The flared sides of this rare ogee bowl painted in bright underglaze blue with ruyi-head rope work design above an undulating leafy band of camellia with featherly leaves on the bulging lower section, all reserved on a yellow ground, the interior decorated with a central camellia bloom within a double-line band, the underside glazed yellow with an underglaze blue six character Yongzheng mark and of the period. Restored rim chip and hairline. 7 1/4 in.
Provenance: ex Sotheby's
The rarity of this offering lies both in its ogee shape and because almost all of the yellow ground underglaze blue Yongzheng bowls, plates and vases have either a decoration based upon recognizable Ming designs or involve floral sprays, scrolling lotus with trailing lotus leaves or other variations where the decoration covers the piece. Compare the double band of decoration on the current offering with (a) the decoration on other Yongzheng plates, Christies Swire, October 1, 1991, lot 859, Sotheby's Hong Kong, October 27, 1993, lot 202, Christies New York, March 22, 1999, lot 335;(b) the decoration on Yongzheng vases, Christies Hong Kong, March 20, 1990, lot 643, Sotheby's Hong Kong, October 27, 1993, lot 201; and (c) the decoration on Yongzheng bowls, John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, Vol. 2, Geneva, Pls. 210, 216.
There is a class of Yongzheng marked bowls with a a single band of decoration generally with either an undulating camelia with feathery leaves like the one offered here, or molded with interlocking archaistic dragons. Compare the form with the band of camellia, Sotheby's London, November 11, 2000,lot 169, Sotheby's Hong Kong, October 23, 2005, lot 348 (sold for $45,000) to the ones with the band of archaistic dragons, Christies New York, March 21, 2002, lot 222; Sotheby's Hong Kong, May 2, 2005, lot 689 (sold for $45,000). In either case, both command a premium in the market. None of these examples have an ogee shape like the one offered here.
The current bowl's rarity place it in a category of special interest.
