Page 28 - Sotheby's Falancai Poppy Bowl Oct. 3, 2018

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AN EXTREMELY FINE AND
MAGNIFICENT IMPERIAL

FALANGCAI ‘POPPY’ BOWL
BLUE-ENAMEL MARK AND

PERIOD OF QIANLONG

exquisitely potted with deep rounded sides resting on a
straight foot and gracefully tapering to an everted rim, the
immaculate white porcelain of translucent quality, the exterior
delicately and meticulously painted in finely ground and
blended imported enamels with a group of poppies issuing
forth from dense rockwork while a single yellow butterfly
flutters overhead, the continuous scene further adorned
with tender yellow, pink and lavender blossoms elegantly
borne on undulating stems painted in various shades of lime
and fern green, each individual bloom vibrantly detailed with
subtle veining and lemon-yellow speckled stamens, the yellow
butterfly depicted floating above with its body and wings
striped in black, the latter further accentuated with a red
circular spot, all contrasting with the gnarled roughness of
the punctured and craggy rocks, the reverse inscribed with
a fourteen-character poem flanked by three iron-red seal
marks, the interior enamelled with a young branch of finger-
citron, an apple and three cherries, the base inscribed in blue
enamel with a four-character mark within a double square
11.8 cm, 4⅝ in.
PROVENANCE
A French collection since the early 20th century, by repute.
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 26th October 2003, lot 21.
Estimate Upon Request

Mark