A pair of Chinese underglaze blue and red garlic-head cabinet vases, Kangxi marks 青花釉裡紅蒜頭瓶一對 康熙款

Each decorated with three fabulous qilin standing on rockwork among crashing waves (hai shui jiang ya), six-character Kangxi marks to the underside.
H: 6.75 in.

Provenance
Formerly in the collection of Franklin Lee Hand (1927-2019), San Francisco, noted antiques dealer and patron of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Thence by descent.

Frank Hand arrived in San Francisco after serving in the United States military, eventually becoming an executive at Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife). He retired in the 1970s and became an antiques dealer specializing in Asian arts. Mr. Hand acquired many works from his friend, the noted dealer and San Francisco cultural leader Chingwah Lee (1901-1980), local auction houses such as Butterfields, and directly from San Francisco and East Bay estates being dispersed in the 1970s and 1980s. He was a major benefactor to the San Francisco Asian arts museum, with several donated works including a rare pair of carved Indian armchairs designed by Lockwood de Forrest (accession #2011.58.1-.2).