A PAIR OF SUPERB 'FAMILLE-ROSE' BLUE SGRAFFIATO-GROUND MEDALLION BOWLS SEAL MARKS AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

each delicately potted body with deep rounded sides rising from a short straight foot to an everted rim, finely enamelled around the exterior with four medallions enclosing composite leafy floral sprays, divided by floral strapwork and all reserved on a pale blue sgraffiato scroll ground, the interior painted in rich cobalt-blue tones with a floral medallion encircled by four floral sprays in the well, the base with an underglaze blue six-character seal mark

Collection of Lord Loch of Drylaw (1827-1900) (?).
Collection of Alfred Morrison (1821-1897), Fonthill House, Tisbury, Wiltshire.
The Rt. Hon The Lord Margadale of Islay, T.D. (Fonthill House inventory no. 441).
Christie's London, 9th November 2004, lot 31.

Recent Acquisitions 2005, 80th Anniversary Catalogue, S. Marchant & Son, Ltd., London, 2005, cat. no. 49.

The overall condition is very good. Both bowls have minute flakes to the blue enamelling and a few minor pin-pricks to the interior and the rim.
"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."

Exquisitely enamelled with flower medallions on an ornately decorated blue ground, bowls of this design are very rare and were pioneered by artists working during the Qianlong period. Only one other Qianlong bowl of this design on a blue colour ground appears to be known, also from the Alfred Morrison Collection and Fonthill Heirlooms, sold at Christie's London, 9th November 2004, lot 27, offered together with a Daoguang example.

The sophistication of the present bowls has been achieved through the intricate sgraffiato ground and the fusion of Western painting techniques with traditional Chinese motifs. The flowers and leaves adorning the blue ground, masterfully rendered in various tones and hues to create a three-dimensional effect, reveal the influence of Jesuit artists at court. The sgraffiato technique first appeared in the repertoire of the Jingdezhen potters during the Qianlong period and is characteristic of yangcai, the finest porcelains made by the kilns to special imperial orders from Beijing. Commonly known as jinshang tianhua ('adding decorative pattern onto brocades'), this complicated and laborious technique involved needle-point etching the design onto a monochrome enamel ground.

Compare a pair of similarly decorated Qianlong bowls, but with a variation of the leafy scroll motif and painted with landscape medallions, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Stunning Decorative Porcelains from the Ch'ien-lung Reign, Taipei, 2008, pl. 13, together with a yellow ground version, pl. 14. Further bowls of this style with various colour grounds include two bowls decorated with landscape medallions, one on a yellow ground and the other on a ruby ground, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pls 103 and 104; and two ruby ground examples with medallions enclosing antiques, one sold in these rooms, 20^th May 1986, lot 146, and the other sold in our New York rooms, 30^th March 2006, lot 352.