An Extremely Rare and Finely Painted Chinese Export ‘Garden of Eden' Small Punch Bowl, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period | 清乾隆 粉彩伊甸園圖大盌

Christie's New York, 28 January 2013, lot 417

The unusual scene depicted on the present example is often known as the 'Garden of Eden', and the central winged figure is often identified as the Archangel Gabriel. It has been theorized that this scene was likely derived from an unknown European print featuring various animals in a bucolic setting, and some have also connected the central figure to the European imagery of the 'Wild man in the Woods'. Two other examples appear to be extant, one sold at Christie's London, 28 April 1999, lot 160, and another example sold at Christie's New York, 23 January 2007, lot 65.