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Lot Essay
The present pair of bowls is a characteristic example of imperial porcelain from the late Kangxi period, decorated on the exterior with a rich coral red ground finely enamelled and heightened with gilt in a lively boys at play scene. Sixteen boys are depicted engaged in various activities within a garden setting, catching fish in a basin, holding flowering branches, or playing with small animals, conveying the auspicious theme of abundant sons and blessings. The figures are animated and varied in pose, while the composition is carefully balanced, alternating denser groupings with open areas that allow the coral ground to breathe. The interplay of famille verte enamels and gilding creates a sumptuous and courtly effect.
This design ultimately derives from earlier Ming dynasty prototypes of children at play in landscaped gardens, as seen, for instance, on a Yongle blue and white bowl in the S. C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1987, cat. no. 15. The use of a deep coral enamel ground, however, represents a Qing innovation made possible by the expanded enamel palette of the Kangxi period. Compared to more densely populated examples, such as a pair illustrated by G. Hasebe, Qing Ceramics from Seikado, Tokyo, 2006, no. 27, the present pair employs smaller groupings of figures, creating greater spatial rhythm and emphasizing the brilliance of the coral ground, further enriched by gilt detailing.
Although relatively rare during the Kangxi reign, this decorative scheme continued into the eighteenth century and became especially popular in the Jiaqing period. A closely related pair dated to the Qianlong period is illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Japan, 1987, pl. 952, while a Jiaqing example is preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, vol. 38, 1999, pls. 159.
Pairs of this type are particularly rare, as most extant examples are preserved as single bowls. A bowl formerly in the collection of Soame Jenyns was sold at Christie's London, 6 November 2018, lot 36, and another closely related example was sold at Christie's New York, 19 March 2021, lot 716.
This design ultimately derives from earlier Ming dynasty prototypes of children at play in landscaped gardens, as seen, for instance, on a Yongle blue and white bowl in the S. C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1987, cat. no. 15. The use of a deep coral enamel ground, however, represents a Qing innovation made possible by the expanded enamel palette of the Kangxi period. Compared to more densely populated examples, such as a pair illustrated by G. Hasebe, Qing Ceramics from Seikado, Tokyo, 2006, no. 27, the present pair employs smaller groupings of figures, creating greater spatial rhythm and emphasizing the brilliance of the coral ground, further enriched by gilt detailing.
Although relatively rare during the Kangxi reign, this decorative scheme continued into the eighteenth century and became especially popular in the Jiaqing period. A closely related pair dated to the Qianlong period is illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Japan, 1987, pl. 952, while a Jiaqing example is preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, vol. 38, 1999, pls. 159.
Pairs of this type are particularly rare, as most extant examples are preserved as single bowls. A bowl formerly in the collection of Soame Jenyns was sold at Christie's London, 6 November 2018, lot 36, and another closely related example was sold at Christie's New York, 19 March 2021, lot 716.