A pair of famille verte bowls, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Estimate $7,000 – $9,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Each bowl is decorated with a peony and flowering branch overlaid with persimmon-shaped panel enclosing a figure on a riverbank, watching birds in flight above the river. The opposite side is decorated with a scroll-shaped panel enclosing a lengthy inscription. The interior of the everted mouth rim is decorated with a scroll-border of four panels enclosing composite flower sprigs, each separated by dense floral scroll. The base is decorated with a seal mark in underglaze blue within a double-line border. 8 in. (20.1 cm.) diameter

Provenance: The James E. Sowell Collection, Dallas, Texas.  

Note: The bowls are inscribed with excerpts from the poem "On the Lake," by Tang dynasty poet Gu Kuang (c. AD 725-814).

Christie's. MANDARIN & MENAGERIE: THE SOWELL COLLECTION, PART II, 16 September 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza