A blue and white 'sanduo' lobed bowl, Mark and period of Yongzheng | 清雍正 青花三多紋葵口盌《大清雍正年製》款

Richly decorated with elegant fruiting sprays and crashing waves against a ground of brilliant white porcelain, this elegant bowl epitomises the Yongzheng Emperor’s taste for classic styles of the past, his interest in their reinterpretation, and the pursuit of outstanding quality. The Yongzheng Emperor (r. 1723-1734) took a keen interest in the work of various imperial manufactories in his empire and particularly the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen, where artistic direction was led by his personal taste. Through his brilliant kiln supervisor, Tang Ying, the Emperor pursued a distinctive style and refinement; studying celebrated wares of the past and fine-tuning their shapes to harmonious proportions to develop sophisticated designs full of vitality and vigour.

While the origins of heavily-potted fluted bowls of this form can be traced back to the celebrated wares of the early Ming dynasty, the present example is in essence a Yongzheng innovation, inspired by the visual language of the Ming but taken to new heights of refinement and quality. From the crashing waves and lingzhi fungi found primarily in Yongle period porcelain to the pointed painting style used to simulate the ‘heaping and piling’ of early cobalt pigments, the present bowl makes a conspicuous nod to the height of early porcelain production and speaks to the Emperor’s profound fascination and respect for the past.  

Bowls of this remarkable form and design are rare. Compare a similar stem bowl of this design, sold in our New York rooms, 21st March 2018, lot 526 ; a second sold in our London rooms, 9th December 1975, lot 209; and a third in our Hong Kong rooms, 5th November 1997, lot 1452. Also compare a related eighteenth century bowl of fruit-spray design and apocryphal Xuande mark, sold from the estate of Ira and Nancy Koger at Christie’s New York, 19th September 2006, lot 311 ; and a Yongzheng mark and period stem bowl featuring a Ming-style lotus design in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Blue and White Wares of The Ch'ing Dynasty, vol. I, Hong Kong, 1968, pp 90-91, pl. 13.

此盌通體飾以精緻果枝與翻騰海水，圖案繁麗流暢，映襯潔白瓷胎，體現雍正皇帝對古典風格的鍾愛、對創新詮釋的追求，亦彰顯其對卓越品質的不懈要求。雍正皇帝（在位1723–1734）關注帝國各處官作，尤重景德鎮御窯，並以其個人品味主導藝術方向。在督陶官唐英的才識引領下，御窯體現一種獨特風格與精緻氣質，借鑑歷代名品並調整造型比例，以求達致造型和諧與設計洗練、氣韻生動。

此類厚胎撇口瓜稜形盌，其造型淵源可追溯至明初器型。本盌雖汲取明代視覺語彙，然於工藝與品質層面則更臻極致，乃為雍正朝創新之作。從永樂瓷器中常見的翻騰海水與靈芝紋飾，到模擬早期青花「暈染堆積」效果的尖筆繪法，本盌處處流露對明代早期瓷藝之致敬，亦映照雍正皇帝對前朝藝術的深切關懷與敬意。

此類造型與紋飾兼備的盌作傳世極罕。可參考一件同類高足碗，曾售於紐約蘇富比，2018年3月21日，編號526；另見一例，售於倫敦蘇富比，1975年12月9日，編號209；以及一例售於1997年11月5日香港蘇富比，編號1452。另可對比一件十八世紀果枝紋碗，署宣德仿款，曾屬Ira與Nancy Koger夫婦舊藏，售於2006年9月19日紐約佳士得，編號311；另見台北國立故宮博物院藏一例雍正款與年高足碗，飾明式蓮花紋，著錄於《清代青花瓷器》，冊1，香港，1968年，頁90–91，圖版13。