Lot 170. A fine blue and white 'bajixiang' bowl, Guangxu six-character mark and of the period (1875-1908); 14.1cm diam. Estimate HK$30,000 - 50,000. Sold for HK$ 56,250 (€5,332). Photo:Bonhams.

Painted around the exterior with a band of evenly-spaced lotus blossoms emerging from vine scrolls above stiff leaf lappets at the foot, each blossom issuing an auspicious Buddhist emblem, the base with an Imperial kaishu mark in underglaze-blue. 

Provenance: Dr Simon Kwan Collection, Hong Kong
Christie's Singapore, The Yangzhitang Collection of Imperial Porcelain of the Late Qing Dynasty, 30 March 1997, lot 217

Exhibited: The Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Imperial Porcelain of Late Qing from the Simon Kwan Collection, 13 August - 25 September 1983
The National Museum of History, Taipei, Imperial Porcelain of the Late Qing from the Simon Kwan Collection, 1985

Illustrated: Imperial Porcelain of Late Qing from the Simon Kwan Collection, Hong Kong, p.110, pl.105

Note: Bajixiang or the Eight Buddhist Emblems, are frequently depicted in Chinese art as auspicious symbols of longevity and harmony, believed to bring blessings and peace. They comprise the wheel, conch, canopy, parasol, lotus blossom, vase, twin fish and endless knot. For descriptions of each emblem's meaning, see Terese Tse Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, San Francisco, 2006, p.185.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, Hong Kong, Admiralty, 26 May 2014