A FINE DOUCAI 'MAGPIES AND PRUNUS' CUP MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG

finely potted with curved sides rising from a countersunk base, the exterior delicately enamelled with a continuous scene depicting a magpie in flight, its head turned sharply to its mate on the ground, together with leafy stems and a long gnarled branch bearing prunus buds and blossoms, the base inscribed in underglaze-blue with a six-character reign mark within a double-circle

Hosokawa Morisada Collection ten II – Shinno jiki, Persia no touki [Morisada Hosokawa Collection exhibition II – Qing porcelains and Persian ceramics], Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art, Kumamoto, 1993, cat. no. 29.

Morisada Hosokawa, Mokumei Goshiki: Shinchō jiki [Bewildering colours: Qing Dynasty porcelains], Tokyo, 1992, no. 48.

The overall condition is very good with only one minute spot of glaze pull.
"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."

This cup is notable for the skilful use of underglaze blue. Porcelain decorated in the doucai technique generally consisted of enamelling within pencilled underglaze blue lines; however the craftsman of the present cup has also expertly applied layers of cobalt to give texture and added three-dimensionality, as seen in the bodies of the birds. This style of decoration reflects the simple yet elegant style favoured by the Yongzheng emperor.

Birds and flowers frequently appeared on porcelain from the Song dynasty but the present composition of magpies in action is less common. Compare a bowl decorated with a swallow similarly rendered with its head turned sharply downwards, in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, illustrated in The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics, vol. 14, pt. 1, Shanghai, 1999, pl. 191. For Yongzheng bowls rendered with birds and flowers, see one sold in these rooms, 28th April 1992, lot 215; and a pair of bowls sold in our New York rooms, 26th November 1991, lot 357. Compare also a slightly larger cup of this form depicting birds perched on rocks, from the H.M. Knight Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st June 2011, lot 3587.