A fine pair of Chinese famille rose-decorated "Balsam-Pear" bowls 粉彩過枝

A fine pair of Chinese famille rose-decorated "Balsam-Pear" bowls 粉彩過枝癩瓜紋盌一對 Jiaqing six-character seal mark and of the period 嘉慶六字款 清 嘉慶

Each circular bowl with slightly flared lip, on a low circular foot, finely enameled "over the wall", with the fruiting and flowering vine, bamboo, and a butterfly connecting the interior and exterior (the pattern also known as "bitter melon"), underside with six-character seal mark in underglaze blue

(Dia: 4 1/4 in.)

PROVENANCE:

Formerly in the collection of Franklin Lee Hand (1927-2019), San Francisco, noted antiques dealer and patron of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Thence by descent.

Frank Hand arrived in San Francisco after serving in the United States military, eventually becoming an executive at Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife). He retired in the 1970s and became an antiques dealer specializing in Asian arts. Mr. Hand acquired many works from his friend, the noted dealer and San Francisco cultural leader Chingwah Lee (1901-1980), local auction houses such as Butterfields, and directly from San Francisco and East Bay estates being dispersed in the 1970s and 1980s. He was a major benefactor to the San Francisco Asian arts museum, with several donated works including a rare pair of carved Indian armchairs designed by Lockwood de Forrest (accession #2011.58.1-.2).

NOTE:

For another pair of Jiaqing bowls of this pattern, see Sotheby's, Hong Kong, April 8, 2010, lot 1946, where the cataloguing references an extensive discussion of the fruit depicted on the bowls published in Orientations, October 1993, Ka Bo Tsang, "An Unusual Botanical Motif: The Bitter-Sweet Kugua", pp. 64-67, where it is also noted that the meaning of the composition ("Guoqianzhi" ["Branch Over a Wall"]) evokes the expression "Changzhi" (long reign), thus the present bowls would embody a wish for a long and prosperous reign, and the fruit depicted, with its numerous red seeds, suggests a wish for numerous sons, and by extension, abundance and prosperity. Compare also another pair of Jiaqing mark and period bowls of this pattern, sold at Christie's, Hong Kong, June 11, 2021, lot 3217.

來源：

Franklin Lee Hand (1927-2019)舊藏，舊金山，重要古董商及舊金山亞洲藝術博物館贊助人
由其家族內後人傳承

在美軍部隊退役後，Frank Hand先生流寓舊金山，並任職大都會人壽保險公司的主管。之後於1970年代退休，也就此開啟了亞洲藝術古董商的生涯。在此期間，Hand先生多於名家求購交流；不乏其友人，知名古玩商及文化領袖Chingwah Lee (1901-1980)，Butterfields拍賣行，以及1970至1980年代舊金山灣區老戶流散遺珍。更值得一提的是，他是舊金山亞洲藝術博物館的主要捐贈者之一，包括一對極為罕見的印度扶手椅）(藏編號2011.58.1-.2)

註：

另見一對相似形製嘉慶小碗，於香港蘇富比2010年4月8日，拍品1946，圖錄中引用Ka Bo Tsang學者於1993年十月出版的有關於果紋裝飾的描述。“一種別緻的果紋：苦中有甜的苦瓜”，頁64-67，同時論述了“過墻枝”所隱含的“長枝”（長治），由此可見，該類盌飽含有繁榮昌盛，長治久安之願景。果實中鮮紅種子繁多，又表多子多福之寓意。另見一對嘉慶款及本朝小碗，售出於香港佳士得2021年6月11日，拍品3217。