A Superb Pale Celadon-Green Jade Mughal-Style Bowl Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period

the deep circular bowl with flared lip, the exterior carved in low-relief with blossoms and buds among meandering foliage, petals with curled tips encircling the base and the low foot, the underside of the foot carved with a quatrefoil blossom on petal ground, the stone of nearly flawless pale green tone, wood stand (2)

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2nd December 1976, lot 715.
T. Y. Chao Collection, acquired from the above.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 19th May 1987, lot 365.
Ashkenazie & Co., San Francisco, acquired from the above.
Acquired from the above by the present owner, August 1987.

Excellent condition, 12 mm horizontal internal flaw below rim
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

For a pair of bowls of similar form with elaborate floral carving, and with engraved Qianlong mark, see Pierre-F. Schneeberger, The Baur Collection. Geneva. Chinese Jades and Other Hardstones, Geneva, 1976, nos. B 38-39. 

The present work is notable not only for the exceptional quality of the stone and the delicacy of the body with its thinly carved walls and floral decoration in low-relief, but also for the degree of attention paid to the underside of the foot, where the interior of the footring is undercut to accentuate the 'petals' forming the foot. For another bowl with similarly carved underside of foot, see Ip Yee, Chinese Jade Carving, Hong Kong, 1983, no 232, pp. 260-261. This treatment of the foot was directly inspired by Mughal examples which had been sent to the Qianlong court as tribute or diplomatic gifts. See James C. Y. Watt and Michael Knight, Chinese Jades from the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 1989, no. 101, p. 119, for an illustration of the underside of a Mughal bowl used by the Qianlong emperor. 

A vase with similarly executed flowers, foliage and furled-petal foot to the present example is illustrated in Catalogue of a Special Exhibition of Hindustan Jade in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1983, plate 78, p. 283.