In recent years, the renowned Wang Xing Lou Collection has entrusted major auction houses to release part of its treasures of imperial Chinese porcelains from the early Qing dynasty.
This season, it was China Guardian Hong Kong's turn to host a single-owner collection sale for the esteemed Hong Kong dealer-collector. With a lively bidding atmosphere, all 11 pieces (sets) were sold, achieving a white-glove result and a sale total of HK$56.4 million (around US$7.26 million).
Standing in the limelight was a unique pair of cloisonné-imitated jars from the Qianlong period (1736-1795), with the original covers retained. On an opening bid of HK$15 million, the pair was hammered for HK$22 million, selling to a telephone bidder with paddle number 808, for a final price after fees of HK$25.83 million (around US$3.3 million).
Combined with the three previous dedicated sales at Christie's and Poly Auction Hong Kong, the Wang Xing Lou Collection has sold nearly HK$300 million worth of collections at auction over the past two years.
John Chong (Manager, Ceramics and Works of Art, China Guardian Hong Kong) with the top lot
The owner of the Wang Xing Lou Collection is an important collector and antique dealer in Hong Kong, who has demonstrated remarkable foresight in collecting since the 1980s.
At the time, what dominated the Chinese art market were the Song Dynasty monochromes and early Ming Dynasty blue-and-whites. He, however, took an unusual step and focused on imperial ceramics produced during the so-called three generations of Qing, under the Emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong.
In his quest for pieces of beauty, exceptional quality, and rarity, he often took inspiration from influential dealers and collectors such as James J. Lally, Julian Thompson, Richard Marchant, and Robert Chang.
By 2004, Wang Xing Lou's collection was of such quality that it was exhibited as Imperial Perfection: The Palace Porcelain of Three Emperors at the Minneapolis Museum of Art, where it remained on loan for the next two decades. And this sale's top lot was included in that exhibition.
Lot 1327 | A pair of fine and exceedingly rare turquoise-ground famille rose 'peach' jars and covers
Qianlong six-character seal marks and of the period (1736-1795)
Height: 22.3 cm
Provenance:
- J.M. Hu collection
- Sotheby's Hong Kong, 26 & 27 October 1993, lot 251
- Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5 & 6 November 1996, lot 886
Estimate: HK$20,000,000 - 30,000,000
Hammer Price: HK$22,000,000
Sold: HK$25,830,000 (around US$3.3 million)
Before entering the Wang Xing Lou Collection, this pair of imperial jars had once resided in the esteemed collection of J. M. Hu, one of the most revered 20th-century connoisseur-collectors of Chinese art.
The early 20th century was a golden age of Chinese collecting. Following the Qing dynasty's collapse, an abundance of imperial works of art was available on the market for the first time, attracting both local and overseas enthusiasts to assemble top-notch private collections.
As the acquisition of Chinese antiquities became more and more competitive – those ambitious collectors included John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and John Pierpont Morgan, to name but a few – J. M. Hu, the eldest son of an influential banker, decided to focus on Ming and Qing imperial porcelains. For him, collecting was a scholarly pursuit, and he would only acquire pieces that were authentic, rare, of high quality, and in pristine condition.
Standing as a model of the modern scholar-collector, he built one of the most notable collections of imperial Chinese works of art, with many prized works including a Ming-dynasty wucai fish jar that sold for HK$213 million in Hong Kong in 2017.
J. M. Hu with prized works in his collection; one of the wucai fish jars (on the left or right) sold for HK$213 million at Christie's Hong Kong in 2017
Having passed into the hands of J. M. Hu and the Wang Xing Lou Collection, this pair of jars from the Qianlong period certainly meets their shared collecting standard of authenticity, excellence, and rarity – there are no other known identical examples from both private and public collections.
Unlike his father Yongzheng, Emperor Qianlong was known for favoring flamboyant aesthetics – if Emperor Yongzheng's taste is defined by a modern sense of elegant minimalism, Qianlong's will be representative of glamourous maximalism. During his reign, therefore, he revived on a grand scale the world-renowned copper cloisonné enamel from the Jingtai period (1449-1457) of the Ming dynasty, which is noted for its splendid gilding, brilliant blue color, and rich patterns.
Also a passionate lover of arts, Emperor Qianlong was extremely hard to please when it came to ceramics: he imposed exacting standards, enjoyed objects that were simulations of other materials, favored antiquity-inspired designs, and yet sought the curious for his amusement. And with this high bar came numerous innovations of exceptional quality, including the present lot – the ceramic version of a copper cloisonné enamel.
While in their color scheme the present jars imitate cloisonné metalwork – the wires separating the cloisons of different enamels being mirrored by finely painted golden lines – stylistically they stand in the Qing trend of famille rose porcelains with their main motif of peaches, a symbol of longevity.
Famille rose palette was a new color scheme that emerged under European influence in the 17th century, introduced by Jesuits who visited the imperial court. By mixing iron powder and glass white, the colors became soft and opaque, which enabled painters to blend tints to create a multitude of shades and hues, chiefly in pink, white, green, and yellow.
What is unusual here is their companion motif: instead of conventional designs like ruyi heads or flowers, the shoulders of the jars feature a ring of crimson bat in flight – a rare choice that, when combined with peaches, symbolizes the auspicious wishes of "double happiness and longevity." Similarly, the top covers are embellished not only with Islamic-style painted flowers and fruits but also with a horseshoe-shaped knob, displaying the exceptional artistry of Qing potters.
In terms of shapes, the jars take on the form of a lantern vase but with a distinctive touch – a more rounded and plump silhouette, reminiscent of an egg, making it a rather uncommon find.
During the Qianlong reign, famille rose pieces often bore iron-red seal marks. This pair of covered jars, however, stands out with a six-character seal mark in gold, a deliberate nod to the style of Ming-dynasty copper cloisonné enamel, showcasing the attention to detail characteristic of that period.
While there are no identical or highly similar examples to this lot, two cloisonné-imitated vases from the Qianlong period hitting the market in recent years could serve as a reference. The first was a pair of jars and covers with a design of four seasonal flowers, which sold for RMB 20,125,000 at Poly Auction Beijing in 2015; the second a large turquoise-ground famille rose 'bajixiang' vase, selling for HK$41.3 million at Poly Auction Hong Kong in 2020.
A pair of jars and covers with a design of four seasonal flowers which sold for RMB 20,125,000 at Poly Auction Beijing in 2015
A large turquoise-ground famille rose 'bajixiang' vase that sold for HK$41.3 million at Poly Auction Hong Kong in 2020
All other lots in the sale:
Lot 1324 | An important blue and white 'dragon' handled moonflask
Qianlong six-character seal mark and of the period (1736-1795)
Height: 30.3 cm
Estimate: HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Hammer Price: HK$5,400,000
Sold: HK$6,468,000 (around US$832,400)
Lot 1323 | A fine celadon-glazed vase
Height: 18.6 cm
Provenance:
- Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27 October 1992, lot 107
Estimate: HK$1,800,000 - 3,000,000
Hammer Price: HK$4,450,000
Sold: HK$5,340,000
Lot 1326 | A pair of blue and white and iron-red-decorated 'dragon' brushes
Qianlong six-character seal marks and of the period (1736-1795)
Length: 28.5 cm
Provenance:
- Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2 November 1994, lot 183
Estimate: HK$1,500,000 - 2,500,000
Hammer Price: HK$3,900,000
Sold: HK$4,680,000
Lot 1321 | A coral-ground blue and white 'lotus petal' waterpot
Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period (1723-1735)
Diameter: 7 cm
Provenance:
- Professor Max Loehr collection
- J.J. Lally & Co., New York
Estimate: HK$1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Hammer Price: HK$3,450,000
Sold: HK$4,140,000
Lot 1325 | An extremely rare blue and white 'four horses' bowl
Qianlong six-character seal mark and of the period (1736-1795)
Diameter: 11 cm
Provenance:
- Bluett & Sons, London
- A private collection formed in England and the Republic of Ireland
- Sotheby's London, 19 June 2002, lot 54
Estimate: HK$800,000 - 1,500,000
Hammer Price: HK$1,900,000
Sold: HK$2,280,000
Lot 1329 | A doucai 'floral' bowl
Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period (1723-1735)
Diameter: 12.8 cm
Estimate: HK$700,000 - 900,000
Hammer Price: HK$1,800,000
Sold: HK$2,160,000
Lot 1322 | A rare coral-ground famille rose 'nine bats' dish
Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period (1723-1735)
Diameter: 15.6 cm
Provenance:
- Sotheby's Hong Kong, 28 & 29 April 1992, lot 153
- Sotheby's London, 6 June 1995, lot 237
Estimate: HK$700,000-900,000
Hammer Price: HK$1,400,000
Sold: HK$1,680,000
Lot 1331 | A ge-type vase, biqiping
Qianlong six-character seal mark and of the period (1736-1795)
Height: 36 cm
Provenance:
- Bonhams London, 11 June 2003, lot 291
Estimate: HK$1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Hammer Price: HK$1,400,000
Sold: HK$1,680,000
Lot 1330 | A very rare blue and white 'dragon' jarlet
Qianlong six-character seal mark and of the period (1736-1795)
Height: 7.7 cm
Estimate: HK$1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Hammer Price: HK$1,100,000
Sold: HK$1,320,000
Lot 1328 | A black-ground famille rose 'floral' dish
Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period (1723-1735)
Diameter: 15 cm
Estimate: HK$600,000 - 800,000
Hammer Price: HK$700,000
Sold: HK$840,000
Auction Details:
Auction House: China Guardian Hong Kong
Sale: Ascending Dragon: Qing Imperial Porcelain from the Wang Xing Lou Collection
Date: 8 October 2024
Number of Lots: 11
Sold: 11
Sale Rate: 100%
Sale Total: HK$56,418,000 (around US$7.26 million)