Lot 214
Extremely Rare Famille Verte Bowl, Kangxi Mark and Period (1664-1722)
Lot 214 Details
Extremely Rare Famille Verte Bowl, Kangxi Mark and Period (1664-1722)
The shallow sides rising towards a smooth wide rim, all supported on a hidden foot ring and decorated with a song bird perched on a branch of flora with the design continuing along the interior
diameter 5.3" — 13.5 cm.
Estimate $20,000-$30,000
Additional Images
Provenance:
The Estate of Doris McCordick (1912-1977) of St. Catherines, ON, thence by descent within the family. The bowl was a gift from her brother-in-law Paul Grigaut (1905-1969) while he was chief curator of the Detroit Art Institute from 1955-1963. Paul Grigaut was an internationally renowned decorative arts and ceramics specialist who studied and taught at many institutions including the University of Paris, University of Chicago, Fogg Museum of Harvard, and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. His research, correspondences, photographs, slides and lecture notes are all stored at the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan.
Note:
Elegantly rendered with the sensitivity and style traditionally associated with Chinese paintings on silk or paper, the bowl depicts a solitary bird, possibly in the form of a waxwing, perched on a branch of red berries. Designs of Kangxi period bowls featuring a single bird are extremely rare with the most recent example sold in Sotheby’s Hong Kong ‘The Meiyintang Collection’, April 7 2011, lot 3.
Additionally, the continuous design of twisting branches on both the interior and exterior, as seen on the present bowl, is a highly unusual feature. While this type of motif originated in the Kangxi period, it was more commonly found in Yongzheng famille rose examples of bowls and dishes. Compare to a pair of bowls with fruiting sprays and butterflies from the B. Y. Lam Foundation published in Qing Imperial Porcelain (The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1995), no. 24. The quality of the famille verte enamels is almost identical to the present bowl, along with the shape, hidden footring, and mark.