Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, 7 November 2017, London
A wucai 'dragon and phoenix' bowl, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795)
Lot 294. A wucai 'dragon and phoenix' bowl, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). 6 1/8 in. (15.5 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 6,000 - GBP 8,000. Price realised GBP 17,500. © Christies Images Ltd 2017
The bowl is decorated with two phoenix descending between two green and iron-red dragons chasing the flaming pearl on a ground scattered with floral sprigs, all below a band of Buddhist emblems alternating with ruyi heads that encircles the rim. The interior is decorated with a central medallion enclosing an iron-red dragon in pursuit of the flaming pearl, all within double blue line borders.
Provenance: Private English Collection, acquired in the 1920s, then by descent within the family.
Note: A comparable Qianlong mark and period bowl in the Imperial Collection, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 38 - Porcelain in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Beijing, 1999, p148, no.136. A comparable bowl sold at Christie's New York, 15 September 2011, lot 1498.
A wucai 'dragon and phoenix' bowl, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). 6 1/8 in. (15.4 cm.) diam. Sold for 16,250 USD at Christie's New York, 15 September 2011, lot 1498. © Christies Images Ltd 2011