Lot 216. Grand bol en porcelaine bleu blanc, Chine, Dynastie Qing, Marque à six caractères en cachet en bleu sous couverte et époque Qianlong (1735-1796), 22.5 cm. Estimate EUR 20,000 - EUR 30,000 (USD 22,425 - USD 33,638). Price realised EUR 60,000 (USD 67,000) © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Le bol aux bords largement évasés reposant sur un court pied droit, l'extérieur est délicatement peint d'une scène continue d'écureuils courant parmi les pampres et les feuilles de vigne. 

A LARGE BLUE AND WHITE 'SQUIRRELS AND GRAPES' BOWL, CHINA, QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795), 8 7/8 in.

Provenance: Private European collection, acquired in China prior to 1943, and thence by descent in the family.

Note: Squirrels climbing amidst grapevines is a motif often seen on Qing dynasty decorative objects, such us in porcelains, jades or cloisonné enamel. In Chinese, squirrels allude to a pun with pines, symbol of longevity. Grapevines signify abundance. Together, they illustrate good wishes for long life and abundance. Compare with a pair of bowls of similar size in the Art Gallery, Chinese University of Hong Kong, see Qing Imperial Porcelain from the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, pl. 76. Another with a Kangxi mark is in the Grandidier Collection of the Musée Guimet, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, The World's Great Collections, 1981, vol. 7, no. 108.

Christie's. Art d'Asie, 20 June 2017, Paris