A RUBY-RED GLASS ‘SANYANG AND BIRDS’ WATERPOT, LATE QING DYNASTY TO EARLY REPUBLIC PERIOD
Lot 112 - HS0625

China, circa 1840-1920. The ovoid body tapering towards the foot, the exterior carved in relief with two panels, one enclosing three rams (sanyang) standing below a pine, the other with birds and flowers, all on a neatly incised diaper patterned ground, framed by a band of ruyi above and a lappet band below, and suspending tassels with cash coins. The recessed base with an apocryphal four-character mark Qianlong nianzhi.

Provenance: A private collection in the United Kingdom. Woolley & Wallis, 29 November 2006, lot 91. The Collection of Reverend John Watson, acquired from the above and thence by descent. Reverend John Watson (1939-2019) was an English minister who over many decades assembled an impressive and varied collection of paintings, furniture, and works of art. As his friend and advisor Ted Few remembers: “He was quiet, thoughtful, thorough, curious, enthusiastic, prudent, unassuming, and educated; a man of enormous integrity and kindness with a sense of humour to boot. I learned that during his ministry he had bought pictures and sculpture from several of the top West End dealers but when he retired, he was free to indulge his passion far more widely. He had an inbuilt radar which steered him towards the unusual, and a natural attraction for works of the finest quality, not to mention a nose for anything secondary or specious.”
Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear and manufacturing irregularities.

Weight: 545.1 g
Dimensions: Height 9.8 cm

The motif of three rams or sheep (sanyang) is a pun referring to the Yi Jing, where solid lines represent the male or yang principal, while broken lines represent the female or yin principal. The hexagram tai which represents spring and new beginnings is comprised of three broken lines above three solid lines. It is considered to be in perfect balance with the three broken lines symbolizing heaven above and the three solid lines symbolizing the earth below. The three rams or sheep, standing in for the three solid lines, form a rebus for the phrase sanyang kaitai, referencing the period between the winter solstice and the New Year, when the warm yang energy is emerging, and the earth is returning to life.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related red glass bowl, dated to the mid- to late 18^th century, 20.6 cm wide, in the Saint Louis Art Museum, object number 91:2014.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s London, 5 November 2013, lot 389
Price: GBP 18,750 or approx. EUR 34,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A red glass vase, Qianlong incised four-character mark within a square and of the period
Expert remark: Compare the related color of the glass and the deep relief carving. Note the form, size (16.5 cm), the incised mark, and earlier dating.