Lot 3018. A very fine and rare doucai 'sanduo' bowl, mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735); 16 cm, 6 1/4  in. Estimate 2,500,000 — 3,500,000 HKD (318,325 - 445,655 USD). Lot Sold 6,415,000 HKD (816,822 USD). Courtesy Sotheby's.

well potted with deep rounded sides rising from a gently tapered foot to a flared rim, the exterior finely painted in bright enamels within an underglaze-blue outline, depicting three detached branches of flowering and fruiting sanduo including pomegranate, finger citron and lychee, the interior similarly adorned with a central medallion enclosing a single flowering branch of two succulent peaches, all within double-line borders, the base with a six-character reign mark within a double circle.

Provenance: Collection of Sam'l C. Davis (1871-1940), one of a pair.
Sotheby's New York, 27th November 1990, lot 190.

Note: The present bowl is a superb example of Yongzheng doucai porcelain in its clever manipulation of a restricted palette to create a variety of colours and textures. The doucai technique of drawing in underglaze-blue outlines and colouring in enamel washes, traditionally made use of the wucai (famille-verte) palette but later also incorporated fencai (famille-rose) enamels. The colour scheme used on this bowl is particularly interesting; only one of the fruiting branches, that of the pomegranates, uses a rose-pink enamel but not in the typical fencai combination with an opaque white, but superimposed on yellow. This has created a most original tone which is otherwise very rarely seen and suggests an early date in the Yongzheng reign. Furthermore the stippled iron red in the fruit enhances its sense of three dimensionality while endowing it with a naturalistic texture. 

Sotheby's. An Important Collection of Chinese Ceramics, Hong Kong, 08 Oct 2019