Page 352 - Christie's Fine Chinese Paintings March 19 2019 Auction

1839
A FAMILLE ROSE ‘BITTER MELON’ BOWL
DAOGUANG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD
(1821-1850)
The deep sides are decorated on the exterior with a fruiting and fowering bitter melon vine, and bamboo,
which continue over the slightly everted rim into the interior, the ripe gourds bursting open to expose the
seeds. Two pink butterfies futter around the vine on the interior and exterior.
44 in. (11.2 cm.) diam.
$15,000-25,000

The combination of gourds (gua) and butterfies (die) represent the wish for endless generations of sons
and grandsons (guadie mianmian), a wish reinforced by the red seeds of the ripe gourds.
One of a pair of similar Qianlong-marked bowls in the Percival David Foundation is illustrated by Lady
David in Illustrated Catalogue of Ch’ing Enamelled Ware, 1973, no. 897; the other (no. 898) is illustrated
in Oriental Ceramics, The World’s Great Collections, vol. 6, Tokyo/San Francisco, 1982, no. 274. Another
in the Musée Guimet, Paris, is illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, The World’s Great Collections, vol. 7, 1981,
col. pl. 91. See, also, a pair of similar bowls sold at Christie’s New York, 17-18 September 2015, lot 2258.
Another two similar examples sold at Christie’s New York, 15 September 2011, lot 1661, and the same
two sold again at Christie’s Hong Kong, 26 November 2014, lot 3327.
清道光 粉彩過枝癩瓜蝴蝶盌 六字篆書款

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