28 – M5538
Description
Pair of Chinese imperial porcelain large moulded celadon-glazed bowls, wan, of deep form with upright sides and straight footrims, each moulded on the exterior with six peony blooms on their characteristic leafy branches beneath an archaic scrolling band at the rim and above a keyfret band at the foot, the interior incised overall with a central peony flowerhead encircled by six further blooms on a continuous scrolling branch with leaves beneath a keyfret band at the rim, the rims glazed white, covered overall in a luminous even pale celadon glaze.
Each base with a six-character sealmark of Qianlong in underglaze blue and of the period, 1736-1795.
10 ½ inches, 26.7 cm diameter.
Provenance & Additional Information
- A similar bowl from a Japanese private collection was sold by Christie’s Hong Kong in their auction of Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 1st June 2011, lot 3710, p. 19; another was sold by Christie’s Hong Kong in their auction of The Imperial Sale, Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 29th May 2013, lot 2285.
- There are two types of peony, fuguihua, cultivated in China: the tree peony, mudan, and the herbaceous peony, shaoyao. Although their flowers are similar, the leaves of the tree peony are lobed and the stem is woody. The peony ranks amongst the most popular botanical motifs and is sometimes described as “The King of Flowers”. It is equivalent to the first rank among officials, and is closely associated with royalty, as it was grown in the imperial gardens of the Sui and Tang dynasties. Referred to as fuguihua, it is the flower of wealth and honour.
Condition
Overall in excellent condition, without any chips,crcaks,or restoration.
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