A FINE PAIR OF DOUCAI 'BAT AND CLOUD' CUPS MARKS AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG

each finely potted with rounded sides rising from a small footring, exquisitely painted around the exterior in the doucai palette with iron-red bats in flight, hovering amongst variegated swirling clouds in mauve, yellow, green and blue, the countersunk base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double-circle

Collection of James and Marilynn Alsdorf, Chicago.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27th April 1999, lot 433.

Apart from some typical surface wear and minute occasional losses to the enamels, the overall condition of the pair is excellent, with almost all of the original decoration well preserved.
"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."

A closely related pair of doucai cups was sold at Christie's New York, 21^st September 2000, lot 359. For slightly larger bowls of this type, see one in the Nanjing Museum illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p. 165; a pair from the Paul and Helen Bernat collection sold in these rooms, 15^th November 988, lot 1, and again at Christie's Hong Kong, 20^th March 1990, lot 656; another pair sold twice in these rooms, 29^th October 2001, lot 511, and again, 2^nd May 2005, lot 602; and a single bowl sold in these rooms, 1^st November 1994, lot 70, and again at Christie's Hong Kong, 27^th May 2009, lot 1874. Compare also another pair of similar form and design, but decorated with iron-red bats amid underglaze-blue clouds, from the Edward T. Chow collection, sold in these rooms, 25^th November 1980, lot 126.

The motif of bats and clouds represents the wish for 'vast happiness piled up to the sky'. The symbol of a red bats combined with coloured clouds represents the upper limits of heaven (hongfu qitian). The clouds also form a pun, since the word for 'cloud' (yun) sounds like the word for 'luck'. See a Qianlong covered jar with the same decorative doucai motif included in the Min Chiu Society exhibition, Joined Colours: Decoration and Meaning in Chinese Porcelain, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington D.C., 1993, cat. no. 71.