Lot 105. A doucai 'Phoenix' dish, Qianlong seal mark and period (1736-1795); 19cm, 7 1/2 in. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 GBP. Lot sold 35,000 GBP. ©  Sotheby's

the gently rounded shallow sides rising from a short straight foot to an everted rim, brightly painted and enamelled to the interior with a medallion enclosing three phoenix in flight encircling a leafy lotus spray, the exterior similarly decorated, the base with mark in underglaze-blue.