A LANGYAO CONICAL BOWL, KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)
China, early in the Kangxi period, circa 1690-1705. Delicately potted, the conical sides supported on a short straight foot, covered to the interior and exterior with a finely crackled copper-red glaze of rich crushed-strawberry color, thinning at the mouth rim and foot to a pale celadon tone, which also covers the slightly convex base.


Provenance
: Collection of Major William Guy Horne. Sotheby's 9 July 1942, lot 18 (according to the Bluett archive records). Bluett & Sons, London, United Kingdom. Collection of Major Edward C. Radcliffe, acquired from the above and thence by descent in the same family. Listed in the family archive as ‘G1’. The base with an old collector’s label, ‘Radcliffe Collection, G1’, and an old label ‘The British Antique Dealers Association, Certified for Customs Purpose Only, Over 100 Years Old.’ Copies of an old photograph of the present lot and a handwritten note from the Radcliffe family archive, inscribed in pencil “G1. Bowl Red Ching. (..) Glaze lovely & even, photo seems bad from sun playing tricks. A novice told it is a ‘chicken skin’ glaze. […] says fairly early Ming (1364-1644)”, and later in ink, “end of 17th C. Kang Xi. 4.500”, accompany this lot. Major Edward Copleston Radcliffe (1898-1967) served as a company commander with the British Expeditionary Force in France. He was wounded during the withdrawal at Dunkirk while holding the line at Calais. In 1948, he emigrated to South Africa for retirement as a successful artist. His collection became renowned only after his death, when several Imperial Chinese works of art were found in his house.

Condition
: Excellent condition with expected old wear and firing irregularities, such as dark spots and pitting. Few microscopic nibbles and short hairlines to the rim, and very minor flaking to the glaze.Please request a condition report video for more details.

Weight: 654 g
Dimensions: Diameter 22.8 cm


Langyao
is a vitreous red glaze that was developed at the Jingdezhen imperial kilns under the supervision of Lang Tingji (1663-1715), governor of Jiangxi Province between 1705 and 1712. This copper glaze turns red after being fired in a reducing or oxygen-deprived atmosphere. It sometimes drips down the vessel during firing, creating drops around the foot. It is incredibly hard to achieve, with layers of clear and copper-rich glazes allowing for depths of color, as clearly evidenced by the present lot. The glaze must be of a certain thickness to turn red, so areas where it is thin can be lighter in color, ranging from pinkish hues to pale celadon and sometimes even white.


Expert’s note:
The present bowl is rare in its close adherence to its fifteenth century predecessors. This explains also why Major Radcliffe originally thought that it is “fairly early Ming” (see Radcliffe family archive and provenance section). The deep copper-red glaze and strongly everted shape of the bowl relate very closely to examples produced during the Xuande period, when Ming copper-red wares were perfected to an intense brilliant red tone known as xianhong. See for example a copper-red-glazed bowl, with a Xuande mark and of the period, in the British Museum, registration number 1947,0712.321.


Literature comparison:

A related bowl, dated to the Kangxi period, was exhibited by the Oriental Ceramics Society, The World in Monochromes, School of Oriental and African Studies, London, 2009 and illustrated in the catalog, p. 76, no. 168.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 20 September 2013, lot 1365
Price: USD 68,750 or approx.
EUR 81,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Langyao bowl, Kangxi period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related glaze with similar shades of crushed strawberry and pale celadon. Note the slightly more rounded form and the similar size (21 cm).




康熙郎窯斗笠盞

中國，康熙早期，約 1690-1705 年。 胎體緊致，圓錐形側面，短圈足。內外均施細碎的草莓色銅紅釉，口沿和足部逐漸變薄，呈淡青瓷色調。


來源：
William Guy Horne少校收藏；蘇富比 1942 年 7 月 9 日，拍品 18（根據 Bluett 檔案記錄）；Bluett & Sons藝廊，英國倫敦。Edward C. Radcliffe 少校收藏，購於上述藝廊，並且是同一家族的後裔。在家庭檔案中列為“G1”。 底座上有收藏家標籤“Radcliffe Collection, G1”和舊標籤“The British Antique Dealers Association, Certified for Customs Purpose Only, Over 100 Years Old.（英國古董商協會，僅經過海關認證，已有 100 多年曆史）。”當前拍品的舊照片副本和手寫文字Radcliffe家族檔案中的註釋，用鉛筆刻著“G1。Bowl Red Ching (..) 釉面可愛且均勻，由於陽光的影響，照片看起來很糟糕。告訴這是“雞皮”釉。 […]說是明朝早期（1364-1644）”，後來用墨水寫成“17世紀末康熙。 4.500”，隨附拍品。Edward Copleston Radcliffe(1898-1967 年）曾擔任駐法英國遠征軍連長。他在敦克爾克撤退時在加萊堅守陣地時受傷。1948年，他作為一名成功的藝術家移民到南非退休。 直到他死後，他的收藏才開始聞名，當時在他的家裡發現了幾件中國皇家藝術品。

品相：
狀況良好，有磨損和燒製不規則，例如黑點和麻點。邊緣有微小的磕損咬痕和短冲線，釉面有非常輕微的剝落。請向我們索取狀品項報告影片，以了解更多詳細信息

重量：654 克
尺寸：直徑 22.8 厘米


專家注釋：
Radcliffe最初認為這是“相當早的明”（參見Radcliffe家族檔案和出處部分）。碗的深銅紅色釉和強烈外翻的形狀與宣德時期生產的例子非常相似，例如，大英博物館藏有一件宣德時期銅紅釉碗，登記號1947,0712.321。


文獻比較：


一件相近的康熙時期碗，展覽於東方陶瓷學會，《The World in Monochromes，School of Oriental and African Studies》，倫敦，2009年，頁76，編號168。


拍賣結果比較：


形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2013年9月20日，lot 1365
價格：USD 68,750（相當於今日
EUR 81,000
）
描述：清康熙紅釉撇口盌
專家評論：比較非常相近的草莓色斑和淺青瓷色調相似。請注意外形和相似的尺寸 (21 釐米)。