清雍正 鬪彩內彩蝶外「四季團花」圖笠式盌 《大清雍正年製》款

the widely flaring conical sides rising from a short straight foot to a slightly everted rim, finely and delicately painted around the exterior with four large floral medallions enclosing the flowers of the 'Four Seasons,' peony, chrysanthemum, lotus and prunus, among a dense undergrowth of foliage and grasses, each divided and enclosed by detached foliate scrollwork, the petals of the peony and the lotus alternately coloured in iron-red or magenta, the interior decorated with a central medallion enclosing two butterflies fluttering among flowering sprigs, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within double circles

The rim has a miunute frit which has been filled in. There are two faint original horizontal body lines (approx 1.5 and 1 cm.) on the side walls, each approximately 3 cm from the rim. There is a very minute original bruise, small excess of glaze on the footrim. Otherwise the bowl is in very good overall condition with well preserved enamels. The actual colours are slightly paler compared to the catalogue illustration.
"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 Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 229; another, in the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, Kansas City, is published in Sekai tōji zenshū/Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 12, Tokyo, 1956, pl. 64 (bottom); and another, in the Gulbenkian Museum of Oriental Art and Archaeology, University of Durham, is included in Ireneus Laszlo Legeza, Malcolm MacDonald Collection of Chinese Ceramics, London, 1972, pl. CXXXIX, no. 378. Further bowls have also seen sold at auction; for example see one sold in these rooms, 2^nd May 2005, lot 502; another, from the Paul and Helen Bernat collection, also sold in these rooms, 15^th November 1988, lot 10; and another sold in our London rooms, 9^th November 2005, lot 301.

 

See a bowl of this type from the Ernst Ohlmer collection and in the Roemer Museum, Hildesheim, pencilled with the same design in underglaze blue only, illustrated in Ulrich Wiesner, Chinesisches Porzellan, Mainz am Rhein, 1981, pl. 45, where Wiesner records a doucai example in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.