AN EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE FAMILLE VERTE FIGURE OF A PHOENIX, MID-QING DYNASTY Expert's note: More often found in famille-rose and generally of smaller size, the present large phoenix is a remarkably rare example in this size and palette. Each feather on the neck appears to be separately molded, carved and applied, and the plumage on the back is individually cut to present a dynamism and movement that is striking. The exceptional quality of the decoration leaves no doubt in the mind of this author that this phoenix was made during the 18^th century.

China, 18th - early 19th century. Superbly modeled standing with one powerful claw raised upon a tall rockwork base with lingzhi and floral blossoms, the neck feather shaped and molded falling to long tail-plumes picked out in bright enamels, the long peacock tail trailing down toward the base.

Provenance: The Strong National Museum of Play, accession number 78.17.36 (lacquered to base), deaccessioned in 2022. Margaret Woodbury Strong (1897-1969) grew up in a prosperous family of collectors. Her interests ranged so widely that by 1960 she had amassed more than 27,000 collectible items and works of art. The vast majority of her collections related in some way to play and as her accumulation grew, Margaret planned a museum to house her collection. It eventually opened to the public in 1982, and grew dramatically over the following decades, expanding its collections, facilities, and resources, now spanning over 285,000 square feet. Today, the Strong National Museum of Play (known as just The Strong Museum or simply The Strong) is the only collections-based museum in the world devoted solely to the study of play.
Condition: Excellent condition with old wear and minor firing irregularities, the beak and nostrils with minuscule glaze chips, a hairline along the base rim. Extremely rare in this magnificent size and superb state of preservation.

Weight: 8,082 g
Dimensions: Height 83 cm

Literature comparison:
A similarly modeled pair of peacocks of large size is illustrated in Michael Cohen and William Motley, Mandarin and Menagerie: Chinese and Japanese Export Ceramic Figures. Volume I: The James E. Sowell Collection, Surrey, 2008, pp. 232-233, cat. no. 16.8, where the authors date the pair as circa 1820.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 20 October 2018, lot 1057
Estimate: USD 60,000 or approx. EUR 70,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare pair of important and large Chinese famille-verte figures of phoenix birds, 18^th / early 19^th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related molded and carved decoration. Note the smaller size (62.3 cm each) and that this lot comprises a pair of phoenixes.



清代中期大型硬彩鳳凰
中國，十八至十九世紀。造型優美，鳳凰昂首挺胸立於岩石上，似乎在高鳴，五彩羽毛繽紛，艷麗奪目。

專家注釋：此類擺件更常見於粉彩，通常尺寸較小。這件鳳凰擺件的尺寸和顔色非常罕見。每根羽毛都是單獨成型，細節描繪極其精美，動感十足。如此精湛的品質足以認爲這只鳳凰是在十八世紀製作的。

來源：紐約Strong 國立美術館，收藏編號 78.17.36 (見壺底)，2022年退出收藏。Margaret Woodbury Strong (1897-1969) 成長於一個富裕的收藏家家庭。 她的興趣範圍非常廣泛，到 1960 年爲止，她已經積累了 27,000 多件收藏品和藝術品。她的絕大多數收藏都以特定方式與玩耍有關，隨著她的收藏不斷擴大，Margaret計劃建立一個博物館來展示她的收藏。美術館最終於 1982 年向公眾開放，並在接下來的幾十年裡，其收藏、設施和資源急速擴大，現在佔地超過 285,000 平方英尺。 今天，Strong 國立游戲美術館（簡稱為 The Strong 美術館館或簡稱為 The Strong）是世界上唯一一家專注於遊戲研究的以收藏為基礎的博物館。
品相：狀況極佳，局部磨損，燒製不規則，喙和鼻孔有微小的磕損，底座邊緣有一條細線。

重量：8,082 克
尺寸：高83 厘米

文獻比較：
一對相似的孔雀，可能為1820年製作，見Michael Cohen，William Motley，《Mandarin and Menagerie: Chinese and Japanese Export Ceramic Figures》，〈Volume I: The James E. Sowell Collection〉，薩里郡，2008年，頁232-233，圖錄編號16.8。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2018年10月20日，lot 1057
估價：USD 60,000（相當於今日EUR 70,000）
描述：十八至十九世紀初期一對大型硬彩鳳凰
專家評論：比較非常相近的型態和雕刻。請注意尺寸較小 (一隻62.3 厘米) ，以及此鳳凰為一對。