A Fine Pair Of Underglaze-Blue And Iron-Red 'Lotus' Cups. Marks And Period Of Yongzheng

each thinly potted with steep rounded sides flaring slightly at the everted rim, the very white porcelain delicately painted with four stylised lotus heads in rich iron-red surrounded by curling stems of scrolling trefoil foliage in underglaze-blue, with double-line borders encircling the rim, the base inscribed with the six-character mark within a double square. .1 cm., 3 1/8 in. Lot Sold 400,000 HKD

PROVENANCE: Christie's Hong Kong, 2nd May 1994, lot 748.

NOTE: Bowls of this design can be found with different reign marks from the Ming dynasty onwards. For the 15th century origin of this design, compare a cup excavated from the late Chenghua stratum of the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen and included in the exhibition A Legacy of Chenghua, The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1993, cat.no. C95. A similar pair of Yongzheng bowls is illustrated in Chinese Porcelain: The S.C.Ko Tianminlou Collection, Part II, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 99.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art.| 08 Oct 08 . Hong Kong - www.sothebys.com - Photo courtesy Sotheby's