Provenance
The Collection of G. Stellman.
S. Marchant & Son, London.
The Drs. A. M. Sengers Collection, collection no. 194, acquired from the above in June 1986.
S. Marchant & Son, London, with their label to the base.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium. Acquired from the above on 17 October 2001 and accompanied by a copy of their original invoice. (see added scans)
Exhibited & illustrated:
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, included in their 1978-1979 exhibition 'Asiatische Kunst uit Het Bezit van Leden, 60 years Exhibition' and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue, no. 15:12.
S. Marchant & Son, London, included in their July 1981 exhibition of 'Chinese Blue and White, Wan Li to K'ang Hsi' and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue, no. 15.
S. Marchant & Son, London, included in their November 2001 exhibition of 'Ming Blue and White Porcelain. The Drs. A. M. Sengers Collection' and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue, pp. 96-97, no. 70. Also illustrated in their 2025 publication 'One Hundred Years', vol. I, pp. 94-95, fig. 129.
Museum Het Prinsenhof, included in the October 1990 loan exhibition 'Schatten uit de Oost of De Kunst van het Verzamelen', at the 42nd Delft Antique Fair, 'Eighty Years Chinese Ceramic history in a Dutch Private Porcelain Collection' and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue, A26.
Description
Of deep rounded form with a broad mouth and short foot, the censer is painted in underglaze blue with a continuous figural scene depicting the popular subject of 'Liu Zi Xi Mi Le' (Six Boys at Play with Maitreya). Budai, shown bare-chested and smiling beneath a pine tree, is surrounded by six playful boys engaged in various mischievous antics. One removes his prayer beads, another takes his hat, while others carry away his shoes, cloth sack and personal belongings. The lively composition is enriched with pine trees, ornamental rockwork, flowering plants and garden elements, all rendered in rich cobalt-blue tones with fluid and expressive brushwork characteristic of Chongzhen-period porcelain.
Budai, the legendary monk later revered as an incarnation of Maitreya, symbolises happiness, abundance and good fortune, while the boys represent numerous descendants and family prosperity. As one of the most popular auspicious subjects of the late Ming period, the theme combines humour and symbolism, conveying wishes for prosperity, blessings and a flourishing family lineage.
此香爐深腹圓鼓，敞口，圈足。通體以青花繪“六子戲彌勒”通景人物故事圖。畫面見布袋和尚袒胸露腹，席坐於松樹之下，面帶笑容，六名童子環繞其側嬉戲玩耍，有摘取念珠者，有取其僧帽者，亦有偷拿鞋履及搬弄布袋隨身器物者，人物神態生動，情節詼諧有趣。周圍襯以蒼松、湖石、花草及庭園景致，構圖疏密有致，青花發色濃麗，筆法流暢灑脫，充分展現晚明崇禎時期人物故事圖裝飾的藝術特色。
布袋和尚為五代著名僧人，後世尊為彌勒佛化身，象徵福樂、富足與吉祥。童子則寓意子孫繁盛、人丁興旺。「六子戲彌勒」為晚明極受歡迎的吉祥題材，兼具生活情趣與吉祥寓意，寄託多子多福、家業昌隆與福澤綿長之美好願望。
Reference:
A censer with comparable design is in the Percival David Foundation, illustrated in 'L'Odyssée de la Porcelaine Chinoise', fig. 177 and in 'Illustrated Catalogue of Porcelains Decorated in Underglaze Blue and Copper Red', no. 613. A wine vessel with comparable design is in the Shanghai Museum, China, illustrated in 'Seventeenth Century Jingdezhen Porcelain from the Shanghai Museum and the Butler Collections', p. 94, no. 15.
Lot 96
Chongzhen
Dia.: 21,8 cm - H.: 17,2 cm
Estimation
€ 40.000,00 – € 60.000,00
Provenance
The Collection of G. Stellman.
S. Marchant & Son, London.
The Drs. A. M. Sengers Collection, collection no. 194, acquired from the above in June 1986.
S. Marchant & Son, London, with their label to the base.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium. Acquired from the above on 17 October 2001 and accompanied by a copy of their original invoice. (see added scans)
Exhibited & illustrated:
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, included in their 1978-1979 exhibition 'Asiatische Kunst uit Het Bezit van Leden, 60 years Exhibition' and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue, no. 15:12.
S. Marchant & Son, London, included in their July 1981 exhibition of 'Chinese Blue and White, Wan Li to K'ang Hsi' and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue, no. 15.
S. Marchant & Son, London, included in their November 2001 exhibition of 'Ming Blue and White Porcelain. The Drs. A. M. Sengers Collection' and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue, pp. 96-97, no. 70. Also illustrated in their 2025 publication 'One Hundred Years', vol. I, pp. 94-95, fig. 129.
Museum Het Prinsenhof, included in the October 1990 loan exhibition 'Schatten uit de Oost of De Kunst van het Verzamelen', at the 42nd Delft Antique Fair, 'Eighty Years Chinese Ceramic history in a Dutch Private Porcelain Collection' and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue, A26.