In April 2019, Poly Auction Hong Kong brought to market a Qianlong-period celadon-glazed double-gourd vase adorned with a gourd motif. Offered by the renowned Ten-Views of Lingbi Rock Retreat Collection in North America, it exceeded expectations, selling for HK$34.2 million.
Comparable examples of such gourd vases remain absent from both public and private collections worldwide. This season, however, China Guardian (HK) Auctions unveiled not one, but a pair of remarkably similar vases from the same period.
Symbolizing prosperity across generations, the pair came from the private collection of Quincy Chuang – a prominent Hong Kong entrepreneur and former chairman of the Min Chiu Society, an elite group of Chinese art collectors.
After nearly six decades in the Chuang family’s care, the vases made their auction debut on 7 April, achieving a hammer price of HK$40 million after six bids. Including buyer’s premium, the lot sold to a telephone bidder with paddle number 5018 for HK$46.35 million (around US$5.9 million) – the highest price realized during the auction house’s spring sales.
Lot 1101 | An extraordinary pair of celadon-glazed 'double-gourd' vases
Qianlong six-character sealmarks and of the period (1736-1795)
Height: 37.5 cm
Provenance:
- Quincy Chuang collection, Hong Kong
Estimate upon request
Hammer Price: HK$40,000,000
Sold: HK$46,350,000
Founded in 1960, the Min Chiu Society is arguably Hong Kong’s most prestigious circle of Chinese art collectors. Its membership has long comprised the upper echelons of the city's elite – bankers, industrialists, lawyers, doctors, and other distinguished figures bound by a shared passion for Chinese antiques
Among its founding members was J.M. Hu, the eldest son of an influential Shanghai banker and one of the most revered connoisseur-collectors of the 20th century. He was joined by other luminaries such as Lee Jung-sen, the fourth son of Lee Hysan, and Chen Guangfu (K.P. Chen), founder of the Shanghai Commercial Bank.
While Quincy Chuang would later serve two terms as chairman of this Society, his introduction to Chinese art collecting came through J.M. Hu – his brother-in-law. His interests were broad, encompassing porcelains, jades, and scholar’s objects such as brushpots. According to family accounts, it was Hu who influenced several of his early acquisitions, including this pair of double-gourd vases, which Chuang purchased from the legendary dealer-collector Edward T. Chow in the 1960s.
Auctioneer John Chong (Manager, Ceramics and Works of Art)
Chuang’s most celebrated contribution to the field of Chinese art, however, came in 1992. Born into a family of industrialists with deep roots in Republican-era Shanghai, he was shaped by a family-wide fondness for craftsmanship – his father and uncle shared a lifelong passion for woodworking.
That year, to honor their legacy, Chuang acquired 79 pieces of Ming-style furniture from the esteemed scholar and connoisseur Wang Shixiang for US$1 million – a fraction of their market value. Purchased with the sole intention of donation, the pieces became the foundation of the Shanghai Museum’s collection of classical Chinese furniture. Today, they are housed in a dedicated gallery named in memory of Chuang’s father and uncle – a gift that made him well-known among connoisseurs of classical furniture.
A similar example sold at Poly Auction Hong Kong for HK$34.2 million in 2019
The appeal of this pair lies not only in its distinguished provenance but also in its layered cultural symbolism – double-gourd vases adorned with the gourd motif.
In Chinese tradition, natural gourds, with their abundance of seeds, have long symbolized fertility and prolific descendants. When preserved as a matching pair, the symbolism is further heightened: the notion of double blessings conveys completeness and expresses heartfelt wishes for familial flourishing, enduring peace, and lasting fortune.
The gourd’s cultural resonance in China stretches back thousands of years. As early as the Neolithic period, artisans fashioned pottery vessels in imitation of natural gourds. Their seed-filled interiors signified fertility and generational continuity, while their curling vines and tendrils – homophonous with wan dai (萬代, “endless generations”) – reinforced themes of lineage and prosperity.
By the Han dynasty and through the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the gourd became closely associated with Daoist beliefs. One of its earliest literary appearances is found in a text recounting the legend of a Daoist immortal, in which the gourd serves not merely as a medicinal container but as a vessel of mystery – a portal to another realm. Believed to contain entire worlds within, it embodied the Daoist ideal of boundlessness, capable of enclosing the heavens and seas in its compact form.
The present vases are decorated with the gourd motif
A blue-and-white double-gourd vase with the same motif from the Yuan Dynasty | Sold: RMB 56,810,000, Poly Auction Beijing, 2018
From the Tang to the Yuan dynasties, the gourd became a hallmark of Daoist iconography, particularly as the emblem of Tieguai Li, one of the Eight Immortals. Technological advances in ceramics allowed artisans to craft gourd-shaped vessels for daily use, especially as wine flasks. Literati found in the gourd a symbol of elegance and simplicity, and it emerged as a favored subject in poetry and painting, reflecting refined scholarly tastes.
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the variety of materials and decorative styles expanded dramatically. Blue-and-white porcelain, underglaze-painted designs, overglaze enamels, and monochrome glazes were all applied to double-gourd vases. Once a literati symbol, the gourd evolved into a widely recognized emblem of good fortune, embraced by both court and commoner. Whether displayed at court or in village homes, it was believed to ward off evil and attract blessings.
By the Qing dynasty, gourd motifs had become integral to imperial celebrations — from birthday banquets to seasonal festivals. They appeared not only on porcelain but also on lacquerware, cloisonné, and other luxury materials. Yet examples in celadon glaze, decorated in relief with the gourd motif, remain exceedingly rare.
Beyond the Poly Auction example sold in 2019, no pieces that match the present lot in size, form, decoration, and mark have been recorded in either public or private collections — underscoring the rarity and importance of this exceptional set.
Other Highlight Lots:
Lot 1108 | A magnificent blue and white 'lotus' ruyi-handled vase
Qianlong six-character seal mark and of the period (1736-1795)
Height: 48 cm
Provenance:
- Estate of the Viscounts of Santa Margarida, Chamusca, Portugal
Estimate: HK$6,500,000 - 8,500,000
Hammer Price: HK$8,000,000
Sold: HK$9,510,000
Lot 1096 | A ruby-ground sgraffiato famile rose 'lotus' vase
Qianlong six-character seal mark and of the period (1736-1795)
Height: 22.8 cm
Provenance:
- Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 20 November 1985, lot 144
- An important overseas private collection
Estimate: HK$1,500,000 - 2,000,000
Hammer Price: HK$7,800,000
Sold: HK$9,276,000
Lot 1119 | A jian 'hare's fur' tenmoku tea bowl with lacquer stand
Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279)
Diameter: 12.5 cm
Provenance:
- Dogen Zenji collection (according to the calligraphic inscription on the original box)
- Kato Shirozaemon collection (according to the calligraphic inscription on the original box)
- Matsudaira Harusato collection (according to the calligraphic inscription on the original box)
- An overseas private collection
Estimate: HK$3,000,000 - 4.000,000
Hammer Price: HK$3,000,000
Sold: HK$3,600,000
Lot 1099 | A blue and white 'floral' dragon-handled vase
Yongzheng six-character seal mark and of the period (1723-1735)
Height: 19.3 cm
Provenance:
- A Spanish diplomat collection, who was based in Shanghai in the 1940s
- A noble European lady collection
- Christie’s Paris, 9 June 2015, lot 103 (one of a pair)
Estimate: HK$800,000 - 1,200,000
Hammer Price: HK$2,000,000
Sold: HK$2,400,000
Lot 1100 | A carved white-glazed 'lotus' vase, yuhuchunping
Qianlong six-character seal mark and of the period (1736-1795)
Height: 34 cm
Provenance:
- A Hong Kong family collection
Estimate: HK$300,000-500,000
Hammer Price: HK$1,900,000
Sold: HK$2,280,000
Lot 1094 | A small pair of ge-type vases, ganlanping
Qianlong six-character seal marks and of the period (1736-1795)
Height: 18 cm
Provenance:
- S. H. Chan collection
- A Taiwanese private collection, purchased from the above in 1975
- Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 23 May 1978, lot 202
- The Teiseidô (Dingjingtang) collection，acquired in 1982
- A Taiwanese private collection
Estimate: HK$600,000 - 800,000
Hammer Price: HK$1,600,000
Sold: HK$1,920,000
Auction Details:
Auction House: China Guardian (HK) Auctions
Sale: Enshrouded Within: Chinese Imperial Treasures and Archaic Antiquities
Date: 7 April 2025
Number of Lots: 43
Sold: 23
Unsold: 20
Sale Rate: 53.5%
Sale Total: Approximately HK$79.86 million