A LARGE BLUE AND WHITE MING-STYLE 'EIGHT BUDDHIST EMBLEMS' BOWL QIANLONG SEAL MARK AND PERIOD |

the deep rounded sides resting on a straight foot, finely painted in 'heaped and piled' cobalt blue tones, with a band of beribboned 'Eight Buddhist Emblems' above a stylized lotus scroll and upright ruyi lappets, all between double rings at the rim and a wave border encircling the foot, the interior rim painted with a further border of crashing waves, the center with a beribboned double-vajra medallion, the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue

Bluett & Sons, London, 1960s-1980s, and thence by descent. 

Repaired chips to the mouthrim. Expected surface wear and scratches to the glaze. One iron spot above the footring.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Brilliantly painted, the distinctive mottled 'heaped and piled' effect of classic Ming dynasty blue and white wares has been successfully simulated through the deliberate application of darker and thicker spots of cobalt on the present bowl. Echoing the Qianlong Emperor's penchant for classicism and innovation, the bowl is elegantly decorated with the bajixiang and lotus, revisiting and reinterpreting early Ming designs like the Xuande bowl illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), vol. 34, Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 147. A similar bowl is illustrated in Porcelain of the National Palace Museum: Blue and White Ware of the Ch'ing Dynasty, vol. II, Hong Kong, 1968, pls 25a-e. See one sold at Christie's New York, 4th June 1987, lot 281, and again in these rooms, 23rd September 2004, lot 309. Further examples have sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 26th November 1980, lot 304, and 20th November 1985, lot 98. See also one sold at Christie's New York, 22nd March 2019, lot 1826.