A RARE BLUE AND WHITE STEMBOWL AND COVER, DOU SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

well modelled after archaic bronze dou prototypes, the deep rounded body subtly bordered with raised fillets and rising to a short constricted neck and lipped rim, supported on a tall splayed foot bordered with a groove along its edge, the shoulder flanked by a pair of small loop handles picked out with short scrolls, the bowl with a frieze of stylised wan symbols of angular scrolls above a band of pendent lappets enclosing stylised taotie masks, the bands divided by a thin border of diagonal striations, all above petal lappets and scrollwork painted to the shapely foot, the countersunk base with a six-character seal mark, the domed cover centred with a bud finial decorated with a floret and four petals, surrounded by stylised angular scrollwork and taotie masks echoing the designs of the stembowl

Sotheby’s London, 6th July 1976, lot 208 (one of a pair).
Robert Chang collection.
Christie's Hong Kong, 28th November 2006, lot 1320.

Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Ceramics, Kau Chi Society of Chinese Art, The Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1981-2, cat. no. 121.

The overall condition of the stembowl and the cover is excellent, except for only one minute shallow flake (approx. 0.2 cm) to the glaze at the protruding rim of the cover.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Highly unusual in form and decoration, this piece demanded considerable expertise virtuosity of craftsmanship and was first created in the Kangxi period. The intricate form of this bowl, with its large body and cover supported on a small foot and with subtle moulded ribs and delicate handles, is an example of the ambitious repertoire encouraged by the early Qing emperors. It is inspired by archaic dou, which began to be produced in pottery form as early as the Neolithic period and in bronze from the Eastern Zhou dynasty (5th-6th century BC), and were usually used for serving meat at banquets. The making of such complex vessels, complimented by an original design, required much thought and skill to create such a harmonious and striking piece as the present.

Only one other closely related covered bowl appears to have been recorded, its companion sold together with this bowl in our London rooms, 6th July 1976, lot 208, and sold again in these rooms, 27th May 1978, lot 660. For the Kangxi mark and period prototype, see one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Qing Shunzhi Kangxi qiao qinghua ci [Blue and white porcelains from the Shunzhi and Kangxi reigns of the Qing dynasty], Beijing, 2005, pl. 190. The Kangxi version is more spherical in form, with the cover streamlined to follow the round shape of the body, while the later Qianlong cover has a more pronounced broad cover. While the decoration remains almost identical, the ruyi band encircling the cover and six petals radiating from the plan knob have been replaced by geometric scrolls and four larger petals.

The slight variation in form and design of the cover of the present piece suggests it has been influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, of which the Qianlong Emperor was a devout practitioner. Its waisted neck and wide cover are also reminiscent of Tibetan Buddhist longevity vases. Such vases, emblems of the Buddha Amitayus and thus associated with eternal life, occupied a central role in Buddhist rituals in which they were used for holy water or herbs; see a silver vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005, cat. no. 57, together with a porcelain version simulating pewter, with a Qianlong mark and of the period, from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, cat. no. 56. Moreover, the four petals on the cover bear resemblance to the four-point vajra, a weapon which is used as a ritual object that symbolises the indestructibility of a diamond and the irresistible force of a thunderbolt.

An archaic bronze prototype, with a similarly raised band around the body, was offered in our New York rooms, 18th/19th March 2014, lot 113. See also a dou, the domed cover dated to the 5th century BC and the body later created in the 14th century, decorated in a similar style with bands of decoration, including the radiating petals on the bowl, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated in Rose Kerr, Later Chinese Bronzes, London, 1990, pl. 58; and a Qianlong mark and period cloisonné enamel version, decorated with bands of animals, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, published in Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, Taipei, 1999, pl. 54. Porcelain dou of simpler form and without handles, covered in a monochrome glaze, are more commonly known; see a blue-glazed Qianlong mark and period example, in the Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum, Shenyang, illustrated in The Prime Cultural Relics Collected by Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum. The Chinaware Volume. The Second Part, Shenyang, 2007, pl. 10; and an unmarked ‘moon-white’ glazed pair, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, op. cit., cat. no. 34. Porcelain dou of this type appear to follow the form of early Ming prototypes, such as a Xuande mark and period version, in the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 131.