A RARE DOUCAI 'FLOWER AND BUTTERFLY' DISH MARK AND PERIOD OF YONGZHENG |

the elegantly rounded sides raised on a slightly tapered foot, superbly painted in vivid enamels within an underglaze-blue outline, the interior with two butterflies hovering above three blooming peonies in lavender, red and yellow, issuing from leafy branches beside a large garden rock, the exterior with branches of flowering peony and dianthus to one side and chrysanthemum and aster to the other, inscribed to the base with a six-character reign mark within a double circle

Collection of Hans Öströms, Stockholm, collection no. 2459.
Collection of Ester and Erik Holmberg (1888-1972), collection no. K 64, and thence by direct descent.

Apart from an approx. 0.4 cm area of restoration to the rim at the 10 o'clock position of the mark, and firing irregularities, the dish is 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."

A similar dish, from the J.F. Woodthorpe collection, included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Enamelled Polychrome Porcelain of the Manchu Dynasty, London, 1951, cat. no. 99, was sold in our London rooms, 6th April 1954, lot 105, and again 17th May 1966, lot 229: another from the Soame Jenyns collection was included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition The Arts of the Ch'ing Dynasty, London, 1964, cat. no. 113; and a third was sold in these rooms, 26th/27th October 1993, lot 154. See also a pair of dishes, formerly sold by Frank Caro, successor to C.T. Loo, New York, in the 1960s and exhibited at San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas, 1984-2017, most recently sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 29th November 2017, lot 2809, from the collection of Dr James D. Thornton. Erik Holmberg (1888-1972) was the director at the Svenska Handelsbanken. He grew up in Trysil, Norway, and lived with his wife Ester in a villa at Lidingo, Stockholm. He had a love for nature, skiing and hiking. Throughout his whole life, he collected and was fascinated with Chinese porcelain and Asian art and was a true academic and collector. He was an active member of the Ostasiatiska Museets Vanner, and donated several pieces to the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm.