Sale 68 The Jane and Dan Sten Olsson Collection of Large Dragons Sale 3

China, 1879 (Mar.) envelope to Paris (27.4) bearing on reverse 1878 thin paper 3ca. red-brown and 5ca. orange horizontal pair, both rough perfs., cancelled by Peking seals in blue, with "Customs/Tientsin" double-ring transit d.s. of "Mar 6 79" alongside, showing on front "Customs/Shanghai" double-ring transit d.s. of "Mar 8 79" in red, in combination with France 35c., cancelled by large figures "5104", with matching "Shang-hai/Chine" c.d.s. (13.3) adjacent, the Large Dragons stamps just tied by French entry c.d.s. and "Paris/(60)" arrival c.d.s. (27.4), endorsed "Hart" in manuscript in the lower right corner of the envelope (most probably indicating Sir Robert Hart as the subject of the letter), the envelope opened out for display, extremely fine and one of the most important Large Dragons covers from this early period.
Estimate 1,000,000 - 1,200,000

Provenance: Christie's Robson Lowe (Zurich), 23.11.1989, lot 2025
Anna-Lisa and Sven-Eric Beckeman, Sotheby's and Corinphila (Hong Kong), 7.11.1996, lot A187.

References: James B. Whang, A Comprehensive Illustration on Covers of Chinese Large Dragons (Taipei: Whang's Philatelic Foundation, 1997), pp. 61-62. Illustrated.
Customs Dater (1875-1913), Philatelic Writers' Club (Taiwan, 2008), pp. 237-238. Illustrated.

THE EARLIEST RECORDED ENVELOPE SENT OUTSIDE CHINA BEARING LARGE DRAGONS.

THE EARLIEST RECORDED CHINA-FRANCE LARGE DRAGONS COMBINATION COVER.

THE EARLIEST RECORDED USAGE OF THE PEKING SEAL ON COVER.

The 13 candarins single rate to Europe via Brindisi, according to the "Postal Notification" of 1 November 1878.

Taking into account the absence of a Peking dater, this was most probably sent on 5 March.

Based on the manuscript docketing on the front of the envelope, the subject of the letter related to Sir Robert Hart, the Inspector General of the Imperial Maritime Customs in Peking.

From the famous correspondence to Gustave Vapereau, who was Inspector General of Primary Education in Paris, from his son, Charles Vapereau, who was Professor of French at Tungwen College in Peking. Sir Robert Hart later recommended that Charles Vapereau be appointed the Chinese representative of the 1900 Universal Exposition in Paris.