Sothebys Auctions of Chinese Art This September | News

MAGNIFICENT VIEW OF THE PEARL RIVER OFF HONAM ISLAND, CANTON QING DYNASTY, CIRCA 1840

A Few Thoughts on Lot 23 (Important Chinese Art)

AN EXTREMELY RARE COPPER-RED MING- STYLE CYLINDRICAL JAR QIANLONG SEAL MARK AND PERIOD

AN EXTREMELY RARE COPPER-RED MING-
STYLE CYLINDRICAL JAR
QIANLONG SEAL MARK AND PERIOD

rising from a slightly splayed foot to a slightly flared mouth,
the gently rounded sides finely painted with a broad band of a
dense geometric pattern of cell diapers enclosing lotus sprays,
spiky florets, leaf and lozenge motifs, tessellating to form
star-shaped panels, framed above and below by foliate scroll
bands, with borders of demi-flower heads at the foot and neck,
the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue
Height 7 in., 17.8 cm
Copper red-decorated jars of this type are extremely rare and
this piece, with its meticulously executed design in vibrant red,
boasts the technical advances made at the imperial kilns in
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province during the Qianlong period while
referencing revered wares of the past. A highly temperamental
pigment, copper-red glazes had largely been abandoned
since the early Ming dynasty and were revived and drastically
improved in the early Qing period, starting in the Kangxi
reign. It is under the Qianlong Emperor, however, that ever
more complex designs painted with almost penciled lines in
underglaze red began to appear.

$ 200,000-300,000

A "Little Rant".

Is it me, or is this a boring looking 7" pot? Is it perhaps just cute?

While I understand this particular pot is rather rare or at least relatively unusual for its type.  However, when I saw this and it's estimate I had a couple of questions;  

• Is it worth $200,000 to $300,000?
• Is it great visually in some way?
• Is it beautiful overall?
• Is it decorated in an extraordinarily beautiful way?
• Is it historically significant?
• Is the potting particularly skillful or unique?
• Is it of the same caliber of other examples done in this lovely color?
• Have values of some objects in auctions of Chinese art become disconnected to reality?

For me, it's got nothing (Am I being too harsh?). I think for a 7-inch pot,  to be worth roughly quarter of a million dollars, it should be pretty amazing or dazzling or at least demonstrate some kind of breakthrough in design making it unique. Or perhaps a superbly well-done example of a much-admired type.  It should have something that says, "wow, I AM incredible!"  For me, this jar doesn't come close.  Is it me? 

The original examples of this jar date to the Yongle Period (1403-1424), which made it historically significant reflecting the cultural exchange of that period. This jar is in effect a commemorative piece based on much earlier Ming examples which were terribly difficult to produce. 

Potters and decorators had moved ahead light years by the Qianlong period.  Copper red was used routinely resulting most often in a successful firing by the mid 18th C.  The shape is a very common based on Middle-eastern and European examples, embellished with a basic middle east pattern. 

• This particular example is a very basic and common, though miniaturized,  Albarello form that has been used routinely in the Middle East and Southern Europe for centuries. The form is most often used as apothecary jars. The decoration has its roots in geometric patterning commonly found in Persian mosaics used to adorn mosques and pages of the Quran.

Yes, I understand that working with underglaze red or copper red decorations had previously been very tricky.  Were it from the early Ming dynasty, I could somewhat understand the estimate and possibly a higher one. The problem for me is, this example was made during a period when the kilns were able to easily and successfully use this once difficult color.  The shape is a rudimentary one and not particularly interesting for it's proportions. In other words, whats the achievement in producing this? 

Ok, thats it..what are your thoughts? (I might be missing something other might see) 

MAGNIFICENT VIEW OF THE
PEARL RIVER OFF HONAM ISLAND,
CANTON
QING DYNASTY, CIRCA 1840
Chinese School, oil on canvas; a well-painted expansive view from the south side of the Pearl River, where the European factories were located, the calm waters bustling with junks, sampans and flower boats’, towards Honam Island, the shore dotted with warehouses and distinctive landmarks including the Dutch Folly and Red Fort, framed Height 35 in., 88.9 cm; Width 78 in., 198.1 cm PROVENANCE Collection of Charles Forte, Baron Forte of Ripley (1908-2007), London. Christie’s London, 12th July 2012, lot 120. LITERATURE Carl L. Crossman, The Decorative Arts of the China Trade, Woodbridge, 1991, pl. 26. This exceptionally large and exquisitely detailed painting of a port view would have been commissioned by one of the leading Western traders in Canton, the biggest of the treaty ports, possibly as a souvenir gift to send or take back home. It is recorded that many of these paintings went to America, hence the large number of Chinese School paintings in the collection of the Peabody Museum, Salem, and other American institutions. The scene can be identi% ed by the presence oftwo European forts: the Dutch Folly Fort (center right), across from the Western quarter, and French Folly Fort (far right), an island fort just below Canton. Westerners had been restricted by the Emperor to their trading concessions (the ‘Thirteen Factories’ area) on the north shore; however they had always been allowed to cross over to Honam. By the end of the nineteenth century the river opposite Honam had a floating population of over 100,000 people.