Lot 219 , A pair of Chinese yellow ground altar vessels and covers, dou, iron red Daoguang seal marks and of the period (1821-50), height 27.5cm,
A pair of Chinese yellow ground altar vessels and covers, dou, iron red Daoguang seal marks and of the period (1821-50), each finely painted with five bands of polychrome and gilt-tooled five-claw dragons, chasing flaming pearls amid clouds, bordered by a narrow band of waves at the base and bowl and key fret by the rim of the vessel and cover, the domed cover with bun finial surrounded a chrysanthemum and band of ruyi heads, the interior of the base and the cover painted with reserved iron red seal marks 'Da Qing Dao Guang Nian Zhi', height 27.5cm, one base broken and re-stuck
Estimate £20,000-30,000
Provenance:
Hon. Olivia Vernon Mulholland (1902-1984); thence by family descent.
The Honorable Olivia Vernon Harcourt was the daughter of Lewis Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt and Mary Ethel Burns. She held the office of Woman of the Bechamber to HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1951 and was appointed Commander, Royal Victorian Order (C.V.O.) in 1958 and Dame Commander, Royal Victorian Order (D.C.V.O.) in 1971. The pair of altar vessels and covers are included on a valuation of her estate undertaken by Woolley and Wallis in 1984.
Literature:
A similar dou and cover with Jiaqing marks was sold by Sotheby's, New York, 'Important Chinese Art' ,15th-16th September 2015, Lot 312.
Vessels of this form and decoration are known with Qianlong and other 19th century reign marks. A Qianlong example was included in the exhibition Ch'ing Porcelain from the Wah Kwong Collection, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1973, no. 47.
PLEASE NOTE THERE IS NO INTERNET BIDDING AVAILABLE ON THIS LOT.
A DEPOSIT OF £5,000 WILL BE REQUIRED FROM OVERSEAS BUYERS TO BID ON THIS LOT. Any deposit must be paid by debit card or bank transfer. Gorringes must have cleared funds no later than 12 noon BST on Monday 24th September. If you are not successful you will be refunded (without interest) within seven working days.
PLEASE NOTE THERE IS NO INTERNET BIDDING AVAILABLE ON THIS LOT.
A DEPOSIT OF £5,000 WILL BE REQUIRED FROM OVERSEAS BUYERS TO BID ON THIS LOT. Any deposit must be paid by debit card or bank transfer. Gorringes must have cleared funds no later than 12 noon BST on Monday 24th September. If you are not successful you will be refunded (without interest) within seven working days.
We can confirm that the provenance is authentic as we have a copy of the original probate valuation undertaken by Woolley & Wallis and since the current owner was given the altar vessels from the estate.
Strictly speaking the altar vessels and covers have the same design so are not a mirror image pair as such, the first altar vessel and cover has typical minor glaze imperfections but is in good condition with no restoration chips or cracks, there is some slight wear to the gilding on the upper rim of the base of the vessel as it has been applied to the biscuit porcelain on the edge, the second altar vessel has been broken and re-glued at the base and one side of the stem with a tiny area of filler to two areas most visible on the underside, there was originally some repainting over the cracks but this has been removed so the full extent of the repair can be seen but there is some remnants of the repainting visible each side of the cracks on the underside of the vessel where it is hollow going into the stem, there is also a shallow chip to the edge of the foot next to one of the cracks, there is also some minor glaze imperfections to some of the enamel colours and some wear to the gilding on two of the bands around the stem where there was formerly repainting, the cover is in good condition and the keywork border on the cover is slightly thicker and a little bubbled in places in manufacture. Please see additional photographs on our website.
Overall the quality of the painting on these altar vessels is of the highest quality for this period.
Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by Gorringes Conditions of Sale.
Sold for £82,000