One of only five known examples in the world

Bearing the incised six-character marks of Xuande, the fifth Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1426-1435), this rare cloisonné box was created during the 1430s in the Imperial workshops, a few miles outside of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Representing the height of cloisonné-making in the 15th century, this is one of only five known in the world. Three of the five pieces are in museums or institutional collections, including the Palace Museum, Beijing, whilst the other is in private hands.

Dr Yingwen Tao, specialist in Chinese and Asian Art at Dreweatts tells us; “There is every indication that all five were made in the same Imperial workshop, for the Emperor, as crucially all are doubly marked with an incised Xuande six-character reign mark on the underside of the box and the interior of the cover. They also all have similar designs and are uniform in size (12cm in diameter).”

The decorative box is circular in shape and features ripe pomegranates with gnarled gold branches, blossoms, smaller fruit and lotus scrolls on a vivid turquoise background. Pomegranates were an emblem of fertility and symbolic of a wish for children during the 15th century.

Major Edward Copleston Radcliffe

This rare cloisonné box is brought to Dreweatts from the private collection of Major Edward Copleston Radcliffe (1898-1967). It was bought on commission for Major Radcliffe by the dealers Bluetts, at a Sotheby’s auction before the end of the Second World War in March 1946.

Born in 1898, Edward Radcliffe was the son of Colmore Copleston Radcliffe and Margaret Alice Cregoe-Colmore. He was educated at Eton and subsequently joined the 9th Lancers, breaking with family tradition rather fortuitously, as several relatives in the family regiment, the Devonshires, were killed in action.

He saw action in the Great War, where his lungs were badly damaged in the trenches by mustard gas, and continued serving afterwards, first in Ireland in the Uprising of 1923 and later in India. In 1935 he married Mona de la Rue, 2nd daughter of Sir Evelyn and Lady Mae de la Rue, returning to London where he ran two antique shops.

With the arrival of the Second World War in 1939, he re-joined his old regiment as a Major and served as a company commander with the British Expeditionary Force in France. He was wounded during the withdrawal at Dunkirk while holding the line at Calais. After a period of convalescence, he was appointed as an instructor at Sandhurst where he served out the remainder of the war. In 1948, Radcliffe emigrated to South Africa for a quiet semi-retirement, as a successful artist and in 1953, the cloisonné box was exhibited in the National Gallery of South Africa's Chinese Exhibition in Cape Town.

Major Radcliffe died in 1967, thus starting the 50-year hibernation of the cloisonné box until it was discovered on a dust-filled shelf by Dreweatts’ Specialist Consultant for Asian Ceramic and Works of Art, Mark Newstead.  Commenting on the discovery, Mark said:

“When I first inspected the piece it looked too good to be true as 99.9% of Xuande marked pieces are later copies (it is one of the most copied marks of all time, used every decade since the Xuande reign) and is found on pieces from the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. I assumed it was made in the 16th or early 17th century and it was only when my colleague Dr Yingwen Tao was able to compare it with the example at Fenton House that we started to believe it could be a ‘lost’ example of this rare group.”

“The initial estimate, which was based on it being from the 17^th century is now looking extremely modest, and it is now thought it could achieve much more....It’s definitely a highlight of my career, I’ll probably never see anything as rare as this again, but never say never!” - Dreweatts’ Mark Newstead.

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Auction Details

Wednesday 17 & Thursday 18 May | 10.30am BST
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

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VIEWING:

Viewing in London (highlights only): 

• Tuesday 9 May: 10am-4pm
• Wednesday 10 May: 10am-4pm

Viewing in Newbury(full sale):

• Sunday 14 May: 10am-3pm
• Monday 15 May: 10am-4pm
• Tuesday 16 May: 10am-4pm
• Wednesday 17 May: from 8.30am
• Thursday 18 May: from 8.30am