LONDON.- Dreweatts will offer three important private collections in its upcoming sales of Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art (Part 1) on May 19, 2021 and Japanese & Chinese (Part 2) May 20, 2021. The collections include those from the former Governor of the BBC and Chairman of the National Portrait Gallery, Sir David Scholey, John Burke da Silva, Treasurer and Council member of the Oriental Ceramics Society and R. Ralph Parks, the former Executive Chairman of JP Morgan Chase for Asia Pacific.
Commenting on the collections, Dr. Yingwen Tao, Dreweatts Chinese and Asian Art Specialist, said: “We are thrilled to be able to offer such spectacular private collections in one sale. Each has been carefully curated by passionate collectors, who have chosen exceptional pieces of the very best quality. This is a wonderful opportunity to obtain the finest works with impeccable provenance.”
The Scholey Collection (lots 55-89) has been carefully amassed by Sir David Scholey and his wife Lady Alexandra Scholey. Their joint passion for the arts was demonstrated in their refurbishment of Heath End House in Hampstead, once the residence of American painter John Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903). They regularly added to the house with purchases from London antique dealers, which included their penchant for Chinese Porcelain, English furniture and silver cream jugs! Over time these filled the house, however having decided to relocate to smaller quarters in Florence, they are scaling down and therefore dispersing their wonderful collection of antiques, paintings and works of art.
Amongst the highlights of their collection is a pair of Chinese blue and white dishes from the Jiajing to Wanli period (1522-1619). The distinctive colour and subject matter (lotus blossom radiating from scrolling stems), are typical of the period and the style is highly sought-after. The base is inscribed with the four-character mark shang pin jia qi, meaning ‘high quality vessel’. It is estimated at £6,000-£8,000 (lot 63).
A striking pair of iron-red and underglaze-blue dishes from the Qianlong period (1735-1796), feature nine dragons in various spirited poses in shades of iron-red. Their bases are inscribed with the six-character seal marks of the period in underglaze blue. They are very similar to a pair offered at Sotheby's New York on 23rd September 2020. This pair (lot 65) has an estimate of £8,000-£12,000.
A rare Chinese porcelain 'Lotus' bowl from the same collection, combines a white body with a blue-toned glaze and lotus scroll detailing on its exterior. The bowl is from the Kangxi period (1661–1722) and bears the four-character mark on its’ base Shan Fang gu translated as: 'Shangshan imitating the ancient'. Shang Shan was the alias of Guo Pengling (1654-1722), whose ancestors were originally from Tai Yuan in north China, but moved to Yang Zhou along the Yangtze River.
Guo became a Jinshi (metropolitan graduate of the Chinese Imperial Examinations) in 1678 and took up various posts in civil service afterwards. He was remembered for his literary accomplishments, having produced several volumes including the Yinshan Tang Xinggao (Manuscript of the Yinshan Hall) and the Zhitang Shiji (Collected Poetry of the Fungus Hall). The bowl is of direct comparison to an almost identical bowl in the British Museum, from the Sir Percival David Foundation. Of exceptional quality and skill, the bowl (Lot 64) is estimated at £800-£1,200.
The second collection offered in the sale is that of the late John Burke da Silva and his wife Jennifer da Silva. John da Silva was a passionate collector, his first two purchases came from Portobello Road, London in September 1958. By the summer of 1960 he had a dozen pieces of blue and white, which all went with him when he was posted with the Foreign and Commonwealth service to Bahrain in the autumn of 1960, as well as to subsequent posts abroad.
John joined the Oriental Ceramics Society in 1960, serving on the Council firstly from 1977-1980 and then from 1984-1987, becoming Hon Treasurer from 1992-1994. His favourite was Ming blue and white until about 1990, when the simplicity of earlier white wares caught his eye. After John’s death in 2003, part of his collection was sold, with his wife Jennifer retaining pieces she particularly liked and greatly enjoyed living with, until her death in August 2020, aged 88. These are the pieces being offered for sale (lots 12-54).
Amongst the highlights is a fine Chinese shufu dish from the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). The centre of the dish features stylised lotus blooms and is covered with a thick bluish-white glaze. It bears the characters Shu and Fu, which was typical of the porcelain made during this period. It was the first-known porcelain ordered by the Imperial court for ceremonial use, with the characters literally meaning ‘Privy Council’, a Yuan central bureau of military and civil affairs. A similar Shufu dish is on view at the British Museum. This example (lot 18) is estimated to fetch £3,000-£5,000.
A stunning 16th century blue and white dish in the sale, from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) features a fei-yu dragon pursuing a flaming pearl, surrounded by waves and clouds. The dish was exhibited at the British Museum and at the Oriental Ceramics Society in 1994 and a similar dish can be found at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The dish (lot 29), is estimated at £1,500 - £2,500.
The sale also offers a rare Ming Dynasty Chinese blue and white figure of Zhongli Quan (lot 32), standing on an oval base decorated with turbulent waves and a rock representing the sacred mountain to the middle. With an estimate of £3,000-£5,000, it was first purchased at Bluett & Sons in 9th September 1963 for £85.00 and by family descent. J. B da Silva (1918-2003) writes in the family notes: 'two old and close friends invited us (Mr and Mrs da Silva) to choose something at Bluett's, the best and nicest of oriental dealers, as a wedding present, and after much deliberation we selected a 16th century blue and white figure of Zhongli Quan, one of the eight Daoist Immortals.'
The figure was exhibited at Oriental Ceramics Society in 1979 and at a joint British Museum and Oriental Ceramics Society exhibition, Jessica Harrison-Hall, ‘Research Display of Chinese Sixteenth Century Ceramics, The British Museum and the Oriental Ceramics Society’ in October and November 1994.
The private collection of R. Ralph Parks consists of some outstanding Chinese ceramics (lots 1-11). American-born Parks developed a penchant for the fine and decorative arts early on. His ensuing career with Merrill Lynch and then JP Morgan Chase, took him to Asia where he amassed a collection of Chinese export silver and Song Dynasty porcelain, some of which is offered in this sale.
Among the highlights of Ralph and his wife Wendy’s collection is a pair of Chinese Qingbai lobed bowls from the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Qingbai was a type of Chinese porcelain produced under the Song and Yuan Dynasties and defined by the ceramic glaze used. The bowls (lot 9) feature foliate rims divided into six lobes. Their interiors are decorated with a peony flower and leaves carved and combed in painterly strokes. The bowls are applied with a transparent glaze, with a bluish colour, pooling to a deeper tone around the foot. The pair is estimated at £800-£1,000.
A fine pair of white-glazed five-petalled foliate dishes (lot 1), would fit into any contemporary home even, fascinating then that they date from the 10th century! The flaring sides are supported on a short foot and surmounted by an undulating five-bracket lobed rim. They are covered in a bright white glaze and are estimated at £1,500-£2,500.
