LONDON.- Remarkable prices paid for important Chinese ceramics discovered in the UK continue to make headline news around the world. They form a fascinating part of an equally fascinating story: the extraordinary growth of the Chinese art market. The international market for Chinese ceramics and works of art continues to grow at unparalleled levels, with works frequently sourced from English collections, often from owners who are unaware of the value of the pieces in their possession. Sotheby’s London sale of Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art on 14 May 2014 will present four pieces which together tell a story of connoisseurship and serendipity.

Robert Bradlow, Sotheby’s Senior Director and Head of Sotheby’s London Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Department, said: “The discovery of our headline lot, the exquisite vase, is made more exceptional by its superb condition. For our London sale this season, we have sourced several objects of the highest quality and rarity from English private collections. With demand for porcelain treasures from the Qianlong period, and for superior pieces of jade, going from strength to strength, this promises to be one of our most exciting London auctions in recent years.”

New discoveries are being made all the time in British homes. The highest estimated piece in the sale is an extremely rare sgraffiato-ground famille-rose vase, from the Qianlong period, which was being used as a lamp in a bedroom. It is estimated to sell for between £200,000-300,000. Exquisitely painted with peony and chrysanthemum branches in full bloom, the delicacy of the vase is further accentuated by the sgraffiato scrolling tendrils that cover the white ground. The vase represents the Qianlong emperor’s keen interest in ceramic production and his taste for innovative pieces that demanded the highest level of workmanship. Only two vases of this type appear to be known. The floral motif depicted first appeared on porcelain during the Yongzheng period, made possible through the introduction of white enamel which opened up the possibility of creating a new spectrum of pastel colours. In turn, the painting style of the chrysanthemums and peonies was inspired by the flower paintings of one of China’s most celebrated artists, Yun Shouping (1633-1690) who sought to accentuate the distinct beauty of the flowers by making them appear vivid and bright. The sgraffiato technique, introduced during the Qianlong period, was reserved for decorating notable pieces.

A pair of famille-rose altar vases (Gu) from the Qianlong era which had been in a English family collection and assumed to be of relatively modest value is estimated to sell for £100,000-150,000. They date to the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795) and would have originally formed part of a five-piece altar garniture. They are exceptionally large at 44.8cm high and finely enamelled with the Eight Buddhist Emblems (Bajixiang). The mark is found in a horizontal line around the middle section of the vases, reading Da Qing Qianlong Nian zhi (made in the reign of the Qianlong Emperor). A devout Buddhist and practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism, the Qianlong emperor commissioned the furnishing of the Buddhist temples and ancestral halls with ritual vessels made from the finest materials, including cloisonné enamel, bronze and porcelain. Vases of this form belong to a group of ritual wares produced in a range of colour palettes and sizes, and are particularly notable for their large size and famille-rose palette on a white ground.

Born in Caterham, England, Kenneth Dingwall, a highly-decorated officer and an active collector of Chinese ceramics, was one of the founding members of the Oriental Ceramic Society which formed in 1921. He was the single largest donor of Chinese ceramics to the Victoria and Albert Museum between 1910 and 1937, leaving a further bequest in 1948, and donating four pieces to the British Museum. A pair of white jade bowls formerly in his collection comes to auction from an English private collector. Dating to the Qing Dynasty in the 18th century, these bowls have been carved from a superior white stone and hence embody the finest jade carving of the Qianlong period. Estimated at £150,000-200,000, they are perfectly proportioned and smoothly polished to a lustrous sheen. The sensitive modelling and lack of any embellishment reflects its porcelain-inspired form and a deep respect for the stone itself, which is one of the most highly-valued materials in China, while the thin walls of the vessel highlight the translucence of the material and purity of its colour, two characteristics shared with its porcelain prototypes. Such large flawless stones, characterised by an evenness of tone, were available from the mid-18th century, allowing for complete services to be produced for the imperial court.

From an English private collection, a rare iron-red and underglaze blue ‘Dragon’ dish is estimated to bring £100,000-150,000. Dishes of this magnificent size (47.5cm) and formidable decoration were made to impress. Such wares were used at Imperial banquets and on special celebratory occasions. The Manchu custom of banqueting closely followed the Mongolian and Tibetan tradition of shared communal dining. The decoration is a Yongzheng period interpretation of an early-Ming pattern. The Yongzheng emperor was known to have sent antiques from the palace to Jingdezhen in order to establish production standards as well as to serve as models and inspirations for designs. This design shows an iron-red five-clawed frontal dragon curled around a flaming pearl amongst crashing waves in the centre, the side decorated with four dragons pacing amid clouds. The creative ingenuity of the Yongzheng potter is evident from the successful transference of a pattern that was originally made for much smaller vessels, while the use of red heightens the contrast between the dynamism of the background and that of the dragons, and endows the scene with auspicious meaning.