Bonhams Realizes £208,205 in A Life in Ceramics: The Peter and Mary White Collection of Chinese Art, Part IV

In a sale that closed on 16 July 2026, Bonhams realized £208,205^[1] in its auction of A Life in Ceramics: The Peter and Mary White Collection of Chinese Art, Part IV. The auction achieved a 100% sell-through rate^[1], with 137 of 137 lots finding buyers.

According to Bonhams, which serves as the official results source for the sale, the auction presented a diverse array of Chinese and regional ceramics amassed by collectors Peter and Mary White. The fourth installment of this collection brought together items spanning several dynasties, reflecting a deep appreciation for the history of ceramic craftsmanship. The objects offered ranged from delicate export porcelain to robust regional wares, representing various periods of production and stylistic evolution.

Among the notable pieces featured in the sale was a rare polychrome decorated dish from the sixteenth century of the Ming Dynasty. This dish is designed with deep rounded sides and is decorated in red, green, and yellow enamels^[2]. The central scene depicts a pair of female riders before a gateway, framed within two registers of floral scroll. The exterior of the dish is similarly decorated with leafy, flowering stems, and the base bears a four-character mark. This specific piece was acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques in London, and similar examples can be found in prominent institutions, such as a dish in the British Museum decorated with twin lions at the center.

Another significant lot was an enamelled bowl designed for the Japanese market from the Chongzhen period. This footed bowl features deep rounded sides rising to a lobed rim^[3]. It is decorated in iron red and green enamels with four panels depicting boys at play in gardens on a hatch pattern ground, situated above a petal lappet band. The interior contains floral medallions below a shaped scrollwork and whorl pattern border, with a fuku mark on the base. The provenance of this bowl includes S. Marchant & Son in London, followed by a private collection, and it was later acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques.

The auction also featured regional wares, including a selection of small blue and white items alongside two green-glazed lime pots from Vietnam, dating from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century. This group of nine items includes a greyish-blue-glazed crab-form box and cover^[4], a covered box carved with geometric designs, and a cover decorated with a medallion showing a gentleman seated in a landscape holding a book. Additionally, the group contains a vase decorated with two cartouches enclosing birds perched on foliate sprays, a kendi of compressed globular form, a peach-shaped brush washer with a perched parrot forming the handle, and two green-glazed lime pots with betel-vine-form handles.

Export porcelain was represented by a group of five export teabowls and saucers from the Qianlong period. This ten-piece assembly includes a rare famille rose 'Four Elements' tea bowl and saucer depicting 'Fire'^[5], which was acquired from Elizabeth Hand in Petworth. The group also features a tea bowl and saucer enamelled and gilt with a goatherd in a landscape, another decorated en grisaille with a European lady seated beneath a pine, a marital tea bowl and saucer with joined petals enclosing initials, and a brightly enamelled set showing geese by a riverbank.

The successful conclusion of this fourth part of the Peter and Mary White collection highlights the enduring interest in Chinese ceramics and regional wares. The diverse selection of objects, ranging from early Song and Yuan dynasty pieces to later Qing dynasty export wares, provided a broad overview of the region's ceramic history. With all lots finding buyers, the sale demonstrated a steady demand for well-provenanced collections of Chinese art.