A rare pair of moulded celadon-glazed 'bat and gourd' bowls, Marks and period of Yongzheng | 清雍正 粉青釉印多子多福紋盌一對 《大清雍正年製》款

Christie's London, 15th July 2005, lot 259.

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 7th April 2015, lot 3602.

倫敦佳士得2005年7月15日，編號259

香港蘇富比2015年4月7日，編號3602

This elegant pair of bowls reflects the Yongzheng Emperor's penchant for simplicity of shape and design and flawless quality. Among all monochrome glazes developed at the Jingdezhen kilns, celadon was one of the most technically challenging and was achieved only through a perfect preparation, application, firing and cooling of each piece. Although the Jingdezhen kilns had begun to make small quantities of celadon-glazed porcelain in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), it was only with the arrival of the talented and innovative Tang Ying (1682-1756) that the celadon glaze was perfected and production greatly expanded. Tang Ying is known to have studied in detail the finest Imperial porcelain of the Song dynasty (960-1279), which led him to develop attractive shades of the celadon glaze, such as the pale-bluish glaze on this lot, also known as fengqing, which is highly effective over the relief decoration as it provides a delicate shaded effect. 

A closely related bowl, formerly in the E.T. Hall collection was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1st June 2011, lot 3520, where it was catalogued as a clair-de-lune glaze; a slightly smaller example, from the Paul and Helen Bernat collection, was sold in these rooms, 15th November 1988, lot 67; and a pair was sold at Christie's New York, 20th March 2001, lot 262, and again at Christie's Hong Kong, 27th May 2008, lot 67. A similar motif of three bats, each grasping a gourd, lingzhi and fruiting branch, is carved on a Yongzheng mark and period celadon-glazed dish, in the Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1980, pl. 149; and on a pair of dishes from the Hall family collection, sold in these rooms, 2nd May 2000, lot 528.