A famille verte fluted pear-shaped cistern, cover and a basin. Kangxi

30 avril 2009

A famille verte fluted pear-shaped cistern, cover and a basin. Kangxi

A famille verte fluted pear-shaped cistern, cover and a basin. Kangxi

The cistern surmounted by twin fish-dragons flanking a scallop shell and pursuing the flaming pearl, the body brightly enamelled and gilt with two phoenix perched on pierced rockwork amidst bamboo and peony sprays and in flight, all between above a wide band enclosing chrysanthemum flowerheads reserved on a green fish-roe ground flanking the moulded projecting mask with a later metal tap, and below a similarly decorated band, supported on a spreading foot with a lappet pattern, the domed cover with iron-red finial, enamelled with a floral spray above a green fish-roe ground with flowerheads; and the scalloped basin enamelled with two pheasants in flight above and perched on a prunus, encircled by prunus, pomegranate and peony sprigs below the bordered rim, the underside with four peony sprigs below a classic scroll, the footrim pierced with two holes for suspension. The cistern 45.3cm (17¾in) high, the basin 28cm (11in) wide. (3). Estimate: £12,000 - 15,000

Provenance: an English private collection, Oxfordshire
Bonhams London, 8 November 2004, lot 335

Note: Compare a related blue and white cistern from the Palace Museum, illustrated by Feng Xianming, Geng Baochang and Ye Peilan, eds., Selected Porcelain of the Flourishing Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 1994, p.53, Catalogue no.12 .