A YELLOW-GROUND GREEN-ENAMELLED 'DRAGON' BOWL YONGZHENG MARK AND PERIOD

with deep rounded sides rising from a tapered foot to a gently flared rim, decorated on the exterior with two striding dragons in pursuit of a 'flaming pearl', one with its head turned back, the other looking forward, each finely incised in the biscuit and enamelled in translucent green against a brilliant opaque lemon-yellow ground, all below a border of clouds divided by a green fillet and a single incised line under the rim, the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue 

Acquired in England in 1970s-1980s.

There is a small section of the rim (2.5cm wide) which has been lightly ground. The bowl is in very good condition otherwise. Minor glaze firing imperfections and surface wear.
"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 were produced in two versions during the Yongzheng period: those with a translucent yellow glaze with heavier dragons and clouds, and those with a wispier rendering of the design against an opaque yellow glaze, as seen in the present piece. A closely related bowl is published in Chinese Porcelain. The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 97; and a pair from the T.Y. Chao collection, was included in the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong exhibition Ch’ing Polychrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1977, cat. no. 69, and sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 19th May 1987, lot 315. Another bowl of this type, from the collection of the British Rail Pension Fund and the Songzhutang Collection, was sold various times at auction, most recently in our Hong Kong rooms, 7th October 2015, lot 3717; and its pair was sold in our New York rooms, 15th/16th September 2015, lot 301.

For bowls with a translucent yellow glaze, see one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Gugong Bowuyuan cang. Qingdai yuyao ciqi [Porcelains from the Qing dynasty imperial kilns in the Palace Museum Collection], vol. 1, pt. II, Beijing, 2005, pl. 7; and another sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 16th May 1989, lot 338.

According to the Huangzhao liqi tushi [The illustrated regulations for ceremonial paraphernalia of the Qing dynasty], vessels with green dragons on a yellow ground were used by the Emperor’s concubines of the second and third rank (see the catalogue to the exhibition Splendors of China’s Forbidden City, The Field Museum, Chicago, 2004, p. 202).

For the prototype to the colour palette and decoration of these bowls, see a Zhengde mark and period vase from the collection of Sir Percival David and now in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Soame Jenyns, Ming Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1953, pl. 84b, where the author notes that reproductions of Zhengde wares with designs incised and enamelled in green on a yellow ground were among the items included in the Yongzheng list of porcelains supplied to the court compiled by Tang Ying in 1729.