In its gracefulness and refinement of form, this bowl is an archetypal example of Yongzheng monochrome porcelain. Under the Emperor’s keen eye, which was steeped in a thorough knowledge of the antiquities in the imperial collection, a profusion of new shapes suited to contemporary taste were developed. The form of this piece, which was probably inspired by Song dynasty (960-1279) prototypes, has been given a fresh modern aesthetic through the crispness of the lobed form and the angularity of the sides. 

While no other closely related example appears to have been published, a lemon-yellow bowl of this form, with Yongzheng mark and of the period, was sold in these rooms, 10th April 2006, lot 1603.

Bowls of this form are more commonly known painted either in copper-red or in famille-rose enamels. Compare a bowl with bats painted in copper-red, from the Julia C. Gulland bequest, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, accession no. 599-1907; a bowl with flowers, from the Yuen Family collection, included in the Min Chiu Society exhibition Splendour of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1992, cat. no. 184, and sold in our London rooms in 1974, in these rooms in 1978, and twice at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th April 2000, lot 587, and 26th April 2004, lot 906; and a third bowl painted with the Eight Taoist Immortals, from the Hebblethwaite collection, sold in our London rooms, 2nd/3rd December 1974, lot 541.