A DATED 'FAMILLE-ROSE' ROSE-PINK BACKED BOWL QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD, DATED 1721

thinly potted with deep rounded sides, the exterior covered in a mottled rose-pink glaze, leaving the interior and the slightly recessed base glazed white, the interior painted in bright enamels with two large peaches, a peony and a lily on leafy branches, inscribed to the base with a four-character mark reading you xinchou nian zhi ('made in the xinchou year', corresponding to 1721) within a double circle

The footring was cut and trimmed. The bowl has a 12cm crack running one side from the rim to the base and another circa 8cm crack running near it along the side; both cracks are visible from the outside with circa 0.3 x 0.1cm flakes to the rose-pink enamelled back. The well has a five-point star-shaped hairline with the longest branch measuring circa 1cm and other circa 1cm hairline and scratches. The centre of the peony flower has an unglazed grit measuring 0.2 x 0.1cm. There is a minute (0.1 x 0.1cm) glaze chip near the bottom of the bowl. The base has a circa 5 x 1cm area of crackle around the mark and three burst glaze bubbles. Other minor glaze firing imperfections include iron spots and further burst glaze bubbles are evident particularly to the well of the bowl.
"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."

One of the earliest pieces of famille rose porcelain of the Qing empire, this bowl is a rare and exquisite example of a European enamelling technique adopted and adapted into the Chinese repertoire. This bowl belongs to a special group of wares; see a ruby-backed bowl of this form and also bearing a cyclical mark corresponding to 1721 on the base in underglaze blue, but of smaller dimensions and depicting a different fruit and flowers, in the British Museum, London, is illustrated in Soame Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain, London, 1951, pl. LIX, fig. 2.

For further examples of Kangxi mark and period ruby-backed vessels, see a pair of cups of flared form rising from a short foot, the interior decorated with fruit and beans in famille rose, from the Paul and Helen Bernat collection, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 15^th November 1988, lot 49; and a matching pair from the T.Y. Chao collection, sold twice in our Hong Kong rooms, 29^th November 1977, lot 155, and 18^th November 1986, lot 131.