A FINE LARGE WHITE ANHUA 'PHOENIX' BOWL MING DYNASTY, HONGWU PERIOD

robustly potted with rounded sides rising to a slightly everted rim, all supported on a tapered foot, finely incised on the interior with a lingzhi-shaped cloud in the centre, surrounded by two anhua phoenixes with outstretched wings and long curling tails, the exterior left undecorated, all beneath a fine smooth creamy glaze with a slight tinge of yellow

Collection of Captain Vivian Bulkeley-Johnson (died 1968).
The Mount Trust Collection.
Christie's London, 19th April 1983, lot 21.

The Mount Trust Collection of Chinese Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1970, cat. no. 88.

Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 2, no. 648.

The overall condition is very good. The interior has a small piece of polished kiln grit that is slightly dirty. There is also a light patch of glaze scratches on the interior. The incised decoration is very clear and the glaze is quite glossy.
"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."

Anhua, 'hidden decoration', is a complicated and not yet fully understood manner of decoration that appears to involve some moulding into a fine layer of slip. It was practised almost exclusively at the beginning of the Ming dynasty, from the Hongwu to the Xuande period, and only at Jingdezhen. The term is often misinterpreted and used to designate any difficult-to-decipher incised design, but pieces such as the present bowl, which is decorated both with incising and with anhua, clearly document the difference between the two techniques.

Other white bowls of this large, impressive type are illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur Collection Geneva. Chinese Ceramics, Geneva, 1968-74, vol. II, no. A 142, and in Fujioka Ryoichi and Hasebe Gakuji, Sekai tōji zenshū/Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 14, Tokyo, 1976, pl. 225.