Lot 2836. A fine and very rare iron-red 'Phoenix' waterpot, Yongzheng six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1723-1735); 2.¼ in. (5.7 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 1,200,000 - HKD 2,500,000. Price realised HKD 1,500,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.

The delicate water pot is finely decorated on the exterior in iron red with two highly stylised archaistic phoenix with trailing tail feathers between stylised fretwork bands encircling the neck and above the foot, box.

Provenance: Sold at Sotheby’s London, 16 June 1998, lot 260 (one of a pair)
Sold at Sotheby’s London, 15 May 2013, lot 171.

Note: The pair to the present water pot, which was originally sold together at Sotheby’s London, 16 June 1998, lot 260, was sold again at Sotheby’s London, 6 November 2013, lot 157. A Yongzheng water pot with the same decoration is in the Palace Museum Collection (museum no. Gu00150292), is recorded on the museum website digital archive (fig. 1).

Another similar iron-red decorated water pot, also with a Yongzheng mark and of the period, previously in the E. T. Chow Collection, was sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 25 November 1980, lot 127. Another pair of the same pattern, with Yongzheng marks and of the period, was sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 31 October 1974, lot 291.