A FINE COPPER-RED DECORATED 'DRAGON' BOWL MARK AND PERIOD OF KANGXI

raised on a slightly tapered foot, the exterior finely painted with five evenly spaced dragon medallions each in the form of a coiled scaly five-clawed dragon, all below a slightly everted rim, the interior centred with a further dragon medallion, the base inscribed with a six-character underglaze-blue reign mark within double rings

Evolution to Perfection. Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection/Evolution vers la perfection. Céramiques de Chine de la Collection Meiyintang, Sporting d'Hiver, Monte Carlo, 1996, cat. no. 145.

Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 2, no. 732.

Apart from a few characteristic minute pin holes and iron spots in the glaze, the overall condition is very good. The copper-red has seeped through the clay body and is visible in light red smudges on the interior. The copper-red is very well controlled and even throughout. There is a minute pin hole on the rim with a little bit of dirt trapped beneath.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

For another Kangxi bowl of this shape, design and size, in the Baur collection, Geneva, see John Ayers, The Baur Collection Geneva: Chinese Ceramics, Geneva, 1968-74, vol. 4, no. A 530; and a similar pair of bowls from the Edward T. Chow and J.M. Hu collections, illustrated in Helen D. Ling and E.T. Chow, Collection of Chinese Ceramics from the Pavilion of Ephemeral Attainment, Hong Kong, 1950, vol. II, pl. 84, was sold in our New York rooms, 4th June 1985, lot 22. For a smaller bowl of this design in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg, see T. Arapova, Chinese Porcelains in the Hermitage Collection, Leningrad, 1977, pl. 193; and for a smaller corresponding pair, one with dragons, the other with phoenix, in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, see Qing Kang Yong Qian ming ci tezhan/Catalog of the Special Exhibition of K'ang-hsi, Yung-cheng and Ch'ien-lung Porcelain Ware from the Ch'ing Dynasty in the National Museum Palace (sic), National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, cat. no. 7.