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PROPERTY FROM A EUROPEAN PRIVATE COLLECTION Finely painted with cranes and ducks in a lotus pond, this pair
of bowls was directly inspired by treasured Chenghua originals
A FINE PAIR OF DOUCAI ‘DUCK AND LOTUS’ with only minor variations in the design, such as the more
BOWLS elaborate tails of the cranes and the proportions of the owers.
DAOGUANG SEAL MARKS AND PERIOD A closely related bowl, from the Simon Kwan collection, was
included in the exhibition Imperial Porcelain of Late Qing, Art
each nely potted with curved sides rising from a at Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong,
slightly recessed base, the exterior delicately detailed with a 1983, cat. no. 31; a pair is illustrated in Geng Baochang, Ming
continuous scene of mandarin ducks swimming amidst large Qing ciqi jianding, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 516; another pair was
lotus blooms, under an underglaze blue band of sinuous ve- sold in these rooms, 15th June 1982, lot 386; and two bowls
clawed dragons chasing aming pearls, painted in the interior were sold in our Hong Kong rooms, the rst, 1st December
with a central medallion of a pair of ducks in a lotus pond, with 1977, lot 36, and the second, 29th May 1978, lot 849.
a band of lança characters at the rim, the base inscribed with
a seal mark Bowls of this type are also known without the enamels and
(2) rendered only in underglaze blue, such as one in the National
16.5 cm, 6½ in. Palace Museum, Taipei included in the Museum’s exhibition
Ming Chenghua ciqi tezhan, op. cit., cat. no. 87; and another
PROVENANCE included in the exhibition The Wonders of the Potter’s Palette,
John Sparks Ltd., London (according to label). Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1984, cat. no. 97.
£ 50,000-70,000 For the prototype to this bowl, see one with a Chenghua mark
HK$ 483,000-675,000 US$ 62,500-87,000 and of the period, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei,
illustrated in Ming Chenghua ciqi tezhan [Special exhibition of
John Sparks Ltd Chenghua porcelain], Taipei, 1976, cat. no. 85. This motif was
revived during the Jiajing reign and later under the Qianlong
Emperor, and gained further popularity during the reign of
Daoguang. It is a highly auspicious motif as ducks swimming
in pairs are symbolic of marital bless; hence bowls of this type
would have been considered suitable wedding gifts.
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