Mark and Period of Wanli

A blue and white 'dragon' washer. Mark and period of Wanli.. Photo Sotheby's the shallow rounded sides rising from a tapered foot, painted around the low sides with a frieze of four dragons pacing amid flickering flames in pursuit of 'flaming pearls', below a border of bajixiang interspersed with lingzhi sprigs at the rim covered in a pale wash, the footring encircled with a continuous scroll border, the base inscribed with a six-character mark in underglaze-blue; 22.6 cm., 9 in. Estimate 250,000—350,000 HKD. Lot Sold 680,000 HKD... [Lire la suite]

A wucai 'Dragon' dish. Mark and Period of Wanli. photo courtesy Sotheby's the shallow rounded sides rising from a tapering foot to an everted rim, brightly painted and enamelled to the interior with five scaly dragons, one supporting a bowl of peaches below a 'flaming pearl' centred with a shou character and a single wan character, all encircled at the well by an underglaze blue band of four phoenix panels reserved on a trellis-diaper ground, the exterior with eight floral sprays, the base with an underglaze blue... [Lire la suite]

A rare blue, white and green lotus jar. Mark and period of Wanli. photo courtesy Sotheby's based on Chenghua period pieces, the ovoid body boldly painted with six vivid cobalt-blue lotus flower heads borne on blue-outlined foliate scrolls, the scrolls further enamelled in green, all between upright and pendant blue lappets collaring the short yellow-enamelled neck and skirting the foot, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark in cobalt blue; 11.5 cm., 4 1/2 in. - Estimate 1,000,000—1,500,000 HKD. Lot Sold ... [Lire la suite]

An exceptionally rare imperial embellished gold ewer. Mark and Period of Wanli. photo courtesy Sotheby's inspired from a Persian metal form, the flattened pear-shaped body rising from an oval spreading foot to an elegant tall-waisted flaring neck, set to one side with an S-shaped spout and to the other with a tall strap handle with ruyi-head terminal, adorned on either side of the body with a large peach-shaped panel enclosing a gold filigree five-clawed scaly dragon in pursuit of a 'flaming pearl' in the form... [Lire la suite]

A fine and rare wucai 'garlic-mouth' vase. Mark and period of Wanli. photo Sotheby's the stoutly potted large pear-shaped body supported by a wide straight foot, rising to a garlic-bulb shaped mouth, the main body decorated in the wucai palette including iron-red and vivid purplish underglaze-blue, painted with two pairs of ferocious dragons, each pair in mutual pursuit of a 'flaming pearl' amid scattered flowers on meandering leafy stems, beneath a band of upright and pendant triangles containing trefoils at the... [Lire la suite]

A Wucai floral dish. Mark and period of Wanli the interior decorated with four large iron-red enameled peony blooms resrved on a ground of green and blue foliage, encircled on the cavetto with a border boughs of lychee, pomegranate, peach, and gourd, the exterior with a continuous lotus meander, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue within double-circles. 38.6 cm., 15 1/4 in. Estimate 500,000—700,000 HKD. Unsold NOTE: Wanli polychrome dishes of related floral pattern, varying slightly in... [Lire la suite]

A blue and white 'dragon and phoenix' bowl. Mark and period of Wanli painted around the sides in bright cobalt-blue with a dragon and phoenix separated by two large peony blooms striding through a continuous scrolling vine with verdant leaves, set between a band of overlapping ruyi heads around the foot and double-line bands below the rim, the interior with a central medallion enclosing a large lança character within a double-circle, with a band of further lança characters below the rim, the base inscribed with the... [Lire la suite]

A massive blue and white 'fish' bowl. Mark and period of Wanli sturdily potted with deep straight sides tapering to a lipped mouthrim, vividly painted in deep cobalt-blue with an aquatic scene depicting four carp leaping amid flowering lotus plants, arrowhead, pondweed and clover ferns among tadpoles and above splashing waves, inscribed with the six-character mark in a single horizontal line below the rim. 49.3 cm., 19 3/8 in. Estimate 350,000—450,000 HKD PROVENANCE: Acquired in New York in the 1990s. Sotheby's. Fine... [Lire la suite]

A blue and white 'boys' box and cover. Mark and period of Wanli the flat cover of rectangular section with lobed corners, painted in vivid cobalt blue with four boys playing musical instruments in a garden setting, bordered around the sides with panels of dragons on a floral ground, the corners each set with a flower, the box similarly decorated with a dragon on each side, the base inscribed with a six-character mark enclosed within a double-square. 13.5 cm., 5 1/4 in. Estimate 250,000—350,000 HKD NOTE: Boxes of this... [Lire la suite]

A magnificent pair of extremely rare carved gold lacquer bookcases. Mark and Period of Wanli each with evenly-spaced two shelves housed within a rectangular structure, heavily carved on the front of the 'gold thread' nanmu framework with eight pairs of confronting dragons centered on a ruyi-shaped cloud, above jagged chevrons representing mountains at the base of the legs, the sides divided into three sections, each with a square panel with canted corners and a cusped top frame, containing a pair of... [Lire la suite]