AN ABSOLUTELY PERFECT PAIR OF BLUE AND WHITE ‘THREE FRIENDS OF WINTER’ KLAPMUTS BOWLS, KANGXI PERIOD
China, 1662-1722. Delicately potted, each with gently rounded sides rising from a straight foot to a broad everted rim, finely painted in shades of cobalt blue to the exterior with leafy bamboo, gnarled pine, and blossoming prunus, below a band of ruyi heads and stylized flowerheads to the rim, the interior with a central flowering prunus tree growing from rockwork, the rim repeating the ‘Three Friends of Winter’ motif.


Provenance:
From the collection of Frances L. Dickson, and thence by descent within the family. Frances Louisa Dickson (1876-1967, née Maunsell) was an avid collector of both European and Chinese porcelain. She lived with her husband, Colonel William Dickson, and their four daughters at Kildimo House, county Limerick, Ireland, and in Bournemouth, England, in 1910. While little is known about her life, Frances Dickson’s substantial contribution to The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge University, has been noted for a great variety of porcelain figures and vessels from various ancient periods.

Condition:
Superb condition with only minor wear and firing irregularities. It is extremely rare to find authentic klapmuts bowls from the Kangxi period in such a pristine condition as these, let alone a pair!

Weight: 272.1 g and 270.8 g
Dimensions: Diameter 16 cm and 15.9 cm

The bases each with an apocryphal six-character mark da Ming Chenghua nianzhi.


The 'Three Friends of Winter' motif
is frequently used across all mediums in Chinese art. Comprised of pine, bamboo and prunus, this motif is emblematic of the Confucian virtues of fortitude and resilience. As the pine and bamboo are evergreen plants and the prunus, a plant that has lived for a long time, the three together are also an auspicious symbol of longevity.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Amsterdam, 27 September 2005, lot 238
Price: EUR 6,600 or approx.
EUR 10,000
adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A blue and white ‘klapmuts’ bowl, Chenghua six-character mark, Kangxi period
Expert remark: Compare the identical form, similar style and technique of painting, and apocryphal six-character Chenghua mark. Note this lot comprises only a single bowl. Note the slightly larger size (20.1 cm).




康熙一對青花歲寒三友克拉普穆瓷碗


中國，1662-1722 年。 碗口折沿，深弧腹。外壁青花描繪《歲寒三友》圖。碗内開光描繪桃花。


來源：
Frances L. Dickson收藏，在同一家族保存。Frances Louisa Dickson (1876-1967，née Maunsell) 是歐洲和中國瓷器收藏家。1910 年，她與丈夫Colonel William Dickson上校以及四個女兒居住在愛爾蘭利默里克郡基爾迪莫莊園和英國伯恩茅斯。雖然人們對她的生活知之甚少，但Frances Louisa Dickson對劍橋大學菲茨威廉博物館古代瓷器的重大貢獻卻衆所周知。

品相：
狀況極佳，輕微磨損和燒製不規則。

重量：分別272.1克與270.8克
尺寸：直徑各爲 16 厘米與15.9 厘米

圈足内刻有六字“大明成化年製“款寄托款。


拍賣比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：阿姆斯特丹佳士得，2005年9月27日，lot 238
價格：EUR 6,600（相當今日
EUR 10,000
）
描述：康熙成化年製款克拉普穆青花碗
專家註釋：比較相同的外形，相似的風格和彩繪技巧、成化款。請注意此為一碗和尺寸較大 (20.1 厘米)。