A coral-ground reverse-decorated 'lotus' bowl, Seal mark and period of Qianlong

European Private Collection, acquired in London, circa 1965.

Private Collection of Richard Marchant, and thence by descent.

The present bowl is notable for its exquisitely executed floral scroll, meticulously rendered to create a sharp and pleasing contrast against the iron-red ground. While iron red was already employed on Cizhou wares during the Jin dynasty (1115-1234), and later adopted at Jingdezhen in the Yuan dynasty, it was not until the 18th century, when enamels were closely studied for their individual properties, that its full decorative potential was realised. Applied in a thin, opaque layer, iron red allows for exceptionally crisp, precise lines, unattainable with thicker, more glassier enamels. This quality lends itself particularly well to 'negative' or reserve decoration, producing a refinement and delicacy rarely achieved in 'positive' painting on a white ground.

Compare a closely related example from the Sir Percival David collection, now preserved in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Margaret Medley, The World’s Great Collections, Oriental Ceramics, vol. 6, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 94; a similar pair from the Franzero Collection and the collection of Corrado Zingone, exhibited in Recent Acquisitions Catalogue of Qing Porcelain, Marchant, London, 2011, cat. no. 41; and another pair, formerly in the Chang Collection, Chicago and the collection of Henry and Beatrice Goldschmidt, sold twice in our Hong Kong rooms, 13th November 1990, lot 3004; and 10th July 2020, lot 3131.