YONGZHENG FOUR-CHARACTER MARK WITHIN DOUBLE-SQUARES AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735)

The present example belongs to a group of imperial bowls first developed during the end of the Kangxi period bearing reign marks that are written ending with the characters, Yuzhi, 'Imperial made' or Nianzhi, 'Made in the reign period'. Of this group, the flowers are either decorated, with or without the addition of rose-pink enamel, and against a coral-ground as in the present case or a ruby-ground. Examples of the former in the famille rose palette include the bowl in the Cleveland Museum of Art, illustrated by H. Moss, By Imperial Command, Hong Kong, 1976, pl. 81; and a bowl in the Jingguantang Collection, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 3 November 1996, lot 582. Compare the same famille rose floral pattern rendered against a ruby-ground, cf. a bowl from the Goldschmidt Collection of Qing Imperial Porcelain, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 13 November 1990, lot 38 and sold again at Christie's Hong Kong, 2 November 1999, lot 573.