Lot 844. A wucai dish, Yongzheng six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1723-1735); 8 3/8 in. (21.3 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 30,000 - USD 50,000. Price realised USD 15,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2020.

With shallow rounded sides, the interior decorated with a stylized foliate medallion and the exterior with three different formal stylized foliate motifs repeated around the sides and separated by foliate arabesques.

Provenance: Robert Somerville Chinese Art, Chicago, 30 March 1956.
The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago.

Note: The elegant, foliate arabesque design in the center of the present dish, sometimes referred to as “honeysuckle,” can be found on small wucai Yongzheng-marked bowls, such as the example sold at Christie’s New York, 29 March 2006, lot 493, also from the Alsdorf Collection. The motif can also be found on later Qing-dynasty wucai dishes; see a pair of Guangxu-marked examples from the Michael D. Stevenson Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 4-18 December 2013, lot 26 (part).

Christie's. Sacred and Imperial: The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection Part II, New York, 24 September 2020