Lot 10. A very rare 'eel-skin'-glazed bulb bowl, Incised seal mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735); 24 cm., 9 1/2 in. Estimate 1,800,000-2,500,000 HKD. Lot sold 2,180,000 HKD. Photo Sotheby's

the shallow, round basin with low flaring sides and a flat base, supported on four bulbous animal-mask feet with eyes, ears, snout and other details clearly moulded, covered overall with a layer of brown slip below a greenish-brown glaze suffused with fine dark brown striations leading to a 'tea-dust' effect, the glaze draining at the rim and raised areas of the feet, appearing lighter brown, the base incised with a four-character reign mark and bearing ten spur marks and originally pierced with two holes for draining, later plugged with copper

PROVENANCE: Christie's London, 17th June 2003, lot 32.
Eskenazi Ltd, London.

LITTERATURE: Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 4, no. 1814.

NOTE: The glaze on this piece, which is somewhat more mottled than the typical 'tea-dust' glaze, has sometimes been described as 'eel-skin'. Glazes of this type were mainly used for vases, while other shapes are rare, and the present form of a circular bulb bowl on four legs appears to be unique. The sharp profile as well as the glaze appearance recall archaistic parcel-gilt bronze vessels, which probably served as prototypes.

Compare a similarly shaped bronze vessel with additional dragon handles, attributed to the late Ming (AD 1368-1644) or early Qing (AD 1644-1911) dynasty, in The Second Bronze Age: Later Chinese Metalwork, Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1991, cat. no. 43, and also illustrated on the dust jacket.

Bulb bowls with 'tea-dust' glazes were made in various different shapes in the Qing dynasty, but those of the Yongzheng period are remarkable for their clear lines and well-designed proportions. The present form appears to be unique in ceramics, but in its exquisite craftsmanship the piece can be compared to a barbed tripod bulb bowl following in shape Jun ware narcissus bowls of the Ming dynasty; see the piece from the Nagatani and Stephen Junkunc III collections, sold at Christie's New York, 21st September 1995, lot 251, and again 17th September 2008, lot 484.

Sotheby's. The Meiyintang Collection, Part III - An Important Selection of Imperial Chinese Porcelains. Hong Kong | 04 Apr 2012, 10:15 AM