Pair of Chinese export porcelain figures of Buddhist lions seated on pedestal pierced bases with ruyi heads, encircled by a pair of chilong decorated on the biscuit with translucent enamels from the famille verte (wucai) palette; the male with one foot resting on a yellow brocade ball and the female with a yellow clambering cub, c. 1700, Kangxi reign.

Very fine and rare pair of Chinese export porcelain figures of Buddhist lions seated on pedestal pierced bases with ruyi heads, encircled by a pair of chilong decorated on the biscuit with translucent enamels from the famille verte (wucai) palette; the male with one foot resting on a yellow brocade ball and the female with a yellow clambering cub, c. 1700, Kangxi reign, Qing dynasty, h. 31,5 cm, 12 3/8 in. 2.12073/1.12181

Illustrated: 100 Years of Chinese Export Porcelain, by A. Varela Santos, 2014/2015, cat. 46.

Provenance:

• Chait Galleries, New York;

• Brooke Astor, Sotheby’s New York, 24/25 September 2012.

Literature:

• Collection of Old Chinese Porcelain formed by Richard Bennett, Esq, Thorney Hall, Northampton, London, cat. 332 for a pair of similar figures;

• Qing Porcelain: Famille Verte, Famille Rose, by Beurdeley and G Raindre, London 1987, p. 75 for a single female similar piece;

• Chinese Porcelain, by A. du Boulay, Hong Kong 1963, p. 56/57, cat. 73/75 for a similar pair;

• Collection F. Allard, Céramique de la Chine, sale catalogue 1 April 1925, Paris, plate XI, cat. 333 for a similar pair;

• Från Kina till Europa, by J. Wirgin, 1998 Stockholm, p. 202, cat. 220 for a pair of figures of this type; p. 61 for a pair of figures of this type;

• Chinesisches Porzellan, by E. Zimmermann, 1923 Leipzig, plate 96 for a single related figure dated Kangxi.

◆ This beautiful group is the one that best represents the mysterious and faraway China in the European’s minds at the time due to its exoticism without parallel in Western art. Beautifully moulded, the movement of their heads makes them alive. The charming baby climbing to his mother’s lap gives it a touch of tenderness difficult to replicate in a piece of porcelain.

中國外銷瓷素三彩福獅一對,獅子坐于如意頭鏤空底座之上,一對螭龍盤于其上;雄獅一足踏在黃色繡球之上,而母獅膝下有隻黃色幼獅正向她腿上攀爬,約1700年,清康熙,高31.5 釐米,12 3/8 英 吋

插图: 《百年中国外销瓷》 阿.瓦瑞拉.桑托斯, 2014/2015, 目录 46。

藏品出處:

• 紐約 Chait 美術館；

• 紐約蘇富比Brooke Astor 專場拍賣會2012年9月24-25日。

參考文獻：

•《Richard Bennett先生藏中國舊瓷器》,倫敦南安普頓Throney Hall,參見編號332一對相似塑像；

•《清代瓷器：素三彩和粉彩》,作者Beurdeley及G Raindre,1987年倫敦,參見第75單件相似雌師塑像；

•《中國瓷器》,作者A. du Boulay,1963年香港出版,參見第56-57頁,編號73-75一對近器；

•《F. Allard收藏中國陶瓷》，1925年4月1日圖錄，巴黎出版，見圖版11，編號333近似器一對；

•《從中國到歐洲》，作者J. Wirgin，1998年斯德哥爾摩出版，見202頁，編號220一對此類型塑像；第61頁一對此類塑像；

•《中國瓷器》，作者E. Zimmermann，1923年萊比錫出版，見圖版96一件類似的康熙朝塑像。

◆ 這組精美瓷器最好地表現出在歐洲人心目中神秘遙遠的中國,其神秘感是西方藝術所無可比擬的。 漂亮的模型,頭部的動感使其活靈活現。可愛的幼獅正要爬上母親的大腿,動人的柔情在一件瓷器中是極難複製的。