A rare blue and white 'Peony' bowl, Xuande mark and period (1426-1435)

Lot 134. A rare blue and white 'Peony' bowl, Xuande mark and period (1426-1435); 9.5 cm, 3 3/4  in. Estimate 80,000 — 120,000 GBP. Courtesy Sotheby's 2018.

the rounded sides rising from a concave foot, painted to the sides in inky washes of cobalt blue with peonies borne on the same continuous scroll surrounded by fleshy leaves and attendant buds, with a band of classic scroll and lappets at the foot and a band of lotus scrolls at the rim, the underglaze blue six-character mark inscribed horizontally below the rim.

Note: Perfectly formed in its ergonomical shape and delicately painted with vibrant cobalt blue, this bowl is a charming example of the outstanding imperial wares characteristic of Xuande porcelain. Bowls of this form are described in Archibald Brankston, early Ming Wares of Chingtechen, Beijing, 1938, p. 25, as jing shui wan (pure water bowl) which were filled with water and used during prayers for purification. The small size and rounded shape allowed it to be held comfortably in one's palms.

A small number of closely related bowls can be found in important museums and private collections; see one from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Hong Kong, 2008, pl. 130, together with a Xuande mark and period stem bowl that would have been used for a similar purpose, pl. 131; one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum's exhibition Ming Xuande ciqi fezhan mulu [Special exhibition of Hsuan-te wares], 1980, cat. no. 20; another published in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection Tokyo, 1987, pl. 636; and a fourth from the collection of Sir Percival and Lady David, included in the exhibition of Chinese Art, Palazzo Ducale, Venice, 1954, cat. no. 639. A small number of bowls have been offered at auction; one, from the collection of E.T. Chow, was sold twice in our Hong Kong rooms, 19th May 1981, lot 402, and 3rd May 1994, lot 40; another, included in the Ceramic Society of Japan's Inaugural Exhibition, Hiroshima, 1954, lot 14, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30th May 2012, lot 4056; and a third was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 2nd May 2005, lot 508.

Stemmed bowl with carnation scroll, Ming dynasty, Xuande mark and period, AD 1426–35. Porcelain with underglaze cobalt-blue decoration, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, 10,3 x 9,8 cm. Percival Daivid Foundation of Art, PDF A636 © 2017 Trustees of the British Museum

A rare early Ming blue and white globular bowl, jingshuiwan, Xuande six-character mark in a line and of the period (1426-1435), 3 3/4 in. (9.7 cm.) diam. Sold for 2,180,000 HKD at Christie's Hong Kong, 30th May 2012, lot 4056. © Christie's Images Ltd 2012

Cf. my post: A rare early Ming blue and white globular bowl,jingshuiwan, Xuande six-character mark in a line and of the period (1426-1435)

A rare blue and white globular bowl, Xuande mark and period (1426-1435). Sold for 960,000 HKD at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2nd May 2005, lot 508. Courtesy Sotheby's 2005.

 Cf. my post: A rare blue and white globular bowl, Xuande mark and period (1426-1435)

Bowls of this type, but lacking the reign mark, include one, from the collection of Sir John Addis and now in the British Museum, London, published in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 4.22; another from the Fuller collection was sold at Christie's London, 28th/29th June 1965, lot 147; and a third illustrated in John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics. The Koger Collection, London, 1985, pl. 50.

Small blue and white globular porcelain bowl with underglaze blue decoration, Ming dynasty, Xuande period (1426-1435). Height: 7.5 cm. Donated by Sir John M Addis, 1975,1028.10 © 2017 Trustees of the British Museum