A YELLOW-GROUND 'BATS' BOWL YONGZHENG MARK AND PERIOD

of steeply rounded form supported on a slightly splayed foot, incised around the exterior with twelve iron-red bats in flight, each holding a pale green double-gourd suspended from a blue ribbon in its mouth, on a ground of swirling green clouds with incised detailing, between interlinked ruyi-heads around the rim and a band of upright lotus petals around the foot, all against a bright yellow ground extending into the interior, six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 14th November 1983, lot 268.

There are two fine hairline cracks to the rim, one approximately 3/8 in. (1 cm.) long and the other approximately 1 1/8 in. (3 cm.) long. There is minor speckling to the glaze of the interior and light surface wear overall.
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.

A Yongzheng bowl of this design in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 238, pl. 67; another from the Constantinidi Collection is included in Soame Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain, London, 1951, pl. LXIX, fig. 3.  Another bowl with the same design and size from the Collection of the British Rail Pension Fund was sold in our London rooms, 16th May 1989, lot 78, and another in our Hong Kong rooms, 25th April 2004, lot 231.