Lot 1710. A rare doucai bowl, Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1662-1722); 7 9/16 in. (19.2 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 20,000 - USD 30,000. Price realised USD 52,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

Of steep form rising to the slightly everted rim, well painted around the exterior with a large bird and butterflies in flight amidst bamboo and tree peony as a second bird watches from a rocky perch, all between underglaze blue double line borders.

Provenance: Chait Galleries, New York, 1930s-40s.

Note: A Chenghua-marked doucai bowl of similar shape and related decoration, retaining its original cover, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Porcelains of Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 151, no. 139, where it is dated to the Kangxi period. Similar decoration can also be seen on a Kangxi-marked, doucai bowl illustrated, ibid., p. 215, no. 196

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I and Part II Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 24 March 2011