Sotheby's. Qing Imperial Porcelain A Private Collection, Hong Kong, 08 October 2019
A pair of blue and white 'dragon' bowls, marks and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735)
Lot 3111. A pair of blue and white 'dragon' bowls, marks and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735); 9.6 and 9.7 cm, 3 3/4 in. Estimate 500,000 — 700,000 HKD (63,665 — 89,131 USD). Lot sold 1,750,000 HKD (222,828 USD). Courtesy Sotheby's.
each with deep rounded sides supported on a short straight foot, the exterior decorated in rich cobalt-blue tones with two five-clawed dragons soaring amidst cloud scrolls, the interior centred with a medallion enclosing a writhing dragon, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark within a double circle.
Provenance: Collection of Henry and Beatrice Goldschmidt.
Bowls of this type, powerfully portrayed with Ming-style dragons, were produced in pairs. Compare three related pairs, sold in these rooms, 14th November 1989, lot 87, 2nd May 1995, lot 66 and 29th April 1997, lot 614, respectively. That this motif was highly favoured by the Yongzheng Emperor can be seen in the commissioning of ogee bowls painted with very similar motifs, such as a pair included in the exhibition Ch'ing Porcelain from the Wah Kwong Collection, Art Gallery, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1973, cat. no. 59; and another pair sold in these rooms, 3rd October 2018, lot 145, from the collection of Sir Quo-Wei Lee.

