November 2025 Asian Art Auction
The Beauty of Monochrome Glaze
Asian Art Auction Friday 14th November 11:00am
Featuring a Fine East Anglian Private Collection of Monochrome Glazed Ceramics and many others
Viewing time: Thursday 13th 10am-5pm
The forthcoming Asian Art Auction, to be held on Friday, 14 November, will feature more than 260 lots, the majority drawn from private collections and estate clearances across Suffolk and the surrounding counties. Of particular note is a distinguished group of monochrome glazed ceramics from an East Anglian private collection (see illustration).
The Beauty of Monochrome Glaze – The Charm of Colour in Porcelain
Monochrome glazed porcelain, celebrated for its purity of colour and refined aesthetic, has been admired since its inception in the Song dynasty. Through centuries of technical refinement, it reached its zenith during the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong reigns of the Qing dynasty. The range includes copper-red, Langyao red, peacock green, goose yellow, sky blue, celadon, and flambé glazes, among others—each showcasing the potters’ pursuit of artistic expression through glaze and colour rather than painted decoration.
A Fine Chinese Copper-Red-Glazed Yuhuchun Vase, Qing Dynasty, 18th century (Lot 88)
Elegantly potted with a flared mouth, slender neck, rounded shoulders and full body resting on a splayed foot, the vase is covered overall in a deep copper-red glaze with fine bubbles and a smooth, lustrous surface. A soft peach tone appears near the foot, while the rim reveals a thin white glaze. Height 28cm.
Provenance: East Anglian private collection; formerly in the collection of Dr George Yuille Caldwell (1920–2016).
A Chinese Apple-Green Crackle-Glazed Vase, Qing Dynasty, 18th–19th century (Lot 78)
The globular body rises to a gently tapering neck with an everted rim, covered overall in a bright apple-green glaze suffused with a network of natural crackles resembling fractured ice. Height 30cm; mouth diameter 12.5cm.
Provenance: East Anglian private collection; previously in the collection of Justus Blank, a member of the Dutch East India Company, and thence by descent within the family.
Commemorative Photographs of Sir Robert Hart’s 70th Birthday and Other Portraits, 1905, photographed by Yamamoto Sanshirō (Lot 155)
A group of four black-and-white photographs, including three group portraits taken in February 1905 to commemorate the seventieth birthday of Sir Robert Hart (1835–1911), featuring foreign and Qing officials with handwritten captions on the reverse. These images constitute valuable visual records for the study of the late Qing Maritime Customs Service and Sino-foreign relations.Photographs approx. 26.7 x 20.5cm; frames 40 x 31cm.
Notes: Sir Robert Hart served as Inspector-General of the Chinese Maritime Customs for forty-eight years, profoundly influencing China’s modern customs administration and foreign relations. The Japanese photographer Yamamoto Sanshirō, active in late Qing China, documented numerous scenes involving officials and customs institutions—his works possessing both historical and artistic importance.
The Chater Collection: Pictures Relating to China, Hong Kong, Macao, 1655–1860, with Historical and Descriptive Letterpress by James Orange, published by Butterworth, London, 1924 (Lot 154)
A fine example of this rare illustrated volume documenting Sir Catchick Paul Chater’s (1846–1926) collection of paintings, drawings, and prints depicting China, Hong Kong, and Macao from 1655 to 1860. With a colour folding map of the City of Victoria, 18 colour plates, numerous black-and-white illustrations, 528 pages with bibliography and index. Number 247 of a limited edition of 750 copies. Dimension: 30.7 × 25.5 cm.
Notes: The book records over 430 works collected by Chater, offering valuable visual evidence of early colonial Hong Kong and maritime China. Much of the original collection was lost during the Japanese occupation, with only 94 works now preserved in the Hong Kong Museum of Art.
Together, this group of lots highlights the beauty of Chinese ceramic artistry and photographic culture, while tracing the intertwined history of cross-cultural exchange and collecting. With its long-standing tradition of professionalism and passion, Lacy Scott & Knight continues to present to collectors worldwide exceptional works that embody both artistic excellence and cultural significance.
View catalogue
