A collection of "doucai" porcelains sold @ Sotheby's NY

Two 'doucai' 'dragon medallion' bowls. Kangxi marks and period. photo courtesy Sotheby's

each of U-shape, the exterior painted with four dragon medallions, each dragon displaying distinct colors of either green enamel, iron-red, aubergine enamel or yellow enamel, interspersed with two registers of scrolling cloud motifs, the interior well painted in underglaze-blue with an archaistic scrolling dragon pursuing a scrolling lotus (2) diameter 5 1/2 in., 14 cm. Est. 30,000—40,000 USD - Sold 64,900 USD

NOTE: An identical bowl in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 207. A single bowl of this design was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 30th October 2002, lot 250.

A 'doucai' 'wufu' saucer dish. Yongzheng mark and period. photo courtesy Sotheby's

with shallow rounded sides, the center decorated with the wufu in iron-red, hovering about the branches of a fruiting peach tree growing from a blue cliff, above crested waves enameled in bright green, the underside with bats in pairs between fruit sprays enameled in yellow, green and aubergine, each reserved with a shou medallion. diameter 6 1/8 in., 15.4cm. Est. 10,000—15,000 USD - Sold 32,500 USD

PROVENANCE: Collection of Gertrude Morgenroth.
Thence by descent to the present owner.

NOTE: A pair of saucer dishes of identical size and design and also with a Yongzheng six-character mark and of the period from the E.T. Chow Collection was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 19th May 1981, lot 557.

A pair of 'doucai' 'duck and lotus pond' marriage bowls. Daoguang seal marks and period. photo courtesy Sotheby's

each with steep upright sides rising from a flat slightly countersunk base, finely painted on the exterior with pairs of mandarin ducks swimming and flying amidst large orange lotus blooms, below a narrow register of underglaze blue dragons in pursuit of a flaming pearl, the base of the interior similarly decorated with a pair of ducks, below a band encircling the rim with lança characters (2). diameter 6 1/2 in., 16.5 cm. Est. 10,000—15,000 USD - Sold 68,500 USD

NOTE: Compare a dish of the same type with a Qianlong seal mark in the collection of the Palace Museum, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong, 1999, no. 240.

A 'doucai' medallion bowl. Qing dynasty, 18th century. photo courtesy Sotheby's

of wide U-shape supported on a short foot, finely painted and enameled to the exterior with five floral medallions, each with pomegranate, peach, peony and prunus, divided by two confronting peaches with attendant leaves, all above upright lappets at the foot, the interior enameled with seaweed enclosed in a double-ring, picked out in yellow and green enamels, with underglaze-blue and iron-red, apocryphal Chenghua mark to the base. diameter 5 3/4 in., 14.6 cm. Est. 5,000—7,000 USD - Sold 7,500 USD

PROVENANCE: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 1st December 1977, lot 544.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. 16 Sep 09. New York www.sothebys.com