Lot 159. A fine and superb pair of blue-glazed bowls, Qianlong seal marks and period (1736-1795). Diameter 4 ¼ in., 10.8 cm. Estimate: 20,000 - 30,000 USD. Lot sold: 31,500 USD. Courtesy Sotheby's.

each delicately potted with the deep rounded sides rising from a short, tapered foot to a slightly flared rim, the exterior covered in a deep sacrificial-blue glaze thinning towards the rims, the interior and base reserved in white, the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue, wood stands (4).

Note: The present lot belongs to a small group of Qianlong sacrificial-blue bowls notable for their superior quality. Compare several other examples from this group, such as a closely related pair of the same size and shape from the Zingone Collection, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 31st May 2011, lot 3536; another pair sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 14th November 1989, lot 167; and two further bowls sold separately in these rooms, 4th December 1985, lot 265 and 1st June 1988, lot 160.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 17 march 2021