Description Nine pieces of blue-and-white-glazed porcelain objects from the Qing Dynasty. The lot contains a signed wine warmer with cup, signed large vase, lidded seal box, small plate with seal, small vase square bottle with seal, signed segmented plate, brush washer with seal, and small pot. Dimensions are: Large vase: 10 inches tall X 5 5/8 inches diameter at widest point; 25.4 cm tall X 14.3 cm diameter at widest point. Lidded seal box: 2 1/2 inches tall X 5 1/8 inches wide X 3 3/8 inches deep; 6.3 cm tall X 13 cm wide X 8.6 cm deep. Wine warmer: 4 inches tall X 3 inches diameter; 10.2 cm tall X 7.6 cm diameter. Wine cup: 2 inches tall X 2 3/8 inches diameter at rim; 5.1 cm tall X 6 cm diameter at rim. All measurements are approximate.
Condition Report Large vase has firing defects and minor rim chips. Brush washer has edge chips and firing defects. Horizontal and vertical crack in small pot rim.
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.