Bonhams. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 28 Nov 2017, 14:00 HKT, HONG KONG, ADMIRALTY
A very rare Imperial doucai 'bajixiang' bowl, Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period (1723-1735)
Lot 18. A very rare Imperial doucai 'bajixiang' bowl, Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period (1723-1735); 15cm (6in) diam. (2). Estimate HK$ 200,000 - 300,000 (€22,000 - 32,000). Unsold. Photo: Bonhams.
Elegantly potted with deeply rounded sides rising from a short straight foot to a gently flared rim, the exterior delicately outlined in underglaze blue and enamelled in yellow, aubergine, green and iron-red with the Eight Buddhist Emblems, bajixiang, each emblem supported on a blossoming lotus issuing from leafy tendrils, all above a border of upright lappets, the interior medallion decorated with clumps of bamboo amidst rockwork and a spray of lingzhi fungus, box.
Provenance: A distinguished Asian private collection.
Note: The design on the present bowl is directly derived from Imperial Chenghua-period porcelain, as can be seen on a blue and white bowl, missing its overglaze enamel decoration, Chenghua mark and period, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Ch'eng-Hua Porcelain Ware, Taipei, 2003, p.145, no.131. This design inspired later Ming dynasty wares, as can be seen on a similarly decorated bowl, Wanli mark and period, illustrated in The Complete Collection of the Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Shanghai, 2007, p.205, no.187.
A pair of blue and white 'bajixiang' bowls, Chenghua mark and period; image courtesy of the National Palace Museum, Taipei.
A doucai 'bajixiang' bowl, Wanli mark and period; image courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing
This bowl still preserves some of the features of the Kangxi wares including the form with a deeply potted shape and a wide mouth, as well as a relatively more opaque doucai palette, suggesting an early date in the Yongzheng reign. However, whilst probably near in date to the Kangxi period, the present lot still distinguishes itself in its pleasing elegance and refined delicacy of the potting and enamelling. Compare the present bowl to the shape and the colour scheme of a doucai bowl decorated with dragon medallions, Kangxi mark and period, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in ibid., p.226, no.207.
Compare also a related example of a doucai 'bajixiang' stem bowl, Yongzheng mark and period, which was sold in these Rooms, 29 November 2016, lot 20. See another doucai stem bowl also decorated with the Eight Buddhist Emblems, which was made under Imperial command in the tenth year of the Yongzheng reign (1733) as a gift to Mongolian nobles, in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo lidai Jingdezhen ciqi: Qing juan, Beijing, 1998, p.120. Therefore, it is possible that the present bowl was specially commissioned for the emperor's personal use or as an Imperial gift.
An exceptionally rare Imperial doucai 'Eight Buddhist Emblems' stem bowl, Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period '1723-1735); 15.8cm (6 1/4in) diam. Sold for HK$ 3,420,000 (€368,757) at Bonhams Hong Kong, 29 November 2016, lot 20.
Cf. my post: 3,000 years of Chinese Art celebrated at Bonhams Hong Kong sale