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Lot Essay
The finely potted bowl is crisply incised and enamelled in vibrant green over a brilliant imperial yellow ground with two dragons in pursuit of flaming pearls amidst clouds and flames, one dragon looking back at its companion, all below a band of green cloud scrolls beneath the rim.
Yellow-ground green-enamelled wares represent a classic group produced by the Qing imperial kilns. Examples of the Yongzheng period are particularly acclaimed for their exquisite quality, exhibiting smoother, more lustrous glazes, and a soft, vibrant contrast between the yellow and green enamels. According to the Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Qing Dynasty, this colour palette was strictly governed by Qing court protocol, and wares such as the present lot were reserved exclusively for the Noble Consort, Guifei, reflecting its exceptionally elevated imperial status.
For a related bowl that is larger in size at the Palace Museum, Beijing, see Imperial Porcelains from the Qing Dynasty in the Palace Museum, vol. 1, Beijing, 2005, pl. 7 (fig. 1). A pair from the T.Y. Chao Collection was included in the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong exhibition Ch'ing Polychrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1977, cat. no. 69, and later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 19 May 1987, lot 315. Another example from the Tianminlou Collection is illustrated in Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, cat. no. 97. A pair formerly in the British Rail Pension Fund has been offered at auction multiple times, including at Christie's Hong Kong, 26 April 2004, lot 958 (fig. 2); one of the pair sold most recently at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 7 October 2015, lot 3717. An additional example from the Yidetang collection was sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 12 October 2021, lot 33.
Yellow-ground green-enamelled wares represent a classic group produced by the Qing imperial kilns. Examples of the Yongzheng period are particularly acclaimed for their exquisite quality, exhibiting smoother, more lustrous glazes, and a soft, vibrant contrast between the yellow and green enamels. According to the Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Qing Dynasty, this colour palette was strictly governed by Qing court protocol, and wares such as the present lot were reserved exclusively for the Noble Consort, Guifei, reflecting its exceptionally elevated imperial status.
For a related bowl that is larger in size at the Palace Museum, Beijing, see Imperial Porcelains from the Qing Dynasty in the Palace Museum, vol. 1, Beijing, 2005, pl. 7 (fig. 1). A pair from the T.Y. Chao Collection was included in the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong exhibition Ch'ing Polychrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1977, cat. no. 69, and later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 19 May 1987, lot 315. Another example from the Tianminlou Collection is illustrated in Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, cat. no. 97. A pair formerly in the British Rail Pension Fund has been offered at auction multiple times, including at Christie's Hong Kong, 26 April 2004, lot 958 (fig. 2); one of the pair sold most recently at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 7 October 2015, lot 3717. An additional example from the Yidetang collection was sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 12 October 2021, lot 33.