Last month, The Value had an exclusive interview with S.F. Kot, the owner of the Tianminlou Collection. The collection includes a number of rare blue and white porcelain that hailed by many Chinese ceramic lovers. During the interview, we got the news that part of the collection will be up for auction at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong this spring.
We have invited Nicolas Chow, Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia to introduce some highlights. Here is a sneak peek of some of them.
For more details about our interview with S.F. Kot, check out:
EXCLUSIVE: S.F. Kot to Offer Tianminlou Collection of Blue & White Porcelain at Hong Kong Auction
Nicolas Chow｜Chairman, Sotheby’s Asia
Tianminlou Collection｜Blue and White 'Dragon' Dish, Mark and Period of Xuande｜HK$8m-12m
Tianminlou, best known for its collection of blue and white porcelain, boasts the largest repository of Yuan blue and white porcelain in private hands. In the upcoming auction at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 18 items of Ming and Qing porcelain from the Tianminlou Collection will be offered at the sale. The group will be led by fine blue and white examples from the Yongle (1403-1425) and Xuande (1426-1435) periods of the Ming dynasty.
Blue and white pottery is a range of white pottery and porcelain decorated under the glaze with a blue pigment. The production of blue and white wares traces back to Tang dynasty (618-907). Underglaze blue decoration was first introduced to China from Persia, where cobalt ore used in the blue pigment was originally imported from. These wares became widespread during the Yuan and Ming dynasties.
See-for Kot (S.F. Kot), owner of the Tianminlou Collection
The production of blue and white porcelain has further refined over the past thousand years since its first gained popularity in the Yuan dynasty. Blue and white porcelain from the Ming dynasty, in particular, Yongle and Xuande periods of the Early Ming, are highly regarded by connoisseurs and enjoy international reputation since the 20th century.
In the 1930s, British scholar Archie D. Brankston came to China to collect blue and white porcelain from the Yongle and Xuande periods for the British Museum. He later published a book titled The Early Ming Wares of Chingtechen, which sparked huge interest from collectors and researchers in blue and white porcelain from Yongle and Xuande periods. The value of Yongle and Xuande blue and white has skyrocketed along with the rise of the auction market. Investment wise, they are considered ‘blue-chip’ items among Chinese ceramics.
Tianminlou Collection｜Blue and White 'Dragon' Dish Mark and Period of Xuande｜HK$3m-5m
Blue and white decoration first became widely used in Chinese porcelain in the 14th century, after the cobalt pigment for the blue began to be imported from Persia. The cobalt ores imported from Persia were a scarce ingredient at the time and used in only limited quantities. The pigment is known as ‘Sumali qing’ in Chinese, a transliteration of The Samarra Blue cobalt.
The Samarra Blue (sumali qing) cobalt used for Yuan wares was rich in iron, which yielded a glaze with darker blue spots. This so-called ‘heaped and piled’ effect was caused by the accumulation of iron oxide in the cobalt pigment in certain areas of the surface.
Tianminlou Collection｜Blue and White 'Lotus' Fruit Bowl, Mark and Period of Xuande｜HK$8m-12m
Smalt cobalt was the main source for blue-and-white porcelain during the reigns of Yongle and Xuande. Subsequently, more rigorous firing processes resulted in subtle displays of ‘heap and pile’ characteristics, with varying tones of rich and brilliant cobalt blue visible in the glazed surface.
The reign of Emperor Yongle lasted 22 years from 1402 to 1424, and was succeeded by the reign of Hongxi Emperor, who died eight months after he was enthroned. His son became the Emperor Xuande in 1425. It is only a short period of time between the Yongle and Xuande reigns, and hence the shapes and designs of the blue and white porcelain produced from these two periods share striking resemblances.
Tianminlou Collection｜Blue and White 'Floral' Bowl, Mark and Period of Xuande｜HK$8m-12m
Tianminlou Collection｜Blue and White 'Winged Dragon' Jarlet, Ming Dynasty, Yongle - Early Xuande Period｜HK$8m-12m
Dating blue and white porcelain from these two periods is a difficult task that even experienced specialists and experts hold different views from time to time.
For example, the blue and white ‘winged dragon' jarlet offered at the upcoming sale provoked a heated discussion among specialists. It has traditionally been attributed to the Yongle reign, for example, by Julian Thompson (1941-2011) in the 1978 T.Y. Chao exhibition catalogue and in the 1987 Tianminlou catalogue, but Geng Baochang has in 1993 published it as a Xuande example.
To get to know more about the blue and white porcelain from Tianminlou collection, stay tuned for our interview with Nicolas Chow.
Highlights from the Tianminlou Collection
An Extremely Rare and Exceptional Blue and White 'Lotus' Basin. Ming Dynasty, Yongle Period
Size: 25.6cm
Exhibited:
- Chinese Porcelain in the S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1987, cat. no. 13.
- Selected Treasures of Chinese Art: Min Chiu Society Thirtieth Anniversary Exhibition, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1990-1991, cat. no. 129.
- Blue and White Porcelain from the Tianminlou Collection, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1992, cat. no. 29.
- The Radiant Ming 1368-1644 through the Min Chiu Society Collection, Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong, 2015-2016, cat. no. 61.
- Treasures of Hong Kong: The 20th Anniversary of Hong Kong's Handover, Capital Museum, Beijing, 2017, cat. no. 115.
Provenance:
J.J. Lally, New York, 1986.
Estimate: HK$8,000,000 - 12,000,000
A Superb and Large Blue and White 'Lotus' Fruit Bowl. Mark and Period of Xuande
Size: 29.8cm
Exhibited: To be announced
Provenance: To be announced
Estimate: HK$8,000,000 - 12,000,000
An Exceptional and Extremely Rare Blue and White 'Winged Dragon' Jarlet. Ming Dynasty, Yongle – Early Xuande Period
Size: 11.4cm
Exhibited:
- Exhibition of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain and Related Underglaze Red, The Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, City Museum and Art Gallery, Hong Kong, 1975, cat. no. 16.
- Ming and Ch'ing Porcelain from the Collection of the T.Y. Chao Family Foundation, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1978, cat. no. 13.
- Chinese Porcelain in the S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1987, cat. no. 18.
- Blue and White Porcelain from the Tianminlou Collection, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1992, cat. no. 34.
Provenance:
- Collection of Edward T. Chow (1910-1980), by repute.
- Collection of T.Y. Chao (1912-1999).
- Sotheby's Hong Kong, 19th May 1987, lot 227.
Estimate: HK$8,000,000 - 12,000,000
A Very Fine Blue and White ‘flower and Fruit’ Garlic-mouth Bottle Vase. Seal Mark and Period of Qianlong
Height: 27.7cm
Exhibited: To be announced
Provenance: To be announced
Estimate: HK$5,000,000 - 7,000,000
A Fine and Extremely Rare Blue and White 'floral' Bowl. Mark and Period of Xuande
Size: 19.5cm
Exhibited: To be announced
Provenance: To be announced
Estimate: HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000
An Extremely Rare Blue and White 'Dragon' Dish. Mark and Period of Xuande
Size: 19.5cm
Exhibited: To be announced
Provenance: To be announced
Estimate: HK$3,000,000 - 5,000,000