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Lot Essay
Ever since its first use on Imperial porcelains of the Yuan and early Ming dynasty, copper-red decoration was a challenge for the potter to create with any degree of consistency. The copper-red decoration on the current pair of bowls has been successfully fired to a particularly even and bright red tone which appears to float within the thick transparent glaze. The design is taken from early 15th century prototypes, such as the small rounded bowl with Xuande mark, included in the Exhibition of Imperial Porcelain of the Yongle and Xuande Periods Excavated from the Site of the Ming Imperial Factory at Jingdezhen, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1989, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 75. The motif, however, is more often found on stem bowls.
Yongzheng bowls of this type vary considerably in size, ranging from 12 cm. to 22.8 cm. in diametre. The present pair is among the largest examples known. Other similar examples of this design and size include an example (22.3 cm.) in Umezawa Kinenkan Museum, illustrated in Sekai Toji Zenshu, Tokyo, 1983, vol. 15, pl. 39; one (22.4 cm.) in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Selected Ceramics from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Hu, Shanghai, 1989, no. 44; one (22.6 cm.) in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p. 162; one (22.2 cm.) sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 20 May 1981, lot 773; and one (22.5 cm. diam.) sold at Sotheby’s London, 17 December 1996, lot 90.
For smaller examples of this design, see a pair (11.9 cm.) in the Shanghai Museum, ibid., no. 43; one (12.3 cm.) sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 May 2013, lot 2118; and one (19 cm.) from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 24 September 2020, lot 833.
Yongzheng bowls of this type vary considerably in size, ranging from 12 cm. to 22.8 cm. in diametre. The present pair is among the largest examples known. Other similar examples of this design and size include an example (22.3 cm.) in Umezawa Kinenkan Museum, illustrated in Sekai Toji Zenshu, Tokyo, 1983, vol. 15, pl. 39; one (22.4 cm.) in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Selected Ceramics from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Hu, Shanghai, 1989, no. 44; one (22.6 cm.) in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p. 162; one (22.2 cm.) sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 20 May 1981, lot 773; and one (22.5 cm. diam.) sold at Sotheby’s London, 17 December 1996, lot 90.
For smaller examples of this design, see a pair (11.9 cm.) in the Shanghai Museum, ibid., no. 43; one (12.3 cm.) sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 May 2013, lot 2118; and one (19 cm.) from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 24 September 2020, lot 833.