A FINE BLUE AND WHITE BOWL QING DYNASTY, KANGXI / YONGZHENG PERIOD

finely potted with gently rounded sides supported on a short foot, the exterior delicately painted in soft tones of underglaze-blue with a continuous scene depicting Xi Wang Mu riding on a crane towards a pavilion opening onto a balustraded garden with paulownia and pine trees, with high mountain peaks and rolling clouds rising in the distance, the foot with a classic scroll, the interior left undecorated and glazed white, the base inscribed with an apocryphal six-character Xuande mark 

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 20th May 1981, lot 733.

The Leshantang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Taipei, 2005, cat.no. 27.

The piece is in very good condition overall. There is a piece of kiln grit on the interior, approx 0.5 by 0.2cm, a small ironspot, a tiny pinprick, and a small burst air bubble to the interior.
"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."

Ming imperial porcelains of the Xuande period represent a peak of quality, beauty and inventiveness in the history of Chinese ceramics, and later emperors referred back to wares of this period as seen in this fine piece. The Daoist image of the goddess Xi Wang Mu riding a crane above a pavilion copies exactly the original, including the six character reign mark of Xuande on the base.    

An eighteenth century bowl of this form and decoration, from the Brankston and Riesco collections was sold in our London rooms, 23^rd June 1970, lot 112. Compare also a related Qing bowl with a Xuande reign mark, but decorated with a different figural subject, included in the exhibition Special Exhibition of Hsuan Te Porcelain, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1980, cat. no. 34, together with a Xuande period prototype, cat. no. 33.

For the fifteenth century origin of this decorative motif see a Xuande bowl from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsuan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1998, cat. no. 148; and one from the E. T. Chow collection, sold in these rooms, 25^th November 1980, lot 6.