CHINE, DYNASTIE QING, ÉPOQUE QIANLONG (1736-1795)

The design of this precious vessel was clearly inspired by the imperial Ming blue and white porcelains from the early 15th century. See two Xuande water bowls with similar blue floral designs, the first in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsuan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1998, pp. 60-61; and another is illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 636.
See a highly comparable blue and white alms bowl, dated 18th century, with a European gilt-bronze finial, sold in Christie's London, 9 November 2010, lot 303. See another identical bowl and cover, Qianlong period, sold in Sotheby's Hong Kong, 6 April 2015, lot 3111.