A CHINESE EXPORT TEABOWL circa 1735-40

painted with a seated lady leafing through a musical score and being observed by a young girl and a man leaning over the back of her chair, the reverse with a child touching the knee of a gentleman tuning a lute, and the interior rim with a grisaille cell diaper border. Tiny chip.

The Duchange Collection, Paris

Michel Beurdeley, Porcelain of the East India Companies, p. 177, cat. 121
François and Nicole Hervouët and Yves Bruneau, La Porcelaine des Compagnie des Indes a Décor Occidental, p. 192, no. 8.22

Exterior rim with a 1mm chip between the two men.
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.

Hervouët and Bruneau (see Literature above) note that the scene is from an engraving by Louis Surugue de Surgis (1686-1762) after Jean Antoine Watteau (1684-1721), illustrated by Ducret, Vol. II, p. 154, fig. 181 (showing the romantic poem accompanying it), along with a Meissen bowl, fig. 180, and a saucer, p. 155, fig. 182, decorated with the same subject in reverse.