A RARE CARVED LONGQUAN CELADON DEEP BOWL - XUANDE PERIOD (1426-1435)

With deep rounded sides, the exterior carved with a dense floral scroll including chrysanthemum, lotus and peony blooms above key-pattern around the foot, the interior with a similar frieze surrounding a single leafy peony sprig in the medallion, all under an even grey-green celadon glaze. 8 3/4 in. (22 cm.) diam., Japanese wood box. Estimate: HK$250,000 - HK$350,000 ($32,187 - $45,062)

Lot Notes: Compare the present lot with a similar early fifteenth-century celadon-glazed bowl from the Jack Chia Collection, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5 November 1996, lot 634.

The carved decoration on this bowl relates closely to the designs found on blue and white bowls of the time. There are numerous examples of Yongle and Xuande porcelain bowls with dense lotus scrolls or composite floral scrolls on the exterior and on the interior encircling a central floral medallion. One such example is the Yongle bowl illustrated by John A. Pope, Chinese Porcelain from the Ardebil Shrine, Washington D.C., 1956, pl. 47 (top left).

Christie's Hong Kong. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. 27 May 2008