Page 22 - 2021 March 18 to 19th, Important Chinese Works of Art, Christie's New York City

(another view)

PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE NEW YORK COLLECTION
718
A DOUCAI 'DRAGON' BOWL A bowl and cover of this pattern, with a Yongzheng standard script mark
YONGZHENG SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN SEAL SCRIPT IN and of the period, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures
UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE of the Palace Museum - 38 - Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting
PERIOD (1723-1735) Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 251, no. 230. Another similar bowl and cover
in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Qing Porcelain of Kangxi,
The flaring, conical sides rise to a notched rim, and are decorated with two
Yongzheng, Qianlong from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong,
writhing five-clawed dragons, one depicted in green enamel and the other
1989, p. 201, pl. 30. A pair of bowls and covers, formerly in the collection
in yellow enamel, each emerging from foaming waves, and separated by
of H.R.H. Prince Henry, The Duke of Gloucester, K.G., K.T., K.P. (1900
flaming pearls and cloud scrolls.
- 1974), also with the marks in standard script, was sold at Christie's
8 in. (20.3 cm.) diam. London, 5 November 2019, lot 173. A bowl without a cover, and with the
mark in standard script, sold at Christie’s New York, 24 March 2011, lot
$70,000-100,000 1712; and another bowl from the collection of Stephen Junkunc, III, also
without a cover and with the mark in standard script, sold at Christie’s
Doucai bowls of this type bear two types of reign mark: marks in standard Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, lot 2139.
script, which are more frequently found, and marks in an archaistic script,
such as on the present bowl, which are much more rare.
清雍正 鬥彩海水雲龍趕珠紋笠式盌 雙圈三行六字款
It has been noted by Peter Y. K. Lam that certain porcelains with
Yongzheng reign marks feature a distinctive qing character, where
the first inner stroke of the yue radical is written vertically, rather than
horizontally, as is seen on the present bowl. See Peter Y. K. Lam, “Four
Studies on Yongzheng and Qianlong Imperial Ware,” published in
Ethereal Elegance. Porcelain Vases of the Imperial Qing; The Huaihaitang
Collection, Hong Kong, 2007, p. 53. Lam relates this unusual radical to
similar inscriptions of the qing character on late Kangxi-period porcelain,
and suggests that Yongzheng-marked porcelains with this style of
inscription may date from early in the reign period of the new emperor.