A DOUCAI 'BUTTERFLIES AND FLOWERS' MEDALLION BOWL YONGZHENG MARK AND PERIOD

of conical form with straight flared sides, the centre of the interior finely painted with a pair of flying butterflies, the exterior similarly decorated with four floral medallions, depicting peonies, lotus, chrysanthemums and plum blossoms, all surrounded by stylised floral scrolls, the countersunk base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark

Rare Art, New York (according to label, purchased with lot 3161).

The mouthrim has been restored and repainted. There is a short firing crack of 0.1 cm to the foot. The bowl has some minor surface scratches, but otherwise is in overall good condition with almost all of the enamels well preserved.
"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."

A closely related bowl in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Kangxi. Yongzheng. Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 202, pl. 31; and another in the William Nelson Gallery of Art, Kansas City, is published in Sekai toji zenshu, vol. 12, Tokyo, 1956, pl. 63 (bottom). See also a bowl in the Gulbenkian Museum of Oriental Art and Archaeology at the University of Durham, included in Ireneus Laszlo Legeza, A Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue of the Malcolm Macdonald Collection of Chinese Ceramics, London, 1972, pl. CXXXIX; and two examples sold in these rooms, one from the Paul and Helen Bernat collection, 15^th November 1988, lot 10, and the other, 11^th April 2008, lot 2969.

Hugh Moss notes in By Imperial Command, Hong Kong, 1976, p. 74, that the 'circular panel of decoration, the subject of which defines its own limits' is first seen on wares of the Kangxi yuzhi group and later incorporated into the Yongzheng repertoire at Jingdezhen.