Lot 2. A rare blue and white 'Eight Immortals' bowl, Jiajing six-character mark and of the period (1522-1566); 12.9cm diam. Sold for €5,760. Photo Bonhams.

With deep rounded sides rising to a wide mouth, the exterior finely painted with a crane standing beside Shoulao and the Eight Immortals, the interior decorated to the centre with a single flower spray within a double circle, a band with sprigs of the 'Three Friends of Winter' around the rim.

Provenance: Collection of Dr. Adam August Breuer (1868-1944), thence by descent to his son, Dr. Richard Breuer (1912-2006), thence by descent in the family and acquired by the present owner.

Note: Compare the design on this bowl with similarly decorated blue and white stemcup with a Jiajing mark and of the period, from the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (II), Hong Kong, 2000, no.149, p.160.

Bonhams - Cornette de Saint Cyr. CHINESE ART FROM A GERMAN FAMILY COLLECTION, Paris, 26 October 2023