A FINE AND RARE IRON-RED DECORATED 'DRAGON' STEM BOWL AND COVER SEAL MARKS AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

well potted with a shadow flared bowl supported on a hollow tall splayed foot, the exterior decorated in iron-red with a pair of five-clawed dragons writhing amidst flames sinuously in pursuit of flaming pearls, the interior centred with a six-character seal mark within a double-square, the cover similarly decorated with a pair of dragons soaring amidst flames and chasing flaming pearls, surmounted by a reticulated finial potted and decorated in the form of a chicken, the interior with a six-character seal mark in the centre

The overall condition is very good with only some expected minor wear to the iron red, especially to the extremities of the knop.
"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 type of covered stembowl, sturdily supported on a tapered stem, vividly decorated in iron-red with ferocious winged dragons and topped with reticulated bird-shaped knop, first appeared in the Kangxi period. Kangxi prototypes are extremely rare with few recorded examples, including one, together with its original cover, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Kangxi. Yongzheng. Qianlong: Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 84, pl. 67.

Compared to their prototypes, stembowls of similar form and design from the Qianlong period are more commonly found and delicately executed with finer paintings. Extant Qianlong pieces with original covers are nevertheless rare. A single covered stembowl of Qianlong mark and period, in the collection of National Palace Museum, Taiwan, is published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, Republic of China: Ch'ien-lung Ware and Other Wares, Tokyo, 1981, pl. 25; another is illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur Collection, Geneva. Chinese Ceramics, vol. IV, Geneva, 1974, pl. A 640; a pair with covers was sold in these rooms, 10th April 2006, lot 1798. It is believed that this type of covered stembowls was designated for ritual offerings, to be used together with fitted bowl stands in front of religious paintings, as photographed in situ in Forilou Temple in the Forbidden City built in the 37th year of Qianlong period (in accordance with 1772), published in Cultural Relics of Tibetan Buddhism Collected in the Qing Palace, Beijing, 1998, pp. 267-7.