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THE MAGAZINE AUCTION RESULTS
Chinese Republic
Wang Dafan (1888 -1961), china
porcelain plaque with enamel
polychrome decoration. 42 x 25.5 cm.
66 GAZETTE DROUOT INTERNATIONAL I N° 23
€74,998
Imperial Chinese porcelains have been throwing
auction enthusiasts into a frenzy for years. But some
time ago, works produced under the Republic of China
also entered the picture, even without the rubber
stamp of a precious imperial pedigree. Estimated at
€200 and knocked down for €74,998 on 13 February at
Drouot (Pierre Bergé auction house), this porcelain
plaque by Wang Dafan bears witness to the new craze.
The world record for this artist, CNY9.2 M ($1.4 M;
source: Artnet) was set at Poly by a large porcelain
plaque depicting an offering being made to a group of
dignitaries. For a vase, a record of CNY5.98 M
($939,011) was achieved in June last year at the Beijing
Council International Auction Co. by a 1928 square
model decorated with figures in landscapes. Outside
China, the highest price, £241,250 ($384,400), went on
10 November 2011 (at Bonhams London) to a plaque
from around 1930 (83 x 23 cm) showing Yin Shi and
You Zuo awaiting the arrival of their teacher, Cheng Yi.
After the end of the Qing dynasty, measures were
taken to deal with the production crisis of Chinese
ceramics, which were encountering strong
competition from Japan with imports and from
Europe with exports. Various reforms were introduced
at the porcelain capital, Jingdezhen, including the
development of private workshops specialising in
artistic creation, as opposed to anonymous mass
production. Taking up the fencai enamels of the
Famille Rose, but treating them in a more lively
manner, Wang Xiaotang and Pan Taoyu were the
pioneers of this new style. Some of Pan Taoyu's
students created the "Eight Friends of Zhushan" group,
one of whom was Wang Dafan. He excelled in the
representation of human figures. His masterful skill can
be seen in the soft shades and expressive face of this
immortal being offered a peony on a tray. S. A.