Lot 3633. A fine pair of doucai 'chrysanthemum' cups, Marks and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735); d. 7.3 and 7.4 c. Lot Sold 3,048,000 HKD (Estimate 1,800,000 - 2,500,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2023

Note: Meticulously painted with roundels of chrysanthemum flowers separated by lotus sprays, this charming pair of cups testify to the Yongzheng Emperor’s penchant for classic styles of the past. Each cup's fine and thinly potted body, smooth and tactile glaze, and delicate motif were inspired by prototypes of the Chenghua reign, which the Yongzheng Emperor especially treasured. Compare a Chenghua mark and period reconstructed cup with roundels of chrysanthemums, recovered from the Chenghua stratum at the site of the imperial kiln factory in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, and illustrated in Imperial porcelains from the Reign of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty II, Beijing, 2016, pl. 179.7.

Cups with the Yongzheng mark and of the period, decorated with this motif, are preserved in many public and private collections. Compare a closely related cup in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Ye Peilan, Beauty of Ceramics: Gems of Doucai, vol. 6, Taipei, 1993, pl. 102, together with one in the Capital Museum, Beijing, pl. 96; and a cup in the Ise collection, illustrated in The Enchanting Chinese Ceramics from the Ise Collection, Osaka, 2017, cat. no. 75. Further examples were sold at auction, such as a pair from the Edward T. Chow collection, sold twice in these rooms, 25th November 1980, lot 132, and again 20th May 1986, lot 108; another piece of this size and design, sold in our London rooms, 6th November 2019, lot 152.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 9 October 2023