1 May 2024
Grace Tu
An important Scottish botanist born in Falkirk in 1873, George Forrest was sponsored by horticulturist and cotton broker Arthur Kilpin Bulley (1861-1942), to embark on an expedition to China’s then-remote southwestern province of Yunnan in 1904.
We are delighted to include George Forrest's Collection of Chinese Bronzes in our 17 May Fine Asian Works of Art auction.
YUAN DYNASTY, DATED TO THE XINYOU YEAR OF THE ZHIZHI REIGN, 1321AD
The inscriptions on the base record that this vessel was made in the year of Xinyou of the Zhizhi reign, corresponding to 1321AD during the Yuan dynasty. It was dedicated to the Confucious Temple located at Zhongqing Street, traceable to the still-standing Confucious Temple built in 1302AD in Anning county, Kunming city, Yunnan. While archaistic bronze ritual vessels are not uncommon, bronze ritual vessels documented to have been made for use in local academies and temples such as the present example are extremely rare.
Forrest set out on his expedition in search of plants new to horticulture in Europe, particularly species of rhododendron. He made seven major expeditions to the region, ranging as far afield as upper Burma, eastern Tibet and Sichuan province. Throughout his career, Forrest amassed over 31,000 herbarium specimens in total, and introduced hundreds of new plant species to the west. In 1932, he passed away just outside of the town of Tengchong, previously known as Tengyue or Tengyueh.
George Forrest's Asian Art collection was partially donated to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The collection offered in our Friday 17 May auction was on loan for decades and all deaccessioned in 2023, thence by descent.
Qianqing Gong, The Palace of Heavenly Purity, or Qianqing Palace (乾清宫) is a palace in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. It is the largest of the three halls of the Inner Court, located at the northern end of the Forbidden City. During the Qing dynasty, the palace often served as the Emperor's audience hall, where he held council with the Grand Council. Objects, especially censers, bearing Qianqing Gong mark are deemed similar to ‘Neitan Jiaoshe’ mark (內壇郊社, refers to the altar to Heaven and Earth within the inner walls of the Temple of Heaven) as Imperial wares adorning or used in their specific rooms.
Illustrated top: George Forrest outside the China Inland Mission Moongate in Dali, taken around 1905.
We would like to express our gratitude to ‘George Forrest / Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’ for providing photographs and their information.
