PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF ROSALIND CHING PASTOR
Lot 15
A fine enameled porcelain plaque of a sage and crane Attributed to Wang Qi, Republic Period
14 December 2020, 10:00 PST
Los AngelesSold for US$2,550 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Client Services (New York)
Client Services (San Francisco)
A fine enameled porcelain plaque of a sage and crane
Attributed to Wang Qi, Republic Period
Of tall rectangular section depicting a sage, his acolyte carrying a zither in a cloth beneath lengthy calligraphy bearing a signature Wang Qi and cyclical date as well as seals reading Xichang Wang Qi and taotao mi.
15in (38cm) high
Of tall rectangular section depicting a sage, his acolyte carrying a zither in a cloth beneath lengthy calligraphy bearing a signature Wang Qi and cyclical date as well as seals reading Xichang Wang Qi and taotao mi.
15in (38cm) high
Footnotes
Bonhams has sold several plaques by the renowned ceramicist Wang Qi. Through his long career, Wang seems to have worked in several styles. One style seems to have been focused on the power of narrative. See two horizontal plaques both offered in our former San Francisco rooms: one depicting the bridal process of the sister of demon queller Zhong Kui as led by a group of quirky demons though a misty wood (lot 990, sale 24265 18 December 2017), or a plaque of identical size depicting a group of squabbling blind men (lot 8191 sale 23486, 19 December 2016). Both represented the best of Wang's off-kilter narrative instincts, telling stories with humor and pathos.
The present lot however seems to reflect a different style of Wang's work, one more soberly focused on the nuances of character study. Here we see a sage, crane and a boy attendant-- perhaps the Song dynasty recluse Lin Bu (Lin Hejing). Whether by Wang Qi's hand, by his atelier (and one would assume the nature of porcelain production requires a large team of assistants and disciples even of works most reliably 'by' a ceramicist), or merely in his style, the present lot is of high quality both in the calligraphy and the rendering of the figures. The latter featuring Wang Qi's characteristic juxtaposition of fastidiously rendered faces and more loosely stylized attire, said to be inspired by Wang's encounter with the work of the Eccentric early Qing dynasty artist Huang Shen.
