A RARE ANHUA-DECORATED BLUE AND WHITE 'HERBACEOUS PEONY' BOWL MARK AND PERIOD OF XUANDE |

of conical form, the flaring sides rising from a slightly tapered foot, boldly painted in rich cobalt-blue tones to the exterior with large herbaceous peony blooms borne on a leafy meander, above pointed upright lappets, the interior with a central medallion enclosing a floral rosette within double lines repeated at the rim, further decorated to the cavetto in the anhua technique depicting a leafy meander of flowering peonies, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark within a double circle

There are a few hardly visible crackles radiating from the centre of the well of the bowl on the interior and extending from the foot on the exterior. The bowl is otherwise in 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."

This bowl is distinctive for its elegant shape and harmonious floral decoration which has been designed for a pure Chinese aesthetic and rendered in an intense cobalt blue. For examples of Xuande marked bowls of this pattern similarly adorned with anhua slip decorated floral scrolls on the interior, see one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Mingdai Xuande guanyao jinghua tezhan tulu/Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 1998, cat. no. 61; and one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in Gugong Bowuguan cang Ming chu qinghua ci [Early Ming blue-and-white porcelain in the Palace Museum], vol. 2, Beijing, 2002, pl. 142. See also a bowl sold in these rooms, 8th October 2013, lot 217 and another from the Edward T. Chow and Mr and Mrs Myron Falk collections, sold at Christie's New York, 15th October 2001, lot 135, and again in these rooms, 2nd May 2005, lot 506.

These bowls were inspired by earlier bowls of the Yongle reign, such as one from the Ardebil Shrine and now in the National Museum of Iran, Tehran, illustrated in John Alexander Pope, Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, Washington, 1956, pl. 48, and again in Takatoshi Misugi, Chinese Porcelain Collections of the Near East, Topkapi and Ardebil, vol. 3, Hong Kong, 1981, cat. no. A60. This refined design was much admired by the Qianlong Emperor, who ordered precise copies of these Xuande bowls to be made by the imperial kilns. A Xuande bowl of this design was exhibited together with a Qianlong mark and period example, both from the Sir Percival David collection, in the exhibition, Elegant Form and Harmonious Decoration. Four Dynasties of Jingdezhen Porcelain, London, 1992, cat. nos 34 and 168.