Lot 144. A wucai 'dragon and phoenix' bowl, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate £2,000 - £4,000 ($2,884 - $5,768). Price Realized £5,250 ($7,581). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

The bowl is finely decorated to the exterior with two dragons amidst flower sprays chasing flaming pearls, divided by two descending phoenixes, below a narrow band of the Eight Buddhist Emblems interspersed with ruyi heads. The interior is decorated with a dragon chasing a flaming pearl. 6 in. (15.4 cm.) diam.

Provenance: Old Private Dutch Collection, acquired prior to 1920.

Notes: Examples of this type of finely enamelled bowl with dragon and phoenix decoration appear in the Kangxi period (1662-1722) but imperial examples were seen throughout the Qing dynasty. 
Two bowls of this pattern both with Kangxi reign marks are in the Qing Court Collection, Beijing, illustrated inPorcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Vol. 38, Hong Kong, 1999, pp. 147-148, nos. 135 and 136. 
A pair of Qianlong bowls of this type sold at Christie's, London, 13 November 2015, lot 1239. 

Christie's. CHINESE CERAMICS, WORKS OF ART AND TEXTILES PART I, 11 May 2016, London, South Kensington