A pair of fine coral-ground reverse-decorated ‘Lotus’ bowls, Seal marks and period of Qianlong

28 septembre 2013

A pair of fine coral-ground reverse-decorated ‘Lotus’ bowls, Seal marks and period of Qianlong

A pair of fine coral-ground reverse-decorated ‘Lotus’ bowls, Seal marks and period of Qianlong. Photo: Sotheby's

each with deep rounded sides rising from a short foot to a gently flared rim, the exterior covered in brilliant coral-red enamel, decorated in reserve with stylised lotus blooms borne on meandering leafy scrolls, the outlines of the leaves and petals pencilled in iron-red, the interior glazed white, inscribed to the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze-blue. Quantité: 2; 13 cm., 5 1/8 in. Estimation 1,000,000 — 1,500,000 HKD

Provenance: Collection of Corado Zingone, no. 39.
Charles Marie Franzero Collection.

This meticulous pattern with its lace-like effect, which plays on the sharp contrast between the iron-red enamel and the white porcelain, was one of the many imaginative inventions of the Yongzheng period and perpetuated through the subsequent Qing emperor's reigns. The iron-red enamel, which adheres in a thin, opaque layer, allows for razor-sharp lines, which cannot be achieved with other enamels, which are thicker and glassier. This effect was here fully utilized, giving this 'negative' reverse design a delicacy rarely achieved with 'positive' painting on a white ground. The Yongzgeng prototype of the design included additional butterflies, as found on a box published in R.P. Marchant, 'Some Interesting Pieces of Marked Ch'ing Porcelain',Bulletin of the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, no. 3, 1977-78, pls 24-26. and sold in these rooms, 8th April 2009, lot 1606. During the Qianlong period, this decoration was turned into a simplified floral scroll pattern without butterflies, and used on the outside of bowls. As such, the pattern continued throughout the 19th century. A similar Qianlong bowl from the Sir Percival David Collection in the British Museum, is illustrated in Oriental Ceramics. The World's Great Collections, vol.6, Tokyo, 1982, col. pl. 94; another from the collection of E. and J. Baerwald was included in the Ausstellung Chinesischer Kunst, Berlin, 1929, cat. no. 1034. Compare two further bowls of the same pattern, sold in these rooms 8th October 2010, lot 2693, and 8th April 2013, lot 3181. For a later example, illustrating how the design continued into the 19th century, see a Daoguang example, sold in our London rooms, 15th May 2013, lot 316.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. Hong Kong | 08 oct. 2013 - http://www.sothebys.com

Posté par Alain Truong à 13:29 - Commentaires […] - Permalien [#]

Tags: seal mark and period of Qianlong, ‘Lotus’ bowl, coral-ground reverse-decorated