Yongzheng seal mark, 19th century The bowl sturdily potted, rising with deeply curved sides from a flat recessed base to a slightly everted rim, moulded around the exterior with four archaistic phoenixes above a band of upright lappets around the base, covered overall in a lustrous milky-blue glaze. 22.1cm (8 3/4in) diam.
十九世紀 天藍釉凸花夔鳳紋碗 青花「大清雍正年製」篆書款
Provenance: Stephen D. Winkworth (d.1938), London Sotheby's London, 26 April 1938, lot 174 An English private collection
來源： Stephen D. Winkworth(於1938年去世)，倫敦 倫敦蘇富比，1938年4月26日，拍品編號174 英國私人收藏
Stephen D.Winkworth (d.1938), a descendant of William Wilberforce, was a prominent collector of Chinese porcelain. Like his father, Henry, and later his son, he amassed an extensive collection over 40 years, beginning in 1895 with the purchase of large famille rose plates, his favourites. His collection decorated his home rather than being kept in showcases. Known for his colourful waistcoats and rakishly angled black hat, he was also famous for hiding new purchases under sofas and beds due to lack of space. Winkworth was a founding member of the Oriental Ceramic Society, hosting its first meeting in his London dining room in 1921. He lent 42 items to the Royal Academy Exhibition (1935–1936) and served on its British General Committee. His collection, spanning Han to Qing dynasty ceramics, also included glass, snuff bottles, cloisonné, and hardstone carvings. See D.Jellinek and R.Davids, Provenance, Oxford, 2011, p.443.
The bowl is adorned with finely moulded archaistic phoenix designs. The motif depicted, known as kuifeng (夔鳳), is a variant of the phoenix pattern, characterised by a phoenix head with a body and tail resembling scrolling foliage patterns. Unlike the traditional phoenix design, its tail feathers do not appear flowing or fluttering. See a related iron-red kuifeng waterpot, Yongzheng period, in the Qing Court Collection, Palace Museum, Beijing (acc.no.故00150292).
This type of decoration, known as tuhua (凸花), refers to raised or relief ornamentation, a technique in which decorative motifs are applied to stand out from the surface of the ceramic body, creating a three-dimensional effect. For comparison, see two related celadon-glazed vases featuring similarly fine tuhua decoration on a monochrome-glazed ground, Yongzheng seal marks and of the period, which may have served as prototypes for the present lot, illustrated in The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics, Shanghai, 2000, pls.211-212.
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