FOUR CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE ITEMS

FOUR CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE ITEMS

KANGXI 1662-1722

Comprising: an ovoid jar decorated with flowering prunus branches against a cracked-ice ground, a baluster vase and cover painted with butterflies amidst sprays of prunus, peony, chrysanthemum and lotus, and two large dishes painted with many flowers, one with an artemisia leaf to the base, the other with an illegible seal mark, 43cm max. (5)

Provenance: from the collection of Professor Ronald N Arnold (1908-1963) and thence by descent. Professor Arnold was Regius Professor of Engineering at Edinburgh University from 1947 until his death. Following ill health, in 1953 he began to collect Chinese porcelain in his free time, buying most of his pieces from small antique shops and auctioneers in Edinburgh and London. Through the art historian David Talbot-Rice, Professor Arnold became acquainted with several experts in the field of East Asian ceramics, including Sir Harry Garner and Soame Jenyns.