A fine pair of famille rose and pink enamel eggshell dishes. Yongzheng six-character marks, Late Qing dynasty. Photo Bonhams

Each dish finely potted with the uttermost delicacy, of shallow rounded form with steep rounded sides, the underside covered in a rich glaze, the interior intricately decorated in rich tones of famille rose enamels with a pair of swallows, one perched on the branches of a plum blossom tree, the other in flisht, with two butterflies hovering above, the base inscribed with a six-character mark within a double circle. 13.6cm diam. (2).Estimate: HK$450,000 - 650,000, US$ 58,000 - 84,000. Unsold.

晚清 珊瑚紅粉彩燕子紋碟一對 雙圈青花「大清雍正年製」楷書款

The subject matter and quality of the famille rose enamels on this pair of dishes is of the uttermost delicacy and quality, reminiscent of the pinnacle of quality achieved on the 'swallows' bowl from the collections of Captain Liddell, Charles Russell, Barbara Hutton, J.T. Tai and Robert Chang, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 November 2006, lot 1309. The structure, tone of the enamel and composition of the six-character mark can be closely compared to a pink saucer from the Meiyintang collection, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 7 April 2011, lot 28.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 25 May 2011 to 26 May 2011, Hong Kong, Island Shangri-La Hotel www.bonhams.com