ormolu-mounted oriental porcelain in the royal collection has been built up over many generations, with the earliest acquisitions dating from the reign of Elizabeth I; however, no other monarch had a greater influence on this collection than the Prince Regent, later George IV (1762-1830). The significant collection of ormolu-mounted Chinese porcelain found today in the state rooms of Buckingham Palace for example had been transferred there from the Prince Regent's residences, Carlton House and Brighton Pavilion, when he became George IV.
The Buccleuch vases offered here are closely related to four Chinese vases sent in 1814 by the Prince Regent to Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy for mounting with ormolu. Intended for the Blue Velvet Room of Carlton House they were illustrated in Pyne's Royal Residences (see J. Cornforth, 'Fit for a Prince', Country Life, March 28, 1981, p. 69, fig. 8). The commission cost the Prince Regent 1,680 gns. for the bronze mounts alone, and the production of the bronzes together with the conversion work involved thirty-one different firms or craftsmen. The highest standards of quality and craftsmanship were maintained by the monarch as he formed his collection of ormolu and ormolu-mounted objects from the foremost bronziers of the late 18th and early 19th century, including Pierre Gouthière, François Rémond, Pierre-Philippe Thomire, Claude Galle and the Vulliamy family.
The monarch's taste and passion for collecting influenced his circles, with several contemporaries creating remarkable collections of their own. In the Cross Gallery at Buckingham Palace are several pairs of such large Chinese bottle-shaped vases, some of which are embellished with French ormolu mounts, like the vases presented here, and others with mounts supplied by the royal clockmaker and bronzier, Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy (d. 1854), and in the State Dining Room on pier tables between window recesses are four large Celadon vases with ormolu mounts fashioned as snake handles supplied by Vulliamy in September 1814, that had originally been in the Blue Velvet Room of Carlton House (H. Clifford Smith, Buckingham Palace, its furniture, decoration and history, London, Country Life Limited, 1931, plate 180 and p. 170). On the opposite side of the room there are a further six slightly smaller Celadon vases -again with ormolu mounts- and a further impressive ormolu-mounted Chinese vase, undoubtedly one of a pair, on a plinth on the Grand Staircase (H. Clifford Smith, Buckingham Palace, plate 127). A further pair of Chinese vases with turquoise flambé enamel feature in a watercolour by James Roberts (1800-67), dated 1857, in the Principal Corridor (H. Clifford Smith, Buckingham Palace, plate 268), while a watercolour by Roberts dated 1850 of 'The Pavilion Breakfast Room' includes four from a set of eight Chinese porcelain vases that were originally in the Music Room at Brighton (Royal Collection e-Gallery, RL 19918).
The Prince Regent displayed his vases in the Banqueting Room Gallery at Brighton Pavilion and the Golden Drawing Room at Carlton House, where they were illustrated respectively by John Nash in 1823 and, even a few years earlier, in 1816-19, by W.H. Pyne in The History of the Royal Residences of Windsor Castle, St. James's Palace, Carlton House, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court, Buckingham House and Frogmore.
MARCHANDS-MERCIERS AND 'IMPORTERS OF FOREIGN CURIOSITIES'
The trade in antiques was well established in the early decades of the 19th Century in London's fashionable West End and the role of the 'Importer of Foreign Curiosities' or 'Chinaman' increasingly also included the lucrative business of enhancing and embellishing 18th century objects, as has happened here with the already striking Chinese porcelain vases, or indeed fabricating entirely new objects incorporating older elements. Rare, exotic and costly items were sought for wealthy clients, such as the 5th Duke, and finely crafted ormolu mounts, the key to 'improvements' and often significantly more expensive to manufacture than the costs involved in purchasing the porcelain itself, were applied to satisfy a clientele looking to decorate some of the most sumptuous interiors of the time, such as Montagu House or Dalkeith Palace, both Buccleuch houses. The industry was facilitated by the close geographic proximity of a large number of independent bronziers, silversmiths, goldsmiths and cabinet-makers who were employed by dealers to make up an object to a client's requirements.
AN ANGLO-FRENCH COLLABORATION: FOGG AND MAELRÖNDT
In the absence of any firm documentation linking the Buccleuch vases to one specific dealer or bronzier, it is not unreasonable to speculate that they were embellished under the direction of Robert Fogg, the foremost dealer in porcelain in London at the time, who would have probably worked in partnership with the Parisian-based marchand-mercier, Philippe-Claude Maelröndt (d. 1824). Fogg's clientele certainly included the upper echelons of society, with George IV, the Duke of Bedford, the 1st Earl of Harewood and his son, Edward Lascelles and Lord James Murray all buying from him (see G. de Bellaigue, 'Philippe-Claude Maelröndt, supplier to George IV', The Burlington Magazine, June 2004, p. 393). It was through Fogg that George IV made some of his most important purchases of porcelain and French works of art, including for example a pair of twelve foot tall pagodas mounted with Chinese porcelain plaques which he acquired from Fogg in 1822 for Brighton Pavilion. Through Fogg George IV also amassed a large collection of Chinese celadon vases and Fogg's name appears regularly in Jutsham's inventory for supplying porcelain to the King over a number of years. He also sold ormolu-mounted oriental porcelain to the antiquarian collector William Beckford (1760-1844), including in July 1814 'certain sea-green bottles incredibly decorated with bronze', almost certainly describing Chinese celadon vases. The sale catalogue of Joseph Fogg's effects (Joseph inherited the firm upon Robert Fogg's death), the 'valuable and extensive stock of the late Mr. Joseph Fogg, of Regent Street' on 14-19 February 1831, included 'rare beakers of Japan' together with 'a great variety of decorative and useful porcelain, Old Sevres & Dresden, old Buhl & Riesener marquetrie, and a few lots of armour', providing some idea of the diversity of the company's stock (see M. Westgarth, 'A Biographical Dictionary of Nineteenth Century Antique & Curiousity Dealers', The Journal of the Regional Furniture Society, Volume XXIII, 2009, p. 102).
The names of several Parisian bronziers, such as Thomire, Gouthière or Rémond might be associated with the production of the spectacular mounts decorating these vases and - though unlikely on stylistic grounds - also that of another London-based bronzier, Swiss-born Benjamin Vulliamy, with whom Fogg also worked closely. The Vulliamy accounts document such collaborations and include a bill dated December 6, 1808 for 'mounting pair of dragon beekers. Pd. Fogg for the Beakers, 10.10' (PRO Vulliamy, C104/57 pt.3) and Vulliamy's Ornament Book includes an entry for a 'Black china Bottle for Mr Fogg' for which the Vulliamy's supplied gilt-bronze mounts on 27 March 1819. Intriguingly the ledgers of Elizabeth, 3rd Duchess of Buccleuch, record a payment in May 1824 to 'Vulliamy Clockmaker 43.18.6' documenting that she too bought directly from the royal clockmaker. While it remains unknown what this payment was for it is conceivable that this was not for bronzes from Vulliamy's own workshop but for ormolu mounts produced by Parisian bronziers with Vulliamy acting as the marchand.
We are grateful to Rufus Bird, Deputy Surveyor of the Queen's Works of Art for his help and comments.
Not simply a feat of the artist's skill and tenacity, exhibited by the fine quality of painted decoration and massive size, these impressive set of vases express a multitude of auspicious wishes. The presence of numerous bats in flight conveys happiness and prosperity - bats being a homophone in Chinese for a word meaning 'happiness'. Furthermore the Eight Buddhist and Daoist Emblems, which take a central importance on these vases, are believed to bring blessings and harmony. For example, the Lotus (hehua) symbolises purity and harmony; The Vase or Jar (guan) alludes to the elixir of life that stands for victory, the ultimate triumph over the cycle of reincarnation. It also signifies the container of treasures that represent the fulfilment of all wishes; The Twin Fish (shuangyu) expresses the freedom and happiness that true knowledge brings. For further elaboration on the symbolic meanings of each Buddhist and Daoist emblem, refer to Patricia Bjaaland Welch, Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery, Singapore, 2008, pp. 240-243.
The combination of images and motifs from the two major Chinese religions, Buddhism and Daoism, is of particular fascination. In China Buddhism and Daoism, despite one being a foreign religion and the other an indigenous tradition, has historically been extremely close and intertwined. The interactions and encounters between the two can often be characterized as syncretic, where one contributed to shaping the other in many ways. Daoism for instance, adopted from Buddhism its iconography. There are for example, several Daoist deities modelled in the likeness of Buddha seated on lotus bases or with hands positioned with mudras, such as the Tang dynasty limestone model of Deified Laozi in the Shanghai Museum and the glazed stoneware model of Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning dated to the Ming dynasty in the Tsui Art Foundation in Hong Kong (both illustrated by Stephen Little, Taoism and the Arts of China, Chicago, 2000, p. 183 no. 39 and p. 232, no. 68). Indeed images of the Buddhist deity Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion are often found in Daoist temples. By the Qing dynasty, the eight Buddhist and Daoist emblems were frequently used and familiar motifs. See for instance an exceptional ivory brush pot carved with bands of Buddhist and Daoist emblems sold at Christie's New York, 25 March 2010, lot 854, and a blue gauze 'Dragon' robe with bats and beribboned Buddhist and Daoist emblems sold Christie's Hong Kong, 3 December 2008, lot 2264. That both sets of emblems were used in conjunction with one another, across all forms of Chinese art including these vases, is a testament and reflection to how interwoven these two religions became.
Rare Porcelain Vases Purchased by Wynn Macau Limited for Record Amount at Auction
An invaluable part of Chinese culture, the set of four Chinese Porcelain vases were purchased at auction for more than $12.7 million. The vases will be displayed exclusively in the Wynn's Cotai resort scheduled to open in 2015. PRNewsFoto/Wynn Resorts.
LAS VEGAS.- Wynn Macau Limited acquired an extraordinary group of important Jiaqing period (1796-1821) vases at CHRISTIE'S London sale on July 7, 2011. An invaluable part of Chinese culture, the set of four ormolu-mounted Chinese Porcelain Baluster vases were purchased at auction for more 7,993,250 pounds, including buyers premium (more than $12.7 million), far exceeding twice the current world auction record for ormolu-mounted porcelain.
The pieces are distinctive in scale, quality and number with matched pairs being rare and matched quartets of this age and size never seen. The only known similar examples are in the collection of the British Royal Family.
These exceptional examples will be displayed exclusively in the company's Cotai resort scheduled to open in 2015. The purchase was inspired by Steve Wynn's ongoing commitment to return artistic treasures to the People's Republic of China.
"We are delighted to be able to return these extraordinary examples of Chinese culture to the People's Republic of China, and place them on display in the city of Macau, which we are so fortunate to be a part of," said Steve Wynn, Chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts.
Wynn initiated the company's cultural commitment with the acquisition of a Ming glazed copper-red pear-shaped vase, Yuhuchunping, produced during Emperor Hongwu's reign (1368-1398). The vase was later donated to the Macao Special Administrative Region and is exhibited as part of the permanent collection of the Cultural Affairs Bureau's Macao Museum.
Other important examples of historic Chinese art, including examples of ceramics, cloisonne and textile Arts can be seen in the collections currently within Wynn Macau and Encore at Wynn Macau.
Petite coupe en porcelaine de couleur foie de mulet. Chine, marque et période Yongzheng en Kaishu
Petite coupe en porcelaine de couleur foie de mulet. Chine, marque et période Yongzheng en Kaishu. Photo Toledano
à décor incisé de dragons à cinq griffes poursuivant la perle sacrée. Diam 17cm. Estimation : 1500/2000€
TOLEDANO SOCIETE DE VENTES AUX ENCHERES sarl. DIMANCHE 10 JUILLET à 18H00. 135, cours Lamarque de Plaisance 33120 Arcachon. Tél. : 05.57.52.74.60 - Fax : 05.57.52.74.64 - Email : contact@toledano.fr
