Lot 853. A rare and finely incised pale celadon-glazed 'bats' bowl, Yongzheng six-character mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1723-1735); 4 ¾ in. (12 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 60,000 - USD 80,000. Price realised USD 47,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2020.

Finely potted with rounded sides flaring slightly to the mouth rim, the exterior incised with nine bats in flight above rocky outcrops rising from crashing waves, the interior incised with a central medallion of a pair of bats encircled by waves, all under a glaze of greenish-blue color that also covers the base.

Provenance: The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago, acquired prior to 1990.

Note: A pair of Yongzheng-marked celadon-glazed ‘bats’ bowls of this unusual pattern was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3438, and another at Christie’s New York, 14-15 September 2017, lot 1242.

Christie's. Sacred and Imperial: The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection Part II, New York, 24 September 2020