A FAMILLE-ROSE 'LANDSCAPE' BOWL SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF JIAQING |

well potted with curved rounded sides rising from a tapered foot to a flaring rim, the exterior painted with a scenic spot southwest of Nanchang, depicting a lakeside view with a tall pagoda and other buildings in the foreground, islets with pavilions among willow trees at the other shore and fishing boats dotted about on the water, with a black-enamelled inscription reading Nanpu fei yun [Nanpu Flying Clouds] just under the rim, all above a narrow lotus-scroll border in blue enamel on a band of white enamel all within underglaze-blue double lines circling the rim and foot, the insides decorated in iron red with a branch of prunus and one of finger-citron under a pine tree in the centre, within a ruyi border reserved in white on red at the rim, the base inscribed with a six-character seal mark in iron red

Christie's London, 14th May 2013, lot 256 (one of a pair).

It is in overall very good condition except for a minute pinprick to the rim, which is visible in the catalogue illustration. The enamels have been generally very 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."

Nanpu fei yun [Nanpu Flying Clouds], a scenic spot southwest of Nanchang, also described by the Tang poet Wang Bo, shows a lakeside view with a tall pagoda and other buildings in the foreground, islets with pavilions among willow trees at the other shore and fishing boats dotted about on the water. The present bowl belongs to a set depicting famous scenic spots of the region around Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province, where the bowls were made. The different scenes are outstanding in their dramatic composition, quality of the painting and the range of enamel colours. Geng Baochang mentions as characteristic of the Jiaqing reign finely potted and painted porcelains decorated with ten famous views of various areas, such as Ten Views of West Lake, in Hangzhou, Ten Views of Changjiang, the Yangzi River, Ten Views of Lushan, a mountain in Jiangxi, and Ten Views of Dongting, a lake in Hunan; see Geng Baochang, Ming Qing ciqi jianding [Appraisal of Ming and Qing porcelain], Hong Kong, 1993, p. 293.

Only one complete set appears to be known, sold twice at Christie's Hong Kong in 1989 and 2001, sold again in these rooms, 7th April 2011, lot 17, from the Meiyintang collection, and once more recently, 5th April 2017, lot 3630. See also a single Jiaqing bowl inscribed Magu xian tan [Altar of the Immortal Magu], from the collection of Yokogawa Tamisuke is included in Tōkyo Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan zuhan mokuroku: Chūgoku tōji hen/Illustrated Catalogues of Tokyo National Museum: Chinese Ceramics, Tokyo, 1988-1990, vol. 2, no. 672; and another inscribed Shangqing sheng jing [Scenic Spot of Shangqing] in the Weishaupt collection is illustrated in Gunhild Avitabile, Vom Schatz der Drachen/From the Dragon's Treasure: Chinesisches Porzellan des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts aus der Sammlung Weishaupt/Chinese Porcelain from the 19th and 20th Centuries in the Weishaupt Collection, London, 1987, cat. no. 20. One inscribed Xunyang jiu pai [Nine Tributaries of the Xunyang] is also offered in this sale, lot 3664.