A Fine Pair Of doucai floral Bowls. Yongzheng Six-Character Marks Within Double-Circles And Of The Period (1723-1735). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2012
Each bowl is thinly potted and decorated to the exterior with camellia blossoms in shades of yellow, iron-red and purple borne on meandering leafy stems, between a band of floral scroll near the mouth rim and ruyi-band near the foot. The interior has a matching floral medallion. 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm.) diam., box (2). Estimate HK$3,800,000 - HK$4,500,000 ($492,741 - $583,509)
Provenance: The Paul and Helen Bernat Collection, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 15 November 1988, lot 15
Notes: Yongzheng-marked doucai bowls of this pattern is very rare and no example of identical design appears to have been published so far. A Yongzheng bowl in the Nanjing Museum Collection of similar design with six iron-red lotus blooms borne on leafy scrolls above a ruyi band, but without the floral band near the mouth rim, is illustrated in Treasures in the Royalty. The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, pl. 124, where the author mentions that bowls of this type were produced for daily use in the Imperial palace. Compare to another bowl of similar decoration, but with six different floral blossoms, also in the Nanjing Museum Collection,ibid., pl. 130.
Yeh Pei-Lang in Gems of the Doucai, Taipei, 1993, p. 66-71, points out that production of doucaiporcelains reached new artistic standards during the Yongzheng period with the novel use of thefamille rose palette, allowing the pastel-like enamels to acheive an attractive contrast to the underglaze cobalt blue. The use of white enamel in the palette in particular enables more colour gradations and variations in the decorations, making Yongzheng-period doucai wares highly sought after treasures throughout time.
Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. 28 November 2012. Hong Kong