Lot 3711. A fine iron-red decorated cup with an Imperial poem, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795); 10.6 cm., 4 1/8  in. Estimate 250,000 — 300,000 HKD. Lot sold 475,000 HKD (56,458 EUR). © Sotheby's

finely potted with deep rounded sides rising from a short straight foot to an everted rim, the exterior inscribed in iron-red with an Imperial poem Sanqing Cha ('Three Purities Tea'), dated to the bingyin year of the Qianlong reign, corresponding to 1746, and terminating with two seal marks reading qian and long respectively, all between two ruyi bands bordering the rim and foot, the interior with a medallion enclosing sprigs of the 'Three Purities', prunus blossoms, pine needles and finger-citrons, surrounded by two further ruyi bands, the base inscribed in iron-red with a six-character seal mark.

Note: A porcelain bowl inscribed with this poem in underglaze blue was included in the Special exhibition of K'ang-hsi, Yung-cheng and Ch'ien-lung Porcelain Ware from the Ch'ing Dynasty in the National Palace Museum, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, cat. no. 142; and two iron-red examples were included in the exhibition Late Chinese Imperial Porcelain, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1980, cat. no. 1. For an example in lacquer, see a bowl in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated in Sir Harry M. Garner, Chinese Lacquer, London, 1979, pl. 93; and a pair of bowls from the Tianjin Municipal Art Museum, published in Zhongguo qiqi quanji, vol. 6, Fuzhou, 1993, pl. 211.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art, Hong Kong, 07 april 2015