A FINELY ENAMELLED CORAL-GROUND FAMILLE-ROSE BOWL SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG |

well potted with deep rounded sides resting on a short foot, the exterior vibrantly enamelled with three pink blossoming peonies on green branches, each within a lemon-yellow ground cartouche bordered with foliate scrollwork, alternating with blue flowerheads, all reserved on a brilliant coral-red ground, inscribed to the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue

John Sparks Ltd, London, circa 1950.
Collection of Sir Arthur Sims (1877-1969).

90th Anniversary Exhibition Qing Porcelain from Private Collections, Marchant, London, 2015, cat. no. 35.

There is a minuscule glaze flake to the rim at approx. 3 o'clock of the mark and some expected firing imperfections, including iron specks to the yellow enamel but the bowl is in very good overall condition with the enamels 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."

A closely related bowl from the Wang Xing Lou collection is illustrated in Julian Thompson, Imperial Perfection. The Palace Porcelain of Three Chinese Emperors, Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong, Hong Kong, 2004, cat. no. 58, where the author notes that "the decoration of this bowl, using two contrasting colour grounds, is inspired by the Kangxi wares decorated in the Imperial Palace workshop, though the treatment of the scroll patterns is here more detailed and complex. Unlike the Kangxi bowls, the palette includes the combination of coral-red and translucent green enamel, colours taken from the wucai, or 'famille-verte' palette, with the opaque enamels of the 'famille-rose' palette." A closely related bowl from the British Rail Pension Fund, included in the Min Chiu Society exhibition Splendour of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1992, cat. no. 159, was sold in these rooms, 16th May 1989, lot 81; and another from the collection of Sybil Luna Moses and Maurice Dangoor, was sold in our New York rooms, 15th March 2017, lot 519.

For the Kangxi prototype of this design, see one with a yuzhi reign mark in pink enamel, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 2.