Imperial porcelains<\/a> during the reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. These were three of the most renowned emperors of the Qing Dynasty.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOf late, Early and Middle Ming Dynasty porcelains have proven to be the most valuable. An example of this is the famed “chicken cup,” which was purchased by Liu Yiqian, one of China’s esteemed art collectors in 2014 for $36 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Wanli Era: Precious but Neglected<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
One compelling theory for the scarcity of pristine examples of porcelain from Wanli\u2019s reign is that due to the emperor’s, and by extension, the country’s near bankruptcy towards the end. This led to a decline in the quality of porcelain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Rare Find: The Keswick \u201cHundred Deer\u201d Jar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The crown jewel of this auction is the Keswick \u201cHundred Deer\u201d Jar, estimated between $700,000\u2013$900,000. This vividly embellished jar showing multicoloured deer in a forest setting was procured by Richard Marchant at an estate sale in Surrey, England, in 1967.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unveiled for the Christie\u2019s sale, Marchant traced its heritage back to the influential English businessman, William Keswick, based in Hong Kong during the 19th-century. Similar examples of this jar can be found at the National Palace Museum in Taipei and Tokyo National Museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other seven pieces in the collection are equally rare, most with examples residing in notable museums. A large bowl decorated with a lotus and \u201ceight Buddhist treasures,\u201d titled Doucai Bajixiang, is one of just four worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christie’s Asian Art Week – Imperial Chinese Porcelain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As part of the nine-auction Asian Art Week at Christie\u2019s from September 19\u201328, this compelling imperial Chinese porcelain sale marks Wanli\u2019s ascension’s 450th anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marchant, capturing the essence of this particular sale, noted the collection\u2019s \u201csignificant scholarly and academic importance.\u201d This implies that they warrant being on display in an institution or museum, thereby requiring the global exposure only an entity like Christie\u2019s could provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Cyclical Nature of Chinese Porcelain Collection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The collection of Chinese porcelain has demonstrated a cyclical pattern over the years. The early 20th century saw modern industry tycoons like Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan treasure these art pieces, while in Sweden, King Gustaf VI Adolf amassed over 2,600 pieces in the 17th century. Let’s look forward to seeing how this sale will continue to shape the cyclical narrative of Chinese porcelain collection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A remarkable auction is set for September 21 at Christie’s, with the renowned Asian art dealer, Marchant, offering a collection of imperial Chinese porcelain. This event is anticipated to provide renewed vigor to a now-languid Western market for such ceramics. Marchant and Christie’s: A Historical Collaboration This auction has sparked interest from various angles. Marchant, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-285","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/informerinsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/informerinsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/informerinsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/informerinsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/informerinsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/informerinsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1630,"href":"https:\/\/informerinsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285\/revisions\/1630"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/informerinsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/informerinsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/informerinsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/informerinsights.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}