AN IMPERIAL BEIJING ENAMEL LAVENDER-GROUND 'FLORAL' BOWL YUZHI MARK AND PERIOD OF KANGXI |

the copper body cast with deep rounded sides resting on a short and gently splayed foot, the exterior brilliantly enamelled with four large peony blooms rendered with furled petals encircling a central stippled stamen, the bright flowers depicted borne on undulating leafy stems issuing further buds and blossoms, all against a lavender ground, the interior enamelled turquoise, all between metal mounts encircling the rim and footring, the white base centred with a four-character yuzhi mark within a double square

The bowl is in good condition.
"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."

It was customary that missionaries coming to China would bear gifts of 'exotic' goods such as brocades, velvet, clocks, paintings and enamelled wares on copper produced in places such as Limoges, Nuremberg, Genéva and Berlin. The Kangxi Emperor admired these gifts and became a connoisseur and collector of Western clocks, scientific instruments and painted enamels. His particular fascination with Western enamelled wares and his patronage in establishing the production of such wares in the Imperial Palace Workshop brought about a new decorative art that came to represent a harmonious blend of western technique and Chinese workmanship. The technique used for enamelling on metal-bodied ware was introduced in Guangzhou by Jesuit missionaries around 1684, when the ban on overseas trade was lifted. Guangzhou artists had been most immediately exposed to wares from Europe and had mastered the technical skills of enamel painting earlier than those working in the Palace Workshop in Beijing. In the 58th year of the Kangxi reign (1719), the French missionary and enamel specialist, Jean-Baptiste Gravereau, also known as Chen Zhongxin, was sent to Beijing by the Viceroy of Guangdong to teach enamelling techniques to craftsmen working in the Palace Workshops (see the catalogue to the exhibition Treasures from Guangdong to the Qing Court, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1987, p. 54).

The present bowl captures the luxuriousness and exoticism of the Western enamelling technique with the familiarity of traditional Chinese floral motifs. Closely related examples, with Kangxi yuzhi marks, include one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Metal-bodied Enamel Ware, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 177; one from the collection of Rev. Victor Farmer, sold at Christie’s London, 8th June 2004, lot 467; another included in the Min Chiu Society Thirtieth Anniversary Exhibition. Selected Treasures of Chinese Art, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1991, cat. no. 225, and subsequently sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27th October 2003, lot 725; and a fourth bowl, from the collection of Elizabeth Halsey Dock, sold twice in our New York rooms, 1st June 1993, lot 101, and 24th March 1998, lot 459, and a third time at Christie’s Hong Kong, 31st May 2010, lot 1863.

During the Kangxi reign, porcelain designs often drew inspiration from the more developed palette and associated design scheme of Beijing enamelled wares; compare Kangxi yuzhi marked bowls of shallower form with related designs, such as one, which even includes the stippled effect on the petals, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum’s Special Exhibition of Famous Enamelled Painted Wares of the Ch’ing Dynasty, Taipei, 1979, cat. no. 4.