A RARE DOUCAI 'FIGURE' BOWL MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG

of shallow rounded form flaring to an everted rim, supported on a short straight footring, brilliantly enamelled on the interior with a five-clawed dragon grasping a 'flaming pearl', the exterior with a continuous scene of four figures in procession, a cart being towed at the front by a deer, all amidst a backdrop of a castle in a wondrous landscape setting, the countersunk base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within double circles

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 26th October 2003, lot 15.

There is a 0.6 cm hairline crack from the rim to the exterior above the castle (measuring only about 0.2 cm on the interior). This bowl is otherwise in good condition with only some pinhole burst air bubbles. Almost all of the enamelling has been 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."

The design of this bowl is unusual but appears also on a Kangxi Ming-style bowl with a Wanli six-character mark, illustrated in Kangxi Porcelain wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1998, cat. no. 177; and another larger Kangxi blue and white bowl, painted with a continuous frieze of Eight Immortals below a related border and the interior with a dragon and flaming pearl roundel, was sold in our London rooms, 12th November 1996, lot 43.