A rare pair of carved green-glazed 'Narcissus' bowls, seal marks and period of Qianlong. Estimate 1,500,000 — 2,500,000 HKD (170,210 - 283,684 EUR). Photo Sotheby's

each well potted with shallow rounded sides rising from four short tapering feet to an everted flat mouthrim, the exterior elaborately relief-decorated with floral blooms borne on an undulating leafy stem, all above thin stylised tendrils on each foot, the base impressed with a six-character seal mark, thickly covered overall with a bright green glaze; 18.9 cm., 7 3/8  in.

Provenance: Collection of Dr. Robert Kemper.

Notes: This pair of green-glazed relief-decorated narcissus bowls represents a new porcelain style that was developed in the early 18th century. While coloured low-fired glazes on a high-fired biscuit body were common, it was unusual to apply pastel-coloured glazes mixed with white enamel as seen on the present piece. The opaque quality of the green glaze is reminiscent of semi-precious stones such as malachite, and the relief design contributes further to the effect of the bowls being carved from stone.

This technique and green-coloured glaze is seen on a variety of Qianlong mark and period vessels; see a gu beaker vase decorated with the baijixiang amongst lotus scrolls in relief, sold in our New York rooms, 21st/22nd September 2005, lot 123; a hat stand included in the exhibition Qingdai danse you ciqi tezhen [Special exhibition of monochrome glazed porcelain of the Qing dynasty], National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1981, cat. no. 48; and a lantern vase carved with dragons amidst waves, included in the exhibition In Pursuit of Antiquities. Min Chiu Society 40th Anniversary Exhibition, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 2001, cat. no. 187.

Similar designs of lotus scrolls in relief can be found on vases of other pastel-coloured glazes. See, for example, a pair of pomegranate-shaped vases covered in a turquoise glaze, with Qianlong seal marks and of the period, from the J.M. Hu collection, sold in these rooms, 9th October 2012, lot 112; and a turquoise-glazed brushwasher, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum’s exhibition op. cit., cat. no. 49.

Dr. Robert Kemper founded the Asian department at the Cincinnati Art Museum in 1946. Upon his retirement, he donated his whole collection as a gift to the Museum save for this pair of bowls, which he bequeathed to his daughter.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Works of Art, Hong Kong, 07 avr. 2015