Lot 129. A pair of fine ruby-ground famille-rose medallion bowls, Daoguang seal marks and period (1821-1850), 14.7 cm, 5 3/4  in.. Estimate 50,000 — 70,000 GBP. Lot sold 90,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

each finely potted, the rounded sides rising from a short straight foot to a slightly everted rim, the exterior with four circular medallions with alternating panels of Bo gu (Hundred Antiques), divided by floral sprays on a ruby sgraffiato ground, the interior finely painted in underglaze-blue with four lanterns around a central medallion, the base with a seal mark in underglaze blue. Quantité: 2

Provenance: S. Marchant and Son, London (according to label).

Note: Exquisitely enamelled bowls with various colour grounds and medallions containing scenes such as flowers, landscapes or antiquities were pioneered by artists of the Qianlong period and surged in popularity during the Daoguang reign. The sophistication of bowls of this type is achieved by the intricate sgraffiato ground to give an effect of brocade framing the roundels.

A closely related bowl is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 216; and another from the Dr S.Y. Kwan collection was included in the exhibition Joined Colors, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., 1993, cat. no. 58, where Jan Stuart mentions that the lantern design is a rebus for ‘good harvest’ (feng deng) and that these bowls were commonly used during the Lantern Festival. See also a bowl in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, published in Suzanne Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989, pl. 281; and two sold in our Hong Kong rooms, the first from the Edward T. Chow collection, 19th May 1981, lot 595, and the second from the Paul and Helen Bernat collection, 15th November 1988, lot 46, and 8th April 2007, lot 804.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Londres, 10 mai 2017, 02:00 PM