清乾隆 釉裏紅「三魚」紋高足盌 《大清乾隆年製》款

the wide conical bowl supported on a tall hollow splayed stem, brightly decorated around the exterior in copper-red glaze on the white ground with three mandarin fish, each detailed with serrated dorsal and rounded tail fins, all fired to a soft purplish-red transmuting to brownish-grey towards the edge, the interior inscribed in underglaze blue with an unusual six-character archaistic reign mark within double circles, the footring left unglazed

香港蘇富比1993年4月27日，編號110
倫敦蘇富比2003年6月12日，編號182

The stembowl is in overall good condition with only a small original minute nick under the glaze on the rim. There are a few occasional specks and tiny pin-prick air bubbles on the interior.
"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."

It is rare to find a stembowl of this type with a Qianlong reign mark, although one other example was sold in these rooms, 13th November 1990, lot 262. The stylised script used for the mark, which is also very unusual, is illustrated in Geng Baochang, Ming Qing ciqi jianding [Appraisal of Ming and Qing porcelains], Hong Kong, 1993, p. 343, fig. 569, who dates it to early in the reign of Qianlong. Stembowls of this decoration and similar proportions are usually found either with a Yongzheng reign mark written in a line inside the foot, such as the one from the Meiyintang collection, sold in these rooms 8th April 2013, lot 36.

This silhouette technique, which makes use of copper-red glaze, possibly sandwiched between layers of clear glaze, is very different from the much more common method of painting designs in copper-red pigment before the glaze is applied. If successfully handled, it results in much more intense red designs which, however, do not allow for the rendering of detail and are best suited for silhouettes.

For a Ming prototype of this design with three red fish, see a stembowl of Xuande mark and period, excavated from the Xuande stratum of the Ming imperial kiln site, and included in the exhibition Jingdezhen chutu Yuan Ming guanyao ciqi/Yuan’s and Ming’s Imperial Porcelain Unearthed from Jingdezhen, Yan-Huang Art Museum, Beijing, 1999, cat. no. 193; and another in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, illustrated in Mingdai Xuande guanyao jinghua tezhan tulu/Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1998, cat. no. 99, together with two similar stemcups of smaller size, cat. nos. 81 and 87. These early fish silhouettes also depict mandarin fish, with the characteristic large round tail fins, but the outlines are still much simpler compared to the Yongzheng and Qianlong versions, as they are lacking the serrated back fins.