Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 9 July 2020
A large blue and white ‘Squirrel and Grapes’ bowl, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1
Lot 2841. A large blue and white ‘Squirrel and Grapes’ bowl, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795); 15 in. (38.1 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 300,000 - HKD 500,000. Price realised HKD 375,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.
The exterior of the bowl is delicately painted in various vibrant shades of cobalt blue with a continuous scene of squirrels clambering on leafy fruiting grapevines, all framed within a double line encircling the mouth and foot, Japanese wood box inscribed by the scholar Kushi Takushin (1898-1974).
Provenance: A Japanese private collection.
Note: Compare to several Qianlong-marked bowls with this decoration, including one sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 3 June 2014, lot 3234; one sold at Christie’s Paris, 20 June 2017, lot 216; one included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch’ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, no. 10; and a pair in The Chinese University of Hong Kong Museum illustrated in their 1995 exhibition Catalogue, Qing Imperial Porcelain from the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, no. 76.