A rare Chinese cloisonné 'pomegranate' box and cover, incised Xuande six-character marks and of the period , of circular shape, the centre with two ripe pomegranates, issuing from gnarled gold branches with blossoms and further smaller fruit, the vertical sides of the cover and box decorated with formal lotus scrolls, the slightly recessed base incised with a Xuande six-character mark, the interior of the cover similarly incised with Xuande six-character mark, 12cm diameter x 4.5cm high, wood stand Provenance: Sotheby's, Oriental Ceramics, Hardstones and Works of Art , 1st March, 1946, lot 94, where bought on commission by Bluett & Sons, for £19.00, on behalf of Major Edward Copleston Radcliffe (1898-1967) and listed in the family archive as 'K3' Exhibited: National Gallery of South Africa, Chinese Exhibition, Cape Town, 1953, no. 231 During the fifteenth century metalwork in China reached new heights. Bearing the Xuande (1426-1435) reign mark, this splendidly made cloisonné box is a rare example of the exquisite production of the Ming imperial workshop. The Xuande emperor was known as a great patron of the arts. During his reign the empire enjoyed a period of relative peace and prosperity. The present lot is particularly successful in presenting the pattern of pomegranate flowers in various stages of growth from delicate buds to exuberant bloom with lush petals. As the Chinese character for 'seed' (zi) is the same as that for 'son', the many-seeded pomegranate is viewed as a symbol of fertility and prosperity, and this has been a common theme in Chinese art since the Northern Song Dynasty. It was also one of the Xuande Emperor's favourite themes as he commissioned such designs in many media during his reign. See a bronze 'Pomegranate' censer (museum accession number故00142843), Xuande mark and of the period, in the Qing imperial collection in the Palace Museum, Beijing. See also a yellow-ground porcelain example of this pomegranate design from the Sir Percival David collection in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Regina Krahl and Jessica Harrison-Hall, Chinese Ceramics. Highlights from the Sir Percival David Collection , London, 2009, pl. 35. The present lot belongs to a group of five identified similar cloisonné enamel boxes known in private and museum collections. There is every indication that all five were made in the same imperial workshop with similar designs and in uniform size, approximately 12cm diameter. Sharing the motif of auspicious fruits on their covers, namely pomegranates, persimmons, melons and grapes, they are all doubly marked with an incised Xuande six-character reign mark on the underside of the box and the interior of the cover. The Radcliffe box is one of the only two known from private collections. The other example was purchased from Spink and Son, Ltd., London, by Lord Cunliffe (Honorary Keeper of the Far Eastern Collections at the Fitzwilliam Museum) in 1946. The Radcliffe box was purchased at Sotheby's on 1st March, 1946, lot 94, for £19.00, and was exhibited at the National Gallery of South Africa in 1953, 'Chinese Exhibition', No. 231. This would suggest both boxes came onto the market at about the same time. The other three remain today in public museums and institutions with the 'melons' box from the Qing Court Collection in the Palace Museum, Beijing; the 'persimmons' box in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris; and the 'grapes' box in Fenton House, National Trust, London. As Soame Jenyns said, 'It is the 15th century Ming cloisonné pieces which are likely to remain the chief monuments to the skill of the Chinese metal worker in the field'. Cloisonné enamel wares from the early Ming period are rare as production was strictly regulated by the Palace eunuchs who operated under the auspices of the Yuyongjian, a sub-division of the Neifu, 'The Inner Treasury', responsible for supplies to the Imperial Household. The group may have been made over a considerable period as the lotus blossoms on the sides of the covers are rendered in two different ways. The lotus heads on the 'melons' box (Palace Museum), the 'grapes' box (Fenton House), and the Radcliffe box are all executed in three enamel colours and the central areas of the lotus flowers are made of four petals, which suggest that the Emperor probably commissioned the three boxes as a set during the same time. The Lord Cunliffe box and the 'persimmons' box (Musée des Arts Décoratifs) differ in that they have an extra wire which divides the petal at the centre into two parts and the flowers have four colours rather than three. These two boxes were possibly made during a slightly later period of the Xuande reign. 明 宣德 " 大明宣德年制 " 楷书刻款掐丝珐琅石榴纹盖盒 拍品来源：Edward Copleston Radcliffe (1898-1967) 少校私人收藏（家族编号K3）， 1946年3月1日委托英国著名古董商Bluetts购自苏富比，拍品编号94号，购买价19英镑   展览信息：南非国家画廊，中国艺术展览，1953年，开普敦，编号231 15世纪的中国正值大明帝国革故鼎新，政局稳定，综合国力蒸蒸日上。此时宫廷的工艺制品技艺更是达到了巅峰，加上宫廷作坊对选料的精益求精，此时的官造作品更是成为各时代工艺水平的最高代表。这件存世极为稀少的明宣德"大明宣德年制"款掐丝珐琅石榴纹盖盒无疑体现了大明宫廷作坊的巅峰技艺。 宣德皇帝（1426-1435年）是一位艺术文化修养较高的皇帝，在他的统治期间，明帝国享有了一段相对和平与繁荣的时期。这件精美稀少的明宣德掐丝珐琅石榴纹盖盒，巧夺天工，灵活生动的刻画出了石榴花在不同时期生长阶段的图案，从娇嫩的花蕾到繁茂的花瓣。值得注意的是汉字中的'籽'与'子' 同音，多籽的石榴被寓为丰饶和繁荣的象征。自从北宋以来，这一直是一个十分受欢迎的艺术表现题材，也是宣德皇帝最喜欢的题材之一。在他统治期间，宣德皇帝委托许多宫廷工匠们进行了这样的设计。可参考的是北京故宫博物馆馆藏的一件明宣德石榴纹铜炉（故00142843）， 以及一件来自大英博物馆大维德爵士（Sir Percival David collection）收藏的黄地石榴纹碗， 并著录在由康蕊君（Regina Krahl）和霍吉淑（Jessica Harrison-Hall）一起编著的《大英博物馆大维德爵士藏中国陶瓷精选》一书中（Chinese Ceramics. Highlights from the Sir Percival David Collection, London, 2009, pl. 35. ）。 全球已知出版的同类型盖盒加上这件石榴花盖盒，存世仅仅5件，并都由博物馆以及私人收藏。如果我们对这5件盖盒的形制，尺寸进行仔细的研究以及对比，种种迹象表明它们很有可能都出自于同一个宫廷作坊。大约直径都为12厘米，它们的盒盖都以寓意吉祥的水果为主题，即石榴、柿子、西瓜以及葡萄，并在盖内和盒子外底，均双重錾刻六字"大明宣德年制"楷书款。此件明宣德掐丝珐琅石榴纹盖盒是全球现存世已知且纹饰形制相类似的两件中的其中一件，且两件均为私人收藏，另一件是英国Cunliffe勋爵（Lord Cunliffe ）的旧藏，于1945年购于伦敦著名古董商Spink and Son Ltd。此次上拍的这件盖盒，来源于Radcliffe上校家族，并且清楚地在Radcliffe上校家族档案（The Radcliffe family archive）中记载，此盖盒于1946年在苏富比购得，并于1953年在南非国家美术馆（National Gallery of South Africa）的' 中国展览（Chinese Exhibition）'展出（展览编号231号)。这意味着很有可能这两个盒子几乎是同时进入市场的。Cunliffe勋爵的盖盒，由伦敦邦瀚斯(2021年11月2日，拍品234号) 拍出。另三件盖盒都馆藏于全球著名的博物馆中，其中瓜果纹盒馆藏于北京故宫博物馆（The Palace Museum）；柿子纹盖盒馆藏于巴黎装饰艺术博物馆（Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris）；葡萄纹盖盒馆藏于伦敦芬顿大宅（Fenton House）。 正如Soame Jenyns提到："15世纪的掐丝珐琅制品无疑是各时代掐丝珐琅工艺水平的最高代表"，宣德一朝御用金属珐琅器是由当时制造御用器物的机构"御用监"所生产，其隶属于内府，内府则是当时为皇室成员提供生活所需的后勤供给的机构。上文所提到的五件掐丝珐琅盖盒 ，很有可能是在相当长的一段时间内制作完成的，因为盖盒两侧的缠枝莲以两种不同的方式呈现。北京故宫博物馆（The Palace Museum）馆藏的宣德款掐丝珐琅瓜果纹盒，伦敦芬顿大宅（Fenton House）馆藏的明宣德款掐丝珐琅葡萄纹盖盒，以及此次Dreweatts 即将上拍来自于Radcliffe上校家族的明宣德 掐丝珐琅石榴纹盖盒，此三件盖盒都在侧壁环饰由三种不同颜色，且中心为四朵莲瓣的缠枝莲花纹装饰，这说明它们很有可能在相近时间内由宣德帝下旨所铸造的。而Cunliffe勋爵的盖盒以及馆藏于巴黎装饰艺术博物馆（Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris）的明宣德款掐丝珐琅柿子纹盖盒，这两件盖盒两侧的缠枝莲纹都由四种不同颜色的莲瓣组成，不同由前面提到的三件盖盒，所以Cunliffe勋爵的盖盒以及馆藏于巴黎装饰艺术博物馆（Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris）的明宣德款掐丝珐琅柿子纹盖盒很有可能是在宣德后期所铸造。 Condition Report: Some damage to cloisonné on vertical sides and gilding extensively worn注意：本件拍品仅接受电话竞价