QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

Name: A RARE OX-HEAD TUREEN AND COVER
Brand: QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)
Price: 42000.00 USD
Availability: SoldOut

Price Realised USD 52,500

Estimate

USD 40,000 - USD 60,000

Closed: 20 Jan 2021

Loading details

Try our

A RARE OX-HEAD TUREEN AND COVER

QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

Price Realised USD 52,500

Closed: 20 Jan 2021

Price Realised USD 52,500

Closed: 20 Jan 2021

Details Lot Essay Related Articles More from

The turned-up head naturalistically modeled with wide-set, bulging eyes and flaring nostrils beneath long, curved, dark gray horns, his mouth open revealing teeth, pink tongue and flesh-toned interior, his hide picked out in soft, mottled tones of grisaille
12³⁄₄ in. (32.2 cm.) long

With The Chinese Porcelain Co., New York.

W.R. Sargent, Chinese Porcelain in the Conde Collection, Madrid, 2014, p. 266

Please note this lot will be moved to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn) at 5pm on the last day of the sale. Lots may not be collected during the day of their move to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services. Please consult the Lot Collection Notice for collection information. This sheet is available from the Bidder Registration staff, Purchaser Payments or the Packing Desk and will be sent with your invoice.

Conditions of Sale
FAQs
This lot is offered by Christie's Inc

Brought to you by

Carleigh QueenthSpecialist, Chinese Export

A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.

cqueenth@christies.com

Lot Essay

While many other animal tureens for export mimicked European ceramic models, the ox-head seems to be a Chinese invention, as there are no known ox-head tureens made by European manufacturers. A romantic symbol of exoticism to Europeans, the ox is the second figure in the Chinese Zodiac, respected for its qualities of industriousness and patience and associated with water, agriculture and spring. Only a very small number of ox-head tureens are known in public collections or have appeared on the art market and are considered to be the most dramatic of the Chinese animal-form tureens with their highly sculptural horns and impressive snouts.
For similar examples from the Sowell and Mottahedeh Collections, see M. Cohen and W. Motley, Cohen & Cohen, London, 2008, p. 178-179 (with stand); and from D. Howard and J. Ayers, , Vol. II, London and New York, 1978, p. 602.
The Tibor Collection was formed over decades, growing to encompass every category of Chinese export porcelain, from small, charming teawares to massive pairs of important jars. The collector had a deep appreciation for the magnificent porcelains made for New Spain as well as for the lifelike charm and elegance of Chinese porcelain figure and animal models.