† A CELADON-GLAZED FAMILLE ROSE ‘HUNDRED ANTIQUES’... Lot n° 246

† A CELADON-GLAZED FAMILLE ROSE ‘HUNDRED ANTIQUES’ PORCELAIN BOWL, QING DYNASTY China, 18th – early 19th century. The large bowl stands on a short, slightly tapered foot and rises to an everted rim decorated with pink and aubergine scroll designs. The outside shows a pale-celadon ground and peony and prunus blossoms alongside alternating panels depicting auspicious objects surrounding a gu vase with a peony and a phoenix standing atop a scholar’s rock with various floral sprays all around. The interior has a white ground, and the base is painted with manifold blossoms flanked by a circular decoration beneath the rim with bats carrying a peach next to double cash coins, stylized Shou signs, and ruyi medallions. Provenance: Property from an American private collection, acquired prior to 1973 and thence by descent in the family. Condition: Very good condition with some old wear, shallow surface scratches, minimal firing irregularities, small amounts of pitting, flaking, and few glaze recesses. Weight: 1,696 g Dimensions: Diameter 28.1 cm The present bowl is a good example of the innovative combination of adding one additional monochrome glaze to a white ground, a technique used effectively 18th century wares. The celadon glaze highlights the densely arranged floral motif: where it pools in the recesses along the edges, the deeper color contrasts with a lighter tone on the extremities, from a single glaze thereby creating two subtle shades of green. The subject of decoration on the famille rose panels in the present bowl may be compared to the highly prized imperial wares in the falangcai palette. It appeared that the falangcai birds-and- flowers theme was popular from the Yongzheng period onwards, such as the bowl with a related design of a golden-tailed peacock standing on a rock in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Imperial Enamel Ware of the Qing Dynasty, 1979, no. 30. The highly detailed rendition of the birds and flowers are related to a painting entitled 'Glorious Spring', by the influential Court artist, Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1768), in the National Palace collection, Taipei, illustrated in Collected Works of Giuseppe Castiglione, 1982, p. 73, fig. 41. The bat alongside two cash coins creates a visual pun: The word for bat sounds similar to the word ‘happiness,’ while the word for coin is a homophonous link to the word ‘before’ or ‘in front of.’ These three parallels are meant to be interpreted as the blessing ‘happiness before your eyes.’ The bat, peach, and Shou sign all represent a blessing of longevity. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s New York, 14 September 2018, lot 1391 Price: USD 43,750 or approx. EUR 48,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A pair of celadon-ground Famille Rose ‘European subject’ vases, 18th century Expert remark: Compare the Famille Rose enamels combined with a partially applied celadon glaze. 13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium - only for buyers within the EU.