A RARE PAIR OF WHITE JADE BOWLS QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

the deep rounded sides resting on a straight footring and elegantly rising to a slightly flared rim, the even white translucent stone with subtle icy streaks and finished to a smooth polish

Colecciòn Mercedes Dose Princesa de Dietrichstein, Buenos Aires, 1948 (according to label).
Ungaro y Barbará S.R.L., Buenos Aires.
Elliot Steven Ltd., New York.

There are a few minor nicks around the footrings and a few original faint inclusions in the stone but overall the two bowls are in very good condition.
"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."

These bowls have been left undecorated to reflect the exquisite beauty of and to imply a respect for the flawless stone. Compare closely related examples such as one in the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, included in the Museum’s exhibition Jades from China, Bath, 1994, cat. no. 340; a slightly smaller pair from the Henry Brown of Stocks collection, sold in our London rooms, 25^th March 1947, lot 110, and now in the De An Tang collection, included in the exhibition A Romance with Jade from the De An Tang Collection, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 113; and a slightly larger pair in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, one of which is illustrated in James C.S. Lin, The Immortal Stone. Chinese Jades from the Neolithic Period to the Twentieth Century, Cambridge, 2009, pl. 81. Compare also a related bowl in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, illustrated in Michael Knight et. al., Later Chinese Jades. Ming Dynasty to Early Twentieth Century, San Francisco, 2007, pl. 113, where the authors note that the thin walls of the vessel highlighting the translucency of the material and the purity of its colour share characteristics with its porcelain prototypes (see p. 129).

Further bowls of this type include one with a Qianlong reign mark and of the period, from the Concordia House Collection, sold in our New York rooms, 19^th March 2007, lot 11; another sold in our New York rooms, 19^th March 2007, lot 618; and an unmarked pair from the Collection Cottreau, sold at Christie’s New York, 17^th September 2008, lot 330.