Page 44 - Chinese works of art and paintings, March 19 Bonhams

8044
A BLUE AND WHITE FISH BOWL
Wanli mark and of the period Provenance
Heavily potted with rounded sides, the walls painted in deep Gift of Mr. and Mrs Eugene Bernat, 1958
underglaze blue with two dragons chasing a flaming pearl amid
clouds, the six character mark also in underglaze blue on the The present lot is impressive for its lively decoration of a pair of
face of the rim. dragons. The way one dragon is portrayed looking over its back
19 3/4in (50.1cm) diameter towards the other dragon, creates a sense of interaction between
the dragons and heightens the sense of vivacity. The large size of the
$30,000 - 50,000 bowl makes possible the considerable amount of white space in the
decoration which gives the composition room to breathe and adds
眀萬曆 青花雲龍紋魚缸 《大明萬曆年製》款 to the sense of motion. Such large pieces were difficult to fire without
cracking and warping and are testament to the technical virtuosity of
the Jingdezhen potters of the late Ming period.

The present lot follows Jiajing period examples such as the ones sold
in our Hong Kong rooms, 28 Nov 2009, lot 324; and our London
rooms, 6 Nov 2008, lot 67.

42 | BONHAMS