A Chinese Imperial porcelain wucai dragon and phoenix bowl. Six character sealmark of Jiaqing and of the period, 1796-1820.

A Chinese Imperial porcelain wucai dragon and phoenix bowl. Six character sealmark of Jiaqing and of the period, 1796-1820. photos courtesy Marchant

with slightly flared rim, painted with a green and iron-red dragon in pursuit of flaming pearls, separated by two swooping phoenix birds, all amongst flowers and foliage, beneath a band of the bajixian, alternating with ruyi-heads, the well of the interior with a similar iron-red dragon medallion, encircled by two underglaze blue double rings; 5 1/8 inches, 13cm diameter. Price: contact dealer

Formerly in the collection of Eugene Y.C. Sung (1915-2005), born in Shanghai, Mr. Sung was a direct descendant of Sun Chia-Nai, an eminent figure of the Qing dynasty, who was appointed the Imperial Tutor to the Princes in the Palace School by the Xianfeng Emperor. He was also one of the founders of the Peking University in 1898, and became a highly influential leader in educational reforms during the Guangxu period. In 1998 Eugene Sung donated a significant collection of Qing period snuff bottles to the Seattle Asian Art Museum.

A similar bowl is illustrated by Rosemary E. Scott in Elegant Form and Harmonious Decoration, Four Dynasties of Jingdezhen, a joint exhibition from the collections of the Percival David Collection and Mr. C. P. Lin, no. 191, p. 166.

A pair of Qianlong bowls of this pattern were included by S. Marchant & Son in their exhibition of The Rolf Heiniger Collection of Qing Imperial Wares, June 2000, no. 13, p. 32/3, and were previously sold by S. Marchant & Son in their exhibition of Qing Mark and Period Monochromes and Enamelled Wares, July 1981, no. 66, another pair of Qianlong bowls were included by S. Marchant & Son in their Recent Acquisitions catalogue, 2008, no. 41, p.92/3. A Qianlong bowl and a pair of Daoguang examples are illustrated by Ulrich Wiesner in Chinesisches Porzellan, from the Ernst Ohlmer Collection in the Röemer Museum, Hildesheim, nos. 123 & 124, p. 186-189, a further Daoguang example was included by S. Marchant & Son in their exhibition of Nineteenth Century Mark and Period Porcelain, June 1991, no. 38, p. 41, and another is illustrated by Simon Kwan in Imperial Porcelain of Late Qing, no. 44, p. 68.

It is unusual to find a Jiaqing example of this pattern.

This pattern is discussed by R. P. Marchant in his paper given to the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, Some Interesting Pieces of Marked Ch’ing, nos. 7-13, p. 43/4, 1977-8.

MARCHANT 120 Kensington Church Street London, United Kingdom W8 4BH - Tel: 44 0207-229-5319 - Fax: 44 0207-792-8979 www.marchantiques.com