A fine and rare black-ground famille-rose bowl Yongzheng mark and period

well-potted with rounded sides supported on a short foot, the exterior elaborately painted with a composite floral meander, the green leafy scroll bearing clusters of green scrolling tendrils, interspersed with iron-red leaves and floral blooms in iron-red, blue, aubergine, pink, blue, yellow and green enamels, all reserved on a black ground, the foot pencilled with a classic scroll band against a pale green ground, the interior and base glazed in white, inscribed with a six-character reign mark within a double-circle on the base

John Sparks, London, June 1958.
Collection of Sir Alfred Beit (1903-1994).

The bowl is in very good condition with the exception of some very minor iron-spot glaze imperefections and light rubbing to the black enamel band at the foot.
"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."

Bowls of this type are extremely rare and only one other example appears to have been published, from the Fong Chow collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 21^st/22^nd March 2013, lot 1205. A similar design, described as ‘lucky flowers’, rendered on a slightly smaller bowl in the doucai palette, in the Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, is illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p. 132.

 

This bowl belongs to a small group of black ground wares with similarly enamelled designs consisting of flowers amongst green foliate scrolls, all with Yongzheng marks and of the period; a bowl decorated with a band of flowers on a leafy scroll, from the Charles Russell collection, is illustrated in R.L. Hobson et. al., Chinese Ceramics in Private Collections, London, 1931, pl. 347; another was included in the exhibition The Barbara Hutton Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, 1956, pl. XIIIa; a dish in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, is published in Zhongguo meishu quanji. Gongyi meishu bian, vol. 3, Beijing, 1988, pl. 202; another in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is included in Rose Kerr, Chinese Ceramics. Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty, London, 1986, pl. 23; and a third dish from the Wangxinglou collection is illustrated in Imperial Perfection. The Palace Porcelain of Three Chinese Emperors – Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Hong Kong, 2004, pl. 33.