Description Five Chinese Cizhou ware ceramics dating from the Ming dynasty or earlier. Includes: a pillow in the shape of a cat and glazed with a tan ground and brown and blue details; a tan-ground pot with brown glaze calligraphy on one side, flowers on reverse, and a decorative border; two white-ground candle holders in the shape of Fu dogs with details glazed in blue and brown; and a white-ground statue of a young boy standing and urinating holding a lotus flower in brown detail glaze. Dimensions are: Fu dogs: 8 inches tall X 3 inches wide X 5 inches deep; 23 cm tall X 7.6 cm wide X 12.7 cm deep. Pot: 7 1/4 inches tall X 6 inches diameter; 18.4 cm tall X 15.3 cm diameter. All measurements are approximate.
Condition Report Cat pillow has hairline cracks in glaze in a number of areas and glazing defects. Fu dogs has minor firing defects and one candle holder has chips in the rim. Pot has firing defects and firing cracks. Boy statue has minor chips to the top and lower base.
Provenance From the old collection of Mr. William Wu, San Francisco, USA. William Wu (1939-2007) was born in Shanghai and moved to Hong Kong with his family when he was young. In 1957, he was admitted to the Department of Philosophy at Princeton University. Because of his interest in history, in 1979 he received a doctorate in art history from Princeton University focusing on the Chinese artist Gong Xian. After graduation, he was successively employed as a professor of art history at Dartmouth, Oberlin, and other colleges. He later settled in San Francisco, California, where he presided over the Chinese Cultural Center, held regular cultural exhibitions, and devoted himself to introducing Chinese culture and artists to Western audiences. During the 1980s, he traveled between San Francisco and Shanghai and became an important bridge for cultural and artistic exchanges. Professor William Wu and the famous movie star Jet Li are distant relatives, and he was a great help in the early years of Jet Li's career development. Mr. Wu maintained contact with Jet Li during his life.