Lot 1239. A pair of wucai 'dragon and phoenix' bowls, Qianlong six-character seal marks in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate £20,000 - £30,000 ($30,360 - $45,540). Price Realized £62,500 ($94,875). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Each bowl is finely decorated to the exterior with two dragons amidst flower sprays chasing flaming pearls, divided by two descending phoenixes, below a narrow band of the Eight Buddhist Emblems interspersed with ruyi heads to the mouth. The interior is decorated with a dragon chasing a flaming pearl amidst scrolling flames. 5 7/8 in. (15 cm.) diam.

Notes: Examples of this type of finely enamelled bowl with dragon and phoenix decoration appear in the Kangxi period (1662-1722) but imperial examples were seen throughout the Qing dynasty. 
Two bowls of this pattern both with Kangxi reign marks are in the Qing Court Collection, Beijing, illustrated inPorcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Vol. 38, Hong Kong, 1999, pp. 147-148, nos. 135 and 136.

A pair of Qianlong bowls of this type sold at Christie's, Hong Kong, 29 May 2007, lot 1516. A single Qianlong example from the Y.C. Chen collection sold at Christie's, Hong Kong, 29 May 2013, lot 1923. 

Christie's. CHINESE CERAMICS, WORKS OF ART AND TEXTILES, 13 November 2015, London, South Kensington