Lot 127. The Leshantang Collection. A pair of lemon-yellow enamelled ogee saucers, Seal marks and period of Qianlong (1736-1795); 11.4 cm. Lot Sold 1,016,000 HKD (Estimate 600,000 - 800,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2023

each delicately potted with ogee sides rising from a short foot, the exterior applied with an even lemon-yellow enamel, the interior and base left white, the latter inscribed with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue, wood stands.

Provenance: Collection of Edward T. Chow (1910-80).
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 25th November 1980, lot 99.

Literature: The Leshantang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Taipei, 2005, pl. 39.

Exhibited: Chinese Art from the Ching Wan Society Collections, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1998, cat. no. 61.

Note: Lemon-yellow enamel was a Yongzheng innovation, achieved when the antimoniate of iron was combined with tin oxide, resulting in an opaque yellow colour of vibrant hue. It was created at the enamelling workshops in Beijing, resulting from experiments with pigments imported by Jesuit missionaries, who worked alongside Chinese craftsmen in the palace workshops. The enamel was introduced to the potters of Jingdezhen around the time Tang Ying (1682-1756) was appointed Resident Manager of the imperial kiln factory in 1728. This pastel tone was particularly favoured by the Qianlong Emperor and was primarily used on small cups and dishes.

See a similar pair sold twice in these rooms, 30th April 1996, lot 390 and 9th October 2020, lot 104; another pair sold on 3rd April 2019, lot 3661; another pair sold in our New York rooms, 18th March 2021, lot 157.

Sotheby's. The Leshantang Collection – Treasures of Chinese Art from the Tsai I-Ming Collection, Hong Kong, 8 October 2023