17th Oct, 2024 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
161
A FINE AND RARE PAIR OF CORAL-GROUND REVERSE-DECORATED 'BAMBOO' BOWLS, QIANLONG MARK AND PERIOD
Sold for €31,200
including Buyer's Premium
China, 1736-1795. Superbly potted. Each bowl with deep, gently rounded sides covered to the exterior in a brilliant coral red, decorated in reserve with freely executed bamboo shoots highlighted by delicately penciled iron-red outlines, the interiors and bases white. The recessed bases each with an underglaze-blue six-character seal mark da Qing Qianlong nianzhi and of the period. (2)
Provenance: A private collection in the United Kingdom. Christie's London, 3rd November 2020, lot 172, sold for GBP 25,000 or approx. EUR 39,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). A noted private collector, acquired from the above, and thence by descent. Each bowl with a Christie’s label inscribed ‘172/2. 3.11.20’.
Condition: Perfect condition with only minor wear and minimal firing irregularities.
Weight: 118.1 g and 106 g
Dimensions: Diameter 11.4 cm (each)
This impressive pair of bowls is notable for the beautifully executed design of bamboo in reserve, which creates a sharp and pleasing contrast between the iron-red enamel and the white porcelain. While iron red was already used to decorate Cizhou wares in the Jin dynasty and was adopted at Jingdezhen during the Yuan dynasty, it was only in the 18th century that its decorative potential was fully realized, when Tang Ying (1682-1756) supervised the Imperial kilns during the Yongzheng and early Qianlong periods. Iron-red adheres in a thin opaque layer, allowing for razor-sharp lines as seen on the pointy leaves of the present lot, which could not be achieved with other enamels that are thicker and glassier. This property makes ‘negative’ reverse designs most successful, giving it a delicacy rarely seen with ‘positive’ painting on a white ground.
Against a backdrop in red, which in China is the color of joyful celebrations, bamboo serves both as a pun for congratulations (zhu) and as a symbol for peace, as the Chinese saying goes zhubao pingan (‘bamboo reporting peace’).
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related pair or iron-red-decorated bowls, with iron-red Qianlong marks and of the period, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, accession numbers 74-1883 and 74A-1883.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Near identical
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 29 April 2022, lot 3503
Price: HKD 2,268,000 or approx. EUR 276,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A fine and rare pair of coral-ground reserve-decorated ‘bamboo’ bowls, Seal marks and period of Qianlong
Expert remark: Compare the near identical form, decoration, and reign mark. Note the closely related size (11.8 cm) and similarly perfect condition.
China, 1736-1795. Superbly potted. Each bowl with deep, gently rounded sides covered to the exterior in a brilliant coral red, decorated in reserve with freely executed bamboo shoots highlighted by delicately penciled iron-red outlines, the interiors and bases white. The recessed bases each with an underglaze-blue six-character seal mark da Qing Qianlong nianzhi and of the period. (2)
Provenance: A private collection in the United Kingdom. Christie's London, 3rd November 2020, lot 172, sold for GBP 25,000 or approx. EUR 39,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). A noted private collector, acquired from the above, and thence by descent. Each bowl with a Christie’s label inscribed ‘172/2. 3.11.20’.
Condition: Perfect condition with only minor wear and minimal firing irregularities.
Weight: 118.1 g and 106 g
Dimensions: Diameter 11.4 cm (each)
This impressive pair of bowls is notable for the beautifully executed design of bamboo in reserve, which creates a sharp and pleasing contrast between the iron-red enamel and the white porcelain. While iron red was already used to decorate Cizhou wares in the Jin dynasty and was adopted at Jingdezhen during the Yuan dynasty, it was only in the 18th century that its decorative potential was fully realized, when Tang Ying (1682-1756) supervised the Imperial kilns during the Yongzheng and early Qianlong periods. Iron-red adheres in a thin opaque layer, allowing for razor-sharp lines as seen on the pointy leaves of the present lot, which could not be achieved with other enamels that are thicker and glassier. This property makes ‘negative’ reverse designs most successful, giving it a delicacy rarely seen with ‘positive’ painting on a white ground.
Against a backdrop in red, which in China is the color of joyful celebrations, bamboo serves both as a pun for congratulations (zhu) and as a symbol for peace, as the Chinese saying goes zhubao pingan (‘bamboo reporting peace’).
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related pair or iron-red-decorated bowls, with iron-red Qianlong marks and of the period, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, accession numbers 74-1883 and 74A-1883.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Near identical
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 29 April 2022, lot 3503
Price: HKD 2,268,000 or approx. EUR 276,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A fine and rare pair of coral-ground reserve-decorated ‘bamboo’ bowls, Seal marks and period of Qianlong
Expert remark: Compare the near identical form, decoration, and reign mark. Note the closely related size (11.8 cm) and similarly perfect condition.
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