A RARE INCISED CELADON-GLAZED BULB BOWL MARK AND PERIOD OF XUANDE |

the shallow rounded sides encircled by six small raised bosses, above a carved lotus scroll band, the interior incised with leafy chrysanthemum sprays, all supported on three ruyi-shape bracket feet, covered overall save for the base in a pale celadon glaze, the exterior inscribed with a horizontal reign mark in underglaze blue

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 15th/16th November 1988, lot 149.
Collection of T.Y. Chao (1912-1999).

Overall good condition with old shallow chips to the tips of two feet. There are some scratches and wear to the glaze, especially to the interior well, in addition to minor original firing imperfections. The actual colour is consistent with the catalogue illustration.
"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."

It is rare to find vessels of this form and glaze with a Xuande reign mark and of the period. Shallow tripod bowls of this type were based on bronze prototypes and popular luxury items in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasty, probably used to perfume a temple or home. During the early Ming period, the Longquan kilns appear to have worked closely with the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen, thus making wares of similar form and decoration, perhaps under imperial instruction; see a Longquan celadon version relief-moulded with the Eight Trigrams below a band of flowers, attributed to the Yuan to Ming dynasty, from the collection of Mrs B.Z. Seligman and now in the British Museum, London, published in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 16:87.

Celadon-glazed vessels with underglaze blue Xuande marks and of the period, include a small celadon-glazed barbed dish decorated with incised flower scrolls, in the Taipei Palace Museum, included in the Museum’s exhibition Green-Longquan Celadon of the Ming Dynasty, 2009, cat. no. 162; a pair, from the collection of Carl Kempe, illustrated in Kinesiska Keramiska Mästerverk. I urval från Ulricehamns Östasiatiska Museum, inkluderande Dr. Carl Kempes samling./Chinese Ceramic Treasures. A Selection from Ulricehamn East Asian Museum, including The Carl Kempe Collection, Ulricehamn, 2002, p. 294, pl. 379, and sold in our Paris rooms, 12th June 2008, lot 34 and 43; and another, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 31st October 1994, lot 563. See also a celadon-glazed basin, incised with lotus petals on the exterior, and waves and lotus on the interior, with a six-character underglaze-blue Xuande mark beneath the rim, excavated in 1982 at Zhushan, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, included in the exhibition Xuande Imperial Porcelain excavated at Jingdezhen, Chang Foundation, Taipei, cat. no. 20.