Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period Of conical form rising from a straight foot, finely decorated to the exterior with a pair of five-clawed dragons emerging from foaming waves in pursuit of the flaming pearls amongst polychrome cloud scrolls, the base with a six-character mark within a double circle, the conical cover similarly decorated and also with a mark. 21cm (8 1/4in) wide. (2).
清雍正 斗彩海水龍紋蓋碗 青花「大清雍正年製」楷書款
Provenance: a Canadian private collection, Montreal, acquired in the early 1980s Christie's Hong Kong, 3 June 2015, lot 3147 The Li Fan Thompson collection, London
This exquisite bowl represents the height of craftsmanship from the Imperial kilns during the Yongzheng reign. Its primary decorative technique, doucai, is distinguished by delicate outlines painted in underglaze blue, which are then filled with vibrant overglaze enamels. The design, featuring dragons coiled among waves and flames, carries powerful symbolism. The five-clawed dragon, the Imperial emblem, represents the Emperor's authority, while the swirling waves evoke cosmic forces and the vastness of the seas, symbolising the Emperor's dominion over all realms.
This conical-shaped covered bowl, produced exclusively during the Yongzheng reign, reflects the Yongzheng Emperor's deliberate fusion of historical inspiration with innovative refinement. Drawing from the blue and white bowls of the Xuande period, Yongzheng reinterpreted the classic form. See a blue and white bowl of similar shape, with notched edges, Xuande six-character mark and of the period, in the Palace Museum Taipei, illustrated in Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsuan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 1998, p.179, no.62. The technique of doucai enamels was also first developed during the Xuande reign. Thus, the present lot can be seen as a deliberate homage to the Xuande era and classical Ming styles while introducing more intricate designs and superior technical precision. By deliberately referencing the Xuande era, Yongzheng signalled not only a deep reverence for classical Ming styles but also a confident assertion of Qing superiority: the Qing not only honours and understands the classical tradition — but could even surpass it, thus legitimising Manchu Qing rule and patronage of the arts.
Bowls and covers of this powerful design are held in important museums and private collections worldwide. See a similar doucai conical 'dragon' bowl and cover, Yongzheng mark and of the period, illustrated in The Complete Collection of the Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Beijing, 2007, p.251, pl.230. Another two are in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in Qing Imperial Porcelain of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, Hong Kong, 1995, no.52. A single bowl of this type, Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period is in the British Museum, London, and is published by R.L.Hobson, The Later Ceramic Wares of China, London, 1925, pl.LV, fig.1; and another is illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1967, pl.LXXIII (C). See also a pair of a similar bowls and covers, Yongzheng, illustrated by S.Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain, London, 1971, pl.XCIV.
Compare with a similar doucai conical 'dragon' bowl, Yongzheng mark and period, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, lot 2139. See also a similar doucai bowl, without the cover, Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period, which was sold at Bonhams London, 16 May 2024, lot 42.
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