A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'PHOENIX MEDALLION' BOWL MARK AND PERIOD OF KANGXI |

well potted with deep rounded sides divided into eight lobes and rising to an undulating rim, all supported on a lobed foot of corresponding form, each panel of the exterior meticulously decorated with a phoenix roundel, between friezes of lotus scrolls encircling the rim and lower body, the foot further skirted with a key-fret band, the interior centred with a lobed cartouche enclosing a phoenix flanked by outstretched wings and portrayed with billowing tail feathers, all below a further lotus band below the rim, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark within a double circle

Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 20th May 1987, lot 449.

The bowl is in good overall condition with expected firing imperfections, including a short firing line to the footring and faint glaze crackles on the interior. There are minute retouched areas and insignificant glaze flakes to 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."

Both the form and design of this bowl are likely to be rooted in the Xuande period prototypes that were developed at the Jingdezhen kilns in the early Ming dynasty. For two Xuande reign-marked examples, see a lobed bowl decorated on the exterior with ‘dragon’ medallions, illustrated in Sekai toji zenshu/Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 14, Tokyo, 1976, pl. 152; and another, included in the exhibition Ming Porcelains, China Institute, New York, 1970, cat. no. 14 and later sold in these rooms, 18th November 1986, lot 40, from the T.Y. Chao collection. This lobed form and motif are also employed on other vessels of the period, including two brush washers from the Qing court collection and still preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, one decorated with dragons and the other with phoenix, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Hong Kong, 2000, pls 128 and 129. For closely related Kangxi reign-marked examples, compare one sold at Christie’s London, 8th December 1986; and another sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2nd November 1999, lot 582, and again, 27th May 2008, lot 1826.