A white-glazed incised 'floral' bowl, Yongle. Photo Bonhams

The wide body rising from a recessed circular foot, the interior moulded with subtle vertical ribs imitating floral petals, the exterior lightly incised with anhua floral scrolls all around beneath a band of keyfret scroll at the rim. 20.8cm diam. Estimate US$ 52,000 - 77,000

Provenance: Christie's London, 7 November 2008, lot 216

Notes: White-glazed porcelains were produced for Buddhist ritual use at the Yongle court. As Daisy Lion-Goldschmidt expounds in Ming Porcelain, London, 1978, p. 79, white monochromes are 'glories of the period. The technical perfection is unsurpassed, with a body so pure and fine, so perfectly translucent – the rims often seem as though they consist only of glaze – that they are described as 'bodiless' (t'o t'ai). The finely incised design is visible only against the light.'

Bonhams. 26 May 2013. Hong Kong. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art