A RARE CLOISONNE BOWL WITH FLORAL SCROLLS MING DYNASTY, YONGLE / XUANDE PERIOD

sturdily cast with thick rounded walls rising from a small footring, interrupted in the middle by a double-gilt fillet enclosing a 'classic' scroll on a deep blue ground, the exterior with multicolour lotus scrolls beneath further floral scrolls at the rim, the interior similarly decorated and centred with a floral bloom, all against a turquoise background

Christie's Hong Kong, 2nd November 1999, lot 798.

The bowl has some expected minor losses (some refilled) to the enamels. There are also typical dents and scratches to the bowl, as well as wear to the gilding. The exterior blue-ground band has a small drilled hole to the underside. The overall condition, however, is very good.
"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."

This charming bowl is accentuated by the raised band that encircles the exterior; two closely related examples in the Pierre Uldry collection were included in the exhibition Chinesisches Cloisonné die Sammlung Pierre Uldry, Museum Reitberg, Zurich, 1985, cat. nos. 20 and 21; another was sold in our London rooms, 18^th June 1985, lot 242; and a fourth example was sold at Christie's London, 1^st December 1997, lot 277. Compare also a bowl of this type, but the raised band decorated with red scrolling leaves on a turquoise ground, sold in our London rooms, 13^th December 1988, lot 43.

The refinement and sinicisation of Buddhist-style imagery in the fifteenth century is evident in the elegant bands of decoration on this bowl. Tibetan-inspired cloisonné enamel vessels were created for use in Buddhist temples and thus decorated with designs suitable for their ceremonial function and surroundings. The dense composition of lotus scrolls with spiky blooms that often filled the background of paintings from central Tibet has been adopted by Chinese craftsmen as the main decorative motif for this piece. This design was chosen to adorn a variety of artefacts, including porcelain, lacquer and bronze.

For a cloisonné enamel kundika derived from a Tibetan prototype, similarly decorated with lotus scrolls interlaced with raised bands of gilt bronze, see one from the T.B. Kitson collection, sold in our London rooms, 18^th October 1960, and now in the British Museum, London, published in Sir Harry Garner, Chinese and Japanese Cloisonné Enamels, London, 1962, pl. 16. The stylised lotus flower medallion adorning the centre of the interior of the bowl is also seen on Xuande mark and period vessels; three circular boxes with similar lotus flower motifs on the cover, in the Pierry Uldry collection, were included in the Museum Reitberg exhibition, op. cit., cat. nos. 1-4; and a blue and white bowl in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, was included in the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsuan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1998, cat. no. 184.