A Fine And Rare Famille Verte Coral-Ground 'Boys' Bowl. Underglaze Blue Jiaqing Six-Character Sealmark And Of The Period (1796-1820)

Finely enamelled on the rounded sides with four groups of boys gathered in a balustraded garden, at play and engaged in leisurely pursuits beside rocks, plantain and pine trees, the rail posts and vegetation picked out in gilt against a rich tomato-red ground, the interior and base with a transparent glaze. 8 3/8 in. (21.2 cm.) diam. Price Realized £97,250 ($158,226)

Notes: Compare with other Jiaqing-marked bowls of this design and size: one from the Weishaupt Collection, illustrated by G. Avitabile, From the Dragon's Treasure, London, 1987, no. 32, and sold in our Hong Kong Rooms, 4 November 1996, lot 783; one included in the Hong Kong O. C. S. Exhibition of Ch'ing Polychrome Porcelain, 1977, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 100, and subsequently sold these Rooms, 13 December 1982, lot 528; and another in the Hong Kong Museum of Art exhibition, The Wonders of the Potter's Palette, 1986, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 93.

Jiaqing bowls of this type are based on the Kangxi prototype, such as the example illustrated in The Tsui Museum of Art, Chinese Ceramics, vol. IV, Hong Kong, 1995, fig. 104.

Christie's.  A Private English Collection of White Jade Carvings. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art including Export Art. 4 November 2008. London, King Street. Image Christie's Ltd 2008 . www.christies.com