A rare famille-verte 'Peach' stembowl, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period. Photo: Sotheby's.
raised on a tall stem tapering to meet the rounded sides gently flaring to a galleried rim, elegantly decorated around the exterior with a slender frieze with iron-red peaches among light green and cobalt blue leaves, all borne on a continuous undulating stem, the interior well adorned with a central medallion containing a pair of long-tailed birds, perched on two intertwining camellia branches amongst craggy rocks, lingzhi fungus and scrolling clouds, all painted in bright iron-red together with translucent enamels of green and yellow, over brilliant shades of underglaze blue, original lacquered leather box; diameter 15.6 cm., 6 1/8 in. Estimate 380,000 — 480,000 HKD
Provenance: Christie's Hong Kong, 30th May 2006, lot 1428.
Note: Fluently painted with auspicious motifs such as ripe peaches, long-tailed birds and lingzhi fungus conveying the wish for longevity, this rare famille-verte stembowl displays the exquisite imperial taste of the Kangxi reign. Only a few examples are known, including one in the Nanjing Museum, published in Treasures in the Royalty: The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p. 64, as well as one with cover in the collection of Musée Guimet, illustrated in La Chine des Porcelaines, Paris, 2004, pl. 38.
Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. Hong Kong | 08 Apr 2014 -www.sothebys.com