A MASSIVE YELLOW-GLAZED BOWL MARK AND PERIOD OF KANGXI

well potted with deep rounded sides rising from a slightly tapered foot to a wide everted rim, applied overall with a rich yellow glaze of even tone, the unglazed footring burnt orange around the inner edge, the white base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark arranged in three lines within a double ring

Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 2, no. 893.

There is a 0.6 cm body line to the mouthrim beneath the glaze, visible only on the exterior. The bowl is slightly warped. Apart from some scratches, pin-holes and trapped air bubbles, as well as expected firing imperfections such as kiln grits, the bowl is in very good condition. The actual colour is quite close to the catalogue illustration.
"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."

These large monochrome yellow bowls of the Kangxi period clearly follow prototypes in the palace collection, made in the Jiajing reign, a period that provided much inspiration for the potters who revived the imperial kilns in the Kangxi era. Bowls of this type are believed to date from the early Kangxi period. A yellow-glazed bowl of similar size and form, of Jiajing mark and period, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, from the Qing court collection, which could have provided a model, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 43.

A bowl of the same size, colour and reign mark, in the Baur Collection, Geneva, is illustrated in John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, Geneva, 1999, vol. 2, pl. 189, where it is attributed to the late 17th century; another included in the exhibition Imperial Perfection. The Palace Porcelain of Three Chinese Emperors: Kangxi – Yongzheng – Qianlong. A Selection from the Wang Xing Lou Collection, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, 2004, cat. no. 91, was sold in these rooms, 28th April 1998, lot 749; and one from the Zheng Guan Tang collection was included in the exhibition Yan xun xiu se. Kangxi ciqi yu gongting yishu zhenpin tezhan/Shimmering Romance. A Special Exhibition of Kangxi Porcelain and Works of Art, Poly Art Museum, Beijing, 2011, cat. no. I-25.

Compare two even larger monochrome yellow bowls of Kangxi mark and period, one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Geng Baochang, ed., Gugong Bowuyuan cang gu taoci ciliao xuancui [Selection of ancient ceramic material from the Palace Museum], Beijing, 2005, vol. 2, pl. 102; the other in the Shanghai Museum, published in Wang Qingzheng, ed., Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1998, pl. 238.