The single-owner sale of selected imperial ceramics from the Tianminlou Collection at Sotheby’s Hong Kong generated much excitement among art collectors and dealers since it was the first time that pieces from the coveted collection went up for auction. Tianminlou, best known for its collection of blue and white porcelain, boasts the largest repository of Yuan blue and white porcelain in private hands.
The highly-anticipated sale took place yesterday, selling all 18 items offered and totalling an impressive HK$193.6m (US$24.6m). Nearly half of the sale total was contributed by a telephone bidder with a paddle number L0016, whose identity remained unknown.
Auctioneer Henry Howard-Sneyd took out a pair of white gloves
See-for Kot, Owner of Tianminlou Collection
The star lot of the sale was a blue and white lotus basin from the Ming dynasty, Yongle Period. Like many Yongle vessel shapes, the basin was inspired by Middle Eastern metal works such as those were produced in the 12th and 13th century in Egypt and Syria. These brass examples were being used together with an ewer to wash your hands before and after a meal.
Blue and White 'Lotus' Basin. Ming Dynasty, Yongle Period
The shape and motif of the basin were inspired by Middle Eastern metal works
While the patterns around the sides and rim are Chinese in style, the centres are decorated with an abstract, geometrically divided, six- or eight-pointed rosette that evokes Middle Eastern ornament. The present motif is made up of interlaced bands that form a star shape, with a second, smaller star at its centre.
Legendary art collector Robert Chang attended the sale
Nicolas Chow, Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, successfully bought seven pieces for his telephone client with the paddle number L0016
The bidding started at HK$5m and attracted strong interest from room bidders, telephone bidders and absentee bidders. Main contestants included legendary art collector Robert Chang, telephone bidders represented by Nicolas Chow (Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia), Carrie Li (Senior Specialist, Chinese Works of Art) and Peter Song (Specialist, Chinese Works of Art). After an intense bidding, Nicolas Chow gained victory for his client with a hammer price of HK$28m. The basin was sold for HK$33.77m after premium.
The basin was hammered down at HK$28m
The bidder with the paddle no. L0016 was the new owner of seven pieces from the Tianminlou collection, including a Xuande blue and white ‘Indian Lotus’ fruit bowl that sold for HK$24.17m.
A Blue and White 'Indian Lotus' Fruit Bowl, Mark and Period of Xuande
The bowl features a variety of designs from peony flowers, mixed flowers, with three friends of winter. Connoisseurs call this type of bowl a ‘dice bowl’. It is possible that these bowls may have been used either for dice, for cricket fights, or for multi-functional use. Yet, it’s hard to know exactly how they were used.
It is inscribed with a six-character horizontal reign mark below the rim
The blue on the bowl has got that punchy quality. The painter began to use heaped and piled effect. It comes with ‘sumali qing' (Samarra Blue) cobalt that appeared during the period that gives this very contrastive effect on the flowers. Collectors from the late Ming dynasty onwards found it extremely interesting and pleasing. The bowl is inscribed with a classic Xuande mark on the rim. The use of an Imperial mark was standardised from that period onwards throughout the rest of China Imperial history.
The bowl sparked a bidding between three telephone bidders before it was hammered down at HK$20m. The bowl was sold for HK$24.17m (US$3.1m) to the telephone bidder with a paddle no. L0016, who was represented by Nicolas Chow. The bowl became the third most expensive lot at the sale.
A Fine Yellow-ground Blue and White 'Gardenia' Dish. Mark and Period of Zhengde
A Fine and Large Blue and White 'Bajixiang' Vase, Hu. Seal Mark and Period of Qianlong
In addition to the aforementioned lots, the following five were also acquired by the telephone bidder L0016, who spent nearly HK$92m at this sale and contributed almost half of the sale total.
- Lot 9 a rare blue and white 'floral' fruit bowl, mark and period of Xuande sold for HK$4.97m
- Lot 12 a fine yellow-ground blue and white 'gardenia' dish, mark and period of Zhengde sold for HK$6.77m
- Lot 16 a fine and large blue and white 'bajixiang' vase, hu, seal mark and period of Qianlong sold for HK$9.775m
- Lot 17 a fine and rare blue and white vase, yuhuchunping. seal mark and period of Qianlong sold for HK$5.21m
- Lot 18 a fine and rare blue and white ewer. seal mark and period of qianlong sold for HK$7.37m
An Exceptional and Extremely Rare Blue and White 'Winged Dragon' Jarlet. Ming Dynasty, Yongle – Early Xuande Period
Hong Kong shipping tycoon T.Y Chao was a renowned collector in Chinese works of art
The second top lot of the sale was a blue and white ‘winged dragon’ jarlet, Ming dynasty, Yongle-Early Xuande period that formerly belonged to Hong Kong shipping tycoon T.Y Chao. The jarlet was hammered down at HK$22m and sold for HK$26.57m (US$3.4m).
Dating blue and white porcelain from these Yongele and Xuande periods is a difficult task that even experienced specialists and experts hold different views from time to time. One example is this blue and white ‘winged dragon' jarlet offered at the sale. 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.
Top three and other highlights
An Extremely Rare and Exceptional Blue and White 'lotus' Basin
Ming Dynasty, Yongle Period
Lot no.: 3
Size: 25.6cm
Provenance:
J.J. Lally, New York, 1986.
Estimate: HK$8,000,000 - 12,000,000
Hammer price: HK$28,000,000
Price realised: HK$33,775,000 (US$4,350,558)
An Exceptional and Extremely Rare Blue and White 'Winged Dragon' Jarlet
Ming Dynasty, Yongle – Early Xuande Period
Lot no.: 4
Size: 11.4cm
Provenance:
- Collection of Edward T. Chow (1910-1980).
- Collection of T.Y. Chao (1912-1999).
- Sotheby's Hong Kong, 19th May 1987, lot 227.
Estimate: HK$8,000,000 - 12,000,000
Hammer price: HK$22,000,000
Price realised: HK$26,575,000 (US$3,423,126)
An Outstanding and Large Blue and White 'indian Lotus' Fruit Bowl
Mark and Period of Xuande
Lot no.: 7
Size: 29.8cm
Provenance:
- Collection of Frederick T. Fuller.
- Christie’s London, 28th/29th June 1965, lot 146.
- Collection of Robert Chang.
- Sotheby’s London, 10th June 1986, lot 222.
Estimate: HK$8,000,000 - 12,000,000
Hammer price: HK$20,000,000
Price realised: HK$24,175,000 (US$3,113,982)
A Fine and Extremely Rare Blue and White 'floral' Bowl
Mark and Period of Xuande
Lot no.: 6
Size: 19.5cm
Provenance:
- Collection of Mrs Alfred Clark (c.1890-1976).
- Collection of Yeung Wing Tak.
- Acquired from the above, 1983.
Estimate: HK$4,000,000 - 6,000,000
Hammer price: HK$9,000,000
Price realised: HK$10,975,000 (US$1,413,690)
A Fine and Large Blue and White 'Bajixiang' Vase, Hu
Seal Mark and Period of Qianlong
Lot no.: 16
Size: 49.5cm
Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 29th November 1977, lot 206.
Estimate: HK$8,000,000 - 12,000,000
Hammer price: HK$8,000,000
Price realised: HK$9,775,000 (US$1,259,118)
An Extremely Rare Blue and White 'Dragon' Dish
Mark and Period of Xuande
Lot no.: 8
Size: 19.5cm
Provenance:
- Collection of Yeung Wing Tak.
- Acquired from the above, 1983.
Estimate: HK$3,000,000 - 5,000,000
Hammer price: HK$8,000,000
Price realised: HK$9,535,000 (S$1,228,203)
A Fine and Rare Blue and White Ewer
Seal Mark and Period of Qianlong
Lot no.: 18
Size: 26.7cm
Provenance: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 20th May 1986, lot 43.
Estimate: HK$3,000,000 - 5,000,000
Hammer price: HK$6,000,000
Price realised: HK$7,375,000 (US$949,974)
A Fine Yellow-ground Blue and White 'gardenia' Dish
Mark and Period of Zhengde
Lot no.: 12
Size: 19.8cm
Provenance:
- Collection of Leung Yee.
- Acquired from the above, 1982.
Estimate: HK$1,500,000 - 2,500,000
Hammer price: HK$5,500,000
Price realised: HK$6,775,000 (US$872,688)
A Junyao Moon-white Glazed Narcissus Bowl
Early Ming Dynasty
Lot no.: 1
Size: 22cm
Provenance: Sotheby's London, 3rd December 1974, lot 412.
Estimate: HK$2,500,000 - 3,500,000
Hammer price: HK$4,800,000
Price realised: HK$5,935,000 (US$764,487)
A Fine and Rare Blue and White Vase, Yuhuchunping
Seal Mark and Period of Qianlong
Lot no.: 17
Size: 28.9cm
Provenance: Acquired in Hong Kong, 1986.
Estimate: HK$3,000,000 - 4,000,000
Hammer price: HK$4,200,000
Price realised: HK$5,215,000 (US$671,744)
Auction summary
Auction house: Sotheby’s Hong Kong
Sale: Selected Imperial Ceramics from the Tianminlou Collection
Sale date: 3 April 2019
Lots offered: 18
Sold: 18
Sold by lots: 100%
Sale total: HK$193,590,000