Lot 106.  Property from a Distinguished North American Collection. A superb and rare blue and white 'floral' alms bowl, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795). Width 18.8 cm, Lot sold 127,000 USD (Estimate 100,000 - 150,000 USD). © Sotheby's 2024

the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue.

Provenance: Private Collection, acquired in Asia in the 1960s, and thence by descent.

Note: Outstanding for its harmoniously rounded form and meticulously detailed painting, the present alms bowl is exceptionally rare and belongs to a small group of imperial Qianlong period porcelains that showcase the Qianlong Emperor's religious beliefs. Alms bowls hold profound significance in Buddhist practice, embodying the austere lifestyle of a monk, in which it was the only object one could have in one's possession according to Buddhist law. The Qianlong Emperor, a devout Buddhist, orchestrated the creation of numerous Buddhist implements and artworks during his reign. While examples of alms bowls crafted from jade, cloisonné enamel, and lacquer abound from this era, porcelain variations are relatively rare.

According to the Archives (Qinggong zaobanchu huojidang [Archival records from the Qing imperial household department workshop]), in the third year of the Qianlong period (corresponding to 1738), the Emperor ordered a Xuande-style blue and white alms bowl to be copied and reproduced. During the Qianlong Emperor, early porcelains celebrated for their unique form and superb craftsmanship such as early-Ming blue and white wares were consciously emulated in the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen, demonstrating the Qing craftsmen’s ability to adapt classic designs into a contemporary aesthetic. See a closely related Xuande period prototype, similarly with a flat base but slightly larger in size, previously in the Qing Court Collection, now in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Hong Kong, 2008, pl. 125.

The reference to these early wares is further highlighted on the present piece in the deliberate 'heaping and piling' of the cobalt to imitate their predecessor's mottled effect. Meticulously executed in the finest cobalt blue, the composition of floral blooms and foliate scrolls is perfectly balanced showcasing the craftsman's thorough understanding of the importance of spacing in successfully creating a rich yet not overly crowded design. The highest standard of craftsmanship reveals the Emperor's dedicated pursuit of Buddhist practices.

No other alms bowl with a Qianlong mark appears to have been published. Compare closely related Qianlong period alms bowls, decorated with floral blooms and foliate scrolls but with a tapered form: one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 142; another sold in these rooms, 12th June 1984, lot 305; and a third sold at Christie's New York, 24th March 2011, lot 1678. For a similar Qianlong period alms bowl but with a cover and decorated with floral scrolls on both the exterior and interior, see one sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 7th April 2015, lot 3111.

Sotheby's. Chinese Art, New York, 19 March 2024