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Lot Essay
During the Qing dynasty, strict regulations governed the variety and quantity of ceramic wares permitted for use by different members of the imperial family. According to Guochao Gongshi (The History of the Imperial House and Court) and Da Qing huidian (Imperially Endorsed Statutes of the Great Qing), vessels decorated with green dragons on a yellow ground, such as the present pair, were exclusively designated for use by guifei (the Emperor’s concubines of the second rank). The present pair of bowls demonstrates the elevated status of its owner at the time.
There appears to be two groups of bowls of this pattern, the first type depicts large-sized dragons providing a dense pattern of green enamel as exemplified by the present lot. Compare to bowls with Yongzheng marks, one was formerly from the Constantinidi Collection, illustrated by S. Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain, London, 1971, pl. LXIX, no. 4; the other illustrated in Chinese Porcelain - The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Part II, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 97; and a further example illustrated in Palace Museum Collection of Official Ware of the Qing Dynasty, vol. 1 part 2, Beijing, 2005, pp. 34-35, no. 7. A similar pair of bowls with Qianlong marks was sold at Sotheby’s New York, 21 March 2024, lot 123. The second type depicts slender dragons with wispy flames, thereby showing a more prominent yellow ground, which is exemplified by the bowl in current sale, lot 913.
There appears to be two groups of bowls of this pattern, the first type depicts large-sized dragons providing a dense pattern of green enamel as exemplified by the present lot. Compare to bowls with Yongzheng marks, one was formerly from the Constantinidi Collection, illustrated by S. Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain, London, 1971, pl. LXIX, no. 4; the other illustrated in Chinese Porcelain - The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Part II, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 97; and a further example illustrated in Palace Museum Collection of Official Ware of the Qing Dynasty, vol. 1 part 2, Beijing, 2005, pp. 34-35, no. 7. A similar pair of bowls with Qianlong marks was sold at Sotheby’s New York, 21 March 2024, lot 123. The second type depicts slender dragons with wispy flames, thereby showing a more prominent yellow ground, which is exemplified by the bowl in current sale, lot 913.