A FINE PAIR OF BISCUIT-ENAMELLED SANCAI DISHES MARKS AND PERIOD OF KANGXI

each with shallow rounded sides supported on a tapered foot and rising to a flaring rim, each uniquely decorated to the interior with clusters of plump pomegranates and peaches borne on leafy branches, all well painted in vibrant tones of yellow, turquoise, green and aubergine, the centre delicately incised with a ferocious five-clawed dragon writhing amidst cloud scrolls and flames to reach for a 'flaming pearl', the cavetto incised with two further striding dragons, the exterior painted with lush branches of peony and camellia, with two further incised dragons and a band of lotus lappets above the foot, inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double-circle

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 23rd October 2005, lot 375.

Good condition with just minor firing imperfections.
"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."

Superbly painted with auspicious fruits symbolising abundance of offspring, in an elegant palette of understated beauty, this pair of dishes belongs to one of the most representative and sought-after types of porcelain from the imperial kilns of the Kangxi Emperor (r. 1662-1722). They feature a highly unusual decoration that required remarkable skill, technology and labour to manufacture, and it is extremely rare to find such dishes offered as a pair. The dishes were first incised in body, both inside and outside, with fine designs of lively dragons and inscribed on the base with the imperial reign mark in cobalt blue. Only the bases were then covered with a clear transparent glaze, and the pieces submitted to a first firing at a high porcelain temperature. The biscuit-fired areas were then applied with a coating of opaque cream-coloured glaze, painted with fruiting branches in brown outlines and coloured washes and fired a second time at a lower enamel temperature.

Similar decoration can also be found on bowls, but due to the complicated and long manufacturing process, such dishes and bowls were produced in fairly small numbers. Yet they are represented in world famous museums and private collections, for example, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Enamelled Ware of the Ch’ing Dynasty, vol. I, Hong Kong, 1969, pl. 8; in the Tokyo National Museum, included in Oriental Ceramics. The World's Great Collections, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1982, no. 158; in the Chang Foundation, Taipei, illustrated in James Spencer, Selected Chinese Ceramics from Han to Qing Dynasties, Taipei, 1990, pl. 120; and in the exhibition Splendour of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1992, cat. no. 144.

A similar dish from the British Rail Pension Fund, exhibited on loan at the Dallas Museum of Art 1985-1988, was sold in our London rooms, 6th April 1976, lot 163, and again, in these rooms, 16th May 1989, lot 70, and is illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 4, no. 1818, together with a matching bowl, vol. 2, no. 889. Another dish from the collection of Edward T. Chow was sold in these rooms, 25th November 1980, lot 156, and illustrated in The Leshantang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Taipei, 2005, cat. no. 43. Further examples include one illustrated in the exhibition catalogue Ming and Ch’ing Porcelain from the Collection of the T.Y. Chao Family Foundation, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1978, cat. no. 40, and sold in these rooms, 19th May 1987, lot 302; and a pair sold in these rooms, 11th April 2008, lot 2918.