拍賣筆記 vol.307 佳士得香港2019：里埃斯科，8720萬港元售出，清康熙約六十一年御製胭脂紅地琺瑯彩千葉蓮紋盌 - Christie’s HK 2019, Riesco Sale, A Imperial Ruby Red-Ground Falangcai ‘Double Lotus’ Bowl, Kangxi Period, Sold for 87.2m HKD

SACA
Dec 25, 2025
33 min read

Updated: Dec 28, 2025

康熙琺瑯彩千葉蓮盌此盌的傳承歷史豐富且傳奇。迄今能追溯到的第一位藏家為英國的阿爾弗雷德．捷本諾爾（1838- 1917）（圖一）。捷本諾爾原是一位船長，曾至遠東進行貿易活動。他曾說：「假如你是一位收藏家，你永遠不會感覺老」（見Roy Davids 及Dominic Jellinek 合著《 Provenance》，2011 年，頁 424）。

R.F.A Riesco 英國里埃斯科專場 - 佳士得香港2013年11月27日

HK$100.00

Buy Now

Alfred Trapnell (1838-1917)

多年的海上冒險啓發了捷本諾爾對於中國瓷器的興趣。如其他十九世紀晚期至二十世紀初的西方藏家一樣，他也於1901 年自費出版了個人的中國瓷器珍藏圖錄《 An Illustrated Catalogue of Chinese Porcelain and Pottery Forming the Collection of Mr Alfred Trapnell》（圖二）。

An Illustrated Catalog of Chinese Porcelain and Pottery Forming the Collection of Mr Alfred Trapnell, 1901.

1955 年，此盌首次出現於拍賣市場。拍賣由倫敦佳士得舉行，為期兩天，為瑪麗．珍妮．捷本諾爾夫人的珍藏專場。瑪麗．珍妮．捷本諾爾夫人與阿爾弗雷德．捷本諾爾之間的確切關係尚待厘清，但在1955 年2 月16 日的圖錄裏明確標明了阿爾弗雷德．捷本諾爾舊藏的這筆來源（圖三）。此盌為圖錄中的拍品88號，名稱為「粉彩小圓盌」，由倫敦古董商Sydney L. Moss 以36 堅尼（英鎊37.80）購得，同年再轉賣于藏家雷蒙・里埃斯科（1877- 1964）（圖四）。

Christie's London catalog of 16 February 1955

Raymond FA Riesco (1877-1964)

雷蒙・里埃斯科將此盌與幾件較小的瓷器放置於一個錫盒裏，與其他的瓷器分開存放。因此，1964 年里埃斯科給克羅伊登市議會的遺贈中，並無此盌。其後，透過倫敦古董商Bluett and Sons，此盌 1983 年11 月15 日於香港蘇富比拍賣，拍品277 號，由傳奇人物張宗憲先生投得。張宗憲先生鍾愛此盌，他於1993 年夏季在倫敦佳士得舉辦的瓷器精品展中，便可見其身影。此盌1999年11 月2 日再於香港佳士得拍賣，拍品509 號，由張宗憲先生妹妹張永珍博士競得。張氏兄妹為收藏界中之泰斗，對於美及珍罕的作品皆有超然的鑒賞力。2013 年4 月，張永珍博士將此盌於香港蘇富比拍賣。

清康熙約六十一年

御製胭脂紅地琺瑯彩千葉蓮紋盌

藍料雙方框「康熙御製」宋體款

KANGXI BLUE-ENAMELLED FOUR-CHARACTER MARK WITHIN A DOUBLE SQUARE AND OF THE PERIOD, CIRCA 1722

成交價

港元 87,200,000

估價待詢

拍品終止拍賣:

2019年11月27日

清康熙約六十一年御製胭脂紅地琺瑯彩千葉蓮紋盌藍料雙方框「康熙御製」宋體款

口微外撇，深弧腹，圈足。外壁滿施明艷琺瑯彩料，胭脂紅地，上繪蓮池通景圖，以粉黃、粉白、粉紅及粉藍料繪畫十一株綻放蓮花，包括三株璀璨並蒂千葉蓮，間以數朵待放花苞及水草。蓮葉交錯蜷展，部分邊沿以粉紅及粉黃點綴，部分有蟲蛀並變枯黃。構圖繁而不亂，色彩豐富瑰麗。內壁及底部罩透明釉。底部藍料書雙方框「康熙御製」宋體款。

4 3/8 in. (11 cm.) diam., box

來源

阿爾弗雷德．捷本諾爾 (Alfred Trapnell) (1838-1917)

瑪麗．珍妮．捷本諾爾夫人 (Mrs Mary Jane Trapnell)

倫敦佳士得，1955 年2 月16 日，拍品88 號

Sydney L. Moss，倫敦

里埃斯科 (R.F.A. Riesco) (1877-1964) ，藏品編號388e

Bluett & Son，倫敦

香港蘇富比，1983 年11 月15 日，拍品277 號

張宗憲珍藏

香港佳士得，1999 年11 月2 日，拍品509 號

張永珍博士珍藏

香港蘇富比，2013 年4 月8 日，拍品101 號

出版

《香港蘇富比二十週年》，香港，1993 年，圖版206 號

南京博物院編著，徐湖平主編，《宮廷珍藏中國清代官窰瓷器》，上海，2003 年，頁52 號

《香港佳士得二十週年回顧 — 中國瓷器及工藝品精選》，香港，2006 年，頁5 及227

展覽

香港藝術館，《天民樓藏瓷》，香港，1987 年，圖錄圖版90 號

倫敦佳士得，《雲海閣重要中國瓷器：張宗憲珍藏展》，倫敦，1993 年，圖錄圖版104 號

拍品專文

香遠益清：清康熙御製胭脂紅地琺瑯彩千葉蓮紋盌

本季呈獻的康熙御製盌巧絕天工，與之相近的傳世「康熙御製」款佳瓷寥寥無幾。此類作品俱由江西景德鎮御窯拉坯窯燒，製成素瓷胎後解運至北面一千公里外的皇城。創辦於康熙朝的宮廷作坊接手之後，再依照皇上的具體要求繪圖施彩。

無疑，皇上對此類瓷器常躬親過問，現存宮廷文檔多番提到，每件作品須先恭呈御覽，方可送至宮內作坊施彩。其中一筆記錄更涉及與康熙淵源甚深的曹家。曹寅曾入宮任康熙侍讀，母孫氏為康熙乳母，其父曹璽獲康熙賜官織造。曹家自此三代世襲， 1720 年由曹寅之侄曹頫接任。由此推論，景德鎮素瓷胎運京一事應由江寧織造承辦，故曹頫於康熙五十九年（公元1720 年）奏摺內有朱批諭示：「近來爾家差事甚多，如磁器琺瑯之類，先還有旨意件數，到京之後，送至御前覽完才燒琺瑯，今不知騙了多少磁器 ......」，詳見台北國立故宮博物院《清康雍乾名瓷特展》圖錄頁14（台北：1986）。

康熙對該等御瓷的關注，當然不囿於視察景德鎮素瓷。他對畫琺瑯器物（如歐洲諸國所贈的畫琺瑯瓷器）青睞有加，兼之對科技興趣濃厚，故此特地在宮內設立作坊，以推動畫琺瑯瓷器與金屬器的製作。此類宮廷作坊的製品種類繁多，由內務府轄下造辦處全權營辦。1691 年，許多作坊已遷至慈寧宮，但一部份仍位於紫禁城內皇上主要居所養心殿附近的啟祥宮內。至於別的宮廷作坊，則位於皇城西北面圓明園內，設於名號頗具雅趣的如意館內「洞天深處」。康熙銳意在本土製作上乘的御製琺瑯器，其重大舉措之一是於1696 年創辦玻璃廠。他授命巴伐利亞傳教士紀里安（Kilian Stumpf）執掌玻璃廠，更在法國耶穌會傳教士居處及蠶池口教堂（近紫禁城西安門）附近興建作坊。宮廷玻璃廠除了製作各式裝飾玻璃和鏡片外，還參與研發金屬器和瓷器的各色琺瑯彩，以期完善甚或取代歐洲進口琺瑯彩。《欽定大清會典事例》載述，琺瑯作坊於康熙五十七年（公元1718 年）從武英殿遷出，並移交養心殿管理及增配人手。

是次拍賣的康熙御製盌堪稱絕色，其紋飾糅合了琺瑯新彩的三大成員，而三者皆由宮廷作坊研製，其配方與歐洲版本迥然有異。其中最為人稱道者，是本盌的色地與粉紅蓮瓣所用的胭脂紅料，餘下二者為白料與黃料，兩者均為紋飾圖案增色不少。分析結果顯示，中國的胭脂紅料是以黃金膠狀顆粒呈色。中國胭脂紅料與歐洲「卡斯阿斯紫」( 安德烈‧ 卡斯亞斯於1650 年前後研發於萊頓）有兩大區別。中國琺瑯彩的含金量遠低於歐洲版本，且製備方式也有異於歐洲的卡斯阿斯紫。此外，中國彩料含錫甚低，工匠應是先製成紅玻璃，並將之研成粉末狀的顏料，再與透明無色的琺瑯料拌勻。這種本土工藝在玻璃匠當中十分流行，其優勢在於黃金用量較少，因而成本較低，且琺瑯彩的呈色更均勻，畫師落筆益發靈動揮灑。

至於不透明的粉紅彩，便是用這種紅玻璃粉末與砷化鉛白彩混合而成；而半透明的鮮紫（見於本拍品的近似例），則是將紅玻璃粉末與透明藍彩摻合的結果。值得一提的是，全新的不透明白彩採用的是砷酸鉛，而非歐洲的氧化錫；新的不透明黃彩則是用錫酸鉛呈色，而非歐洲習用之銻。各色與白彩混合後，可得出深淺有致的粉彩，或可當作施彩（如粉紅或黃）的底色，以渲染光影明暗。上述三種新彩俱研發於康熙後期，且常見於當時的御瓷，但除此之外，本拍品及其近似例尚糅合了一抹幽藍。雖然康熙朝創燒藍彩的年代略早，但這種清麗的琺瑯彩要到康熙後期始至臻完美。康熙帝苦心孤詣催生本土的畫琺瑯器物，觀乎此盌及其寥寥數件近似例，當可視之為清宮慶賀功成事遂之里程碑。此類器物絕非一式多件；相反，每器皆是獨一無二的孤品，即便配對者的紋樣亦非照搬無誤，而是相輔相成之作。

本季呈獻的絕妙康熙盌罕貴之至，一方面是因為其紋飾出於宮廷巧匠之手，且所用琺瑯彩諸色紛呈，另一方面亦可歸功於其生動寫實的蓮紋畫工。此盌的蓮花風姿綽約，旋而觀之，宛若畫卷徐徐展開。其實，這種花葉從足底拔地而起的格局，與若干名畫中的構圖頗具異曲同工之妙。其中一例是1970年山東省鄒縣出土的一幅水墨淡彩紙本手卷，此乃明初皇族墓葬文物，圖見山東省博物館發表的< 發掘明朱檀墓紀實>，收錄於《文物》1972 年第5 期頁25-36 圖版2-4，另可參考J. Fontein 及吳同合撰的《Unearthing China’s Past》頁235-7 圖133（波士頓：1973）。這幅錢選（公元1235 至1305 年）所作的《白蓮圖》（圖一），是洪武帝（公元1368 至1398 年在位）第十子魯荒王朱檀（公元1370 至 1390 年）陪葬之物。它很可能曾納入著名的祥哥剌吉公主（生卒年約為公元1283 至1331 年，曾祖為忽必烈）舊藏，因朱檀墓發現的四幅畫中，兩者鈐「皇姊圖書」印。此畫對本拍品而言意義重大，因為它畫工寫實，連蓮莖上的小刺亦如實呈現，屬於同類型畫作中的早期實例，而本拍品在這些細節上的處理同樣細緻入微。

Qian Xuan (1235-1305), White Lotus , excavated in 1970 at Zhouxian in Shandong province from the tomb of a member of the early Ming dynasty royal family

Chen Chun (1483–1544), Flowering Lotus, dated by the artist's inscription to the seventh month of the guimao year (AD 1543), collection of the Art Institute Chicago.

另一幅相關的作品是明代陳淳（公元1483 至1544 年）的水墨設色紙本蓮花圖（圖二），畫家題識指繪於癸卯（公元1543 年）七月，此畫現為芝加哥藝術學院藏，詳見圖6，全文發表於《Chinese Art Society of America Archives》1956 年刊號X。畫中蓮花自然寫實，與本拍品如出一轍，而蓮莖亦像錢選畫作般帶刺。

但在康熙御製琺瑯彩瓷中，鮮見畫風寫實的蓮紋，相較之下牡丹更為常見。即便如此，康熙命人以蓮紋來裝飾這些他念茲在茲的瓷器，其實與後世對他的評價可謂不謀而合。康熙雖出身滿族，但素來仰慕中原文化，且學養甚佳，性情愛好無不深具文人意趣。他對宋明理學頗感興趣，所以對蓮花之吉祥寓意自當耳熟能詳。據載，康熙御製咏蓮詩便有四首。但論及中國文學史上最膾炙人口的咏蓮之作，依然首推周敦頤（公元1017 至1073 年）的《愛蓮說》：「水陸草木之花，可愛者甚蕃。晉陶淵明獨愛菊；自李唐來，世人甚愛牡丹。予獨愛蓮之出淤泥而不染，濯清漣而不妖，中通外直，不蔓不枝，香遠益清，亭亭凈植，可遠觀而不可褻玩焉。予謂：菊，花之隱逸者也；牡丹，花之富貴者也；蓮，花之君子者也。噫！菊之愛，陶後鮮有聞。蓮之愛，同予者何人？牡丹之愛，宜乎眾矣！」

較諸別的花卉，蓮花孤高清逸，周敦頤在字裏行間洋溢着對蓮的愛慕之情，且以儒家「君子」形象譽之。其實，在中國文學史上，對蓮花之謳歌還可追溯至更早，《楚辭》中仿民間招魂唱詞所作的< 招魂> 便是一例，此篇一說是屈原作，一說是戰國時宋玉作，收於王逸公元二世紀《楚辭章句》註本。此處召喚的對象乃楚王之魂，作者以紅塵中百般旖旎誘之勸之，其中也提到了御苑景致，如「冬有穾廈，夏室寒些」，以及「坐堂伏檻，臨曲池些。芙蓉始發，雜芰荷些」等蓮池風光，其英譯本可參詳霍克思（David Hawkes）著作〈The Songs of Ch’u〉，收錄於Cyril Birch 所編《Anthology of Chinese Literature》頁76（紐約：1965）。

古往今來，高人逸士對蓮花無不揄揚有加，唐代著名詩人白居易（公元772 至846 年）亦曾借《池上篇》描述其「草堂」前的清池美景。詩中指出「紫菱白蓮」等「皆吾所好，盡在吾前」，兼具「時飲一杯，或吟一篇」之樂。涼亭高坐，眼前水波瀲灧、和風習習，觸目菱蓮搖曳、荷香幽幽，此乃詩人千古吟唱的題材之一。高士身處亭台水榭，探身細味一縷荷香之夏景，亦是司空見慣的繪畫主題。它們呈現的不僅是夏日情致，更隱含了周敦頤以蓮喻君子之德的儒家情操。

根據中國傳統文化，蓮的寓意無比禎祥。它與佛教息息相關，乃美麗與純潔之化身，其花與葉亦常借指和諧。蓮的名稱眾多，大部份寄寓了「早生貴子」、「連生貴子」等期盼。蓮花綻放之際，蓮房業已成形，這一特殊的現象應是蓮象徵「早生貴子」的原因之一。古代繪畫甚或康熙琺瑯彩瓷中的蓮紋，其形象無論是含苞、盛放、結籽或荷葉舒卷，俱極盡繪飾之能事。由於蓮的苞、花、籽實同時存在，仿佛體現了過去、現在與未來這三個天地萬物必經的階段。本拍品的荷葉邊沿微微泛黃，葉脈纖毫畢現，類似的畫工亦見諸於1716 年為康熙六十壽辰燒造的珍罕粉彩祝壽盤（圖三），其中一例為大衛德爵士珍藏，圖見蘇玫瑰所著《形秀色麗四代珍》頁115 編號124（倫敦：1992）。鑑於蓮花通體是寶，所以其興衰榮枯皆為吟誦之題材。即便寒冬來臨，水面僅餘枯枝敗葉，蓮依然為騷人墨客所喜，因其水面的倒影恍如書家筆下的婉約疏狂。

清代帝王的愛蓮之心，不僅體現在宮廷御製藝術品，更彰顯於他們在宮內廣植蓮花的熱忱。康熙之孫乾隆（公元1736 至1795 年在位）有詠蓮詩多首，並數度提到溫泉、湯泉或溫池中的蓮花。據《清高宗御製詩初集》卷四十< 湯泉新荷> 一詩所述，溫池或溫泉顯然有助提前蓮之花期。此詩節錄如下：

別浦田田才見葉，溫池灼灼已開荷。

寒暄誰令殊所託，遲速因之異幾多。

此詩作於丁卯四月（即公元1747 年），可見這些宮中特設的溫池，使皇上早於暮春即可賞荷，而毋須待到夏暖之時。

康熙亦想方設法，冀圖在宮中得享賞荷之樂。蓮花常與消暑相提並論，故此熱河（今河北承德）行宮也有蓮的芳蹤。當地群山圍繞，康熙於1703 年敕令在此處動工興建避暑山莊。主宮殿群於1711 年竣工，康熙賜名「避暑山莊」，並選三十六處勝景，各賦詩誌之，另詔令畫家沈嵛為詩製圖，1712 年結集為圖文並茂的《御製避暑山莊詩》，康熙特為此作序，並欽定書中題註。尤須一提的是，皇上御選勝景之中，多處植有蓮花，康熙更諭令在行宮設計中加設蓮池，所以避暑山莊內，蓮花隨處可見。宮內更將整片院落蓄水為池，以便種植金蓮。金蓮產自敖漢旗，地處蒙古地區，故又名「敖漢蓮」，此花風姿綽約，且頗為耐寒。乾隆於1772 至1781 年間命人編纂《欽定熱河志》( 收錄於《四庫全書》），據卷九十四記載：「敖漢所產，較關內尤佳，山莊移植之。塞外地寒，草木多早黃落，荷獨深秋尚開，木蘭回蹕時猶有開放者。」

康熙帝有四首咏蓮詩傳世，三者皆提到「千葉蓮」。以下《千葉蓮》一詩正是寫他在御苑坐看斜陽，眼前蓮池艷重芳傳，宮女泛舟採荷，近臣妙筆生花，一片閒情逸趣躍然紙上：

禁苑初秋玉殿涼，綠荷經瀨遞清商。

千英水面重重艷，幾度風前柄柄香。

宮女移船搖紺葉，近臣載筆詠紅芳。

定心坐對西山靜，不管穠纖暎夕陽。

Enamelled dish showing a pond scene, Qing dynasty, Kangxi mark and period, about AD 1713. Porcelain with overglaze enamels, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. On loan from Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art ( PDF A836) . Copyright SOAS

康熙對千葉蓮情有獨鍾，在位最後一年前（即康熙六十一年，公元1722 年）曾命工擅花鳥的內閣學士兼禮部侍郎蔣廷錫（公元1669 至1732 年）作《敖漢千葉蓮》軸（圖四），圖見《乾隆皇帝的文化大業》頁85 編號II-8（台北：2002）。康熙觀畫後龍顏大悅，着陪侍七臣題詩誌之。此軸現為台北國立故宮博物院珍藏，畫中蓮花（一枝為粉紅並蒂蓮）與本拍品的共通之處顯而易見。本拍品燒造於康熙晚期，所以畫瓷師很可能曾師法蔣氏畫作，甚或是皇上授意為之，由此看來，此盌當可斷代為1722 年。這一推論更可解釋，為何本拍品與雍正元年（即 1723 年）郎世寧所作《聚瑞圖》( 詳見下文）如斯接近。頗堪玩味的是，康熙之孫乾隆對繪製於1722 年的《敖漢千葉蓮》亦青眼有加，以至畫成六十三年之後，乾隆五十年（公元1785 年），他在行宮居停期間，再次令人取出此畫觀賞。他對畫中蓮花的惟妙惟肖深為賞識，並命皇子及在座五臣為此賦詩誌之。

可圈可點的是，《敖漢千葉蓮》中繪有一莖二花的並蒂蓮，本拍品亦繪並蒂蓮三枝。此花又名「並頭蓮」，極為罕貴，且飽含吉祥寓意，若置諸宮苑，還可引申為政清人和、太平盛世。花開並蒂亦象徵夫妻恩愛、至死不渝。它又稱「千瓣蓮」，借指千般願望皆如願以償。並蒂蓮是因花芽分生，形成兩個獨立的花蕾，故有二花並開的現象，由於無法人工複製或培植，所以被視為花中珍品。並蒂蓮的生成機率極低，且純屬天然，其蓮蓬亦並列而生。台北國立故宮博物院珍藏一幅意大利耶穌會傳教士郎世寧（Giuseppe Castiglione，公元1688 至1766 年）的水墨設色絹本名作《聚瑞圖》（圖五），郎氏題識顯示作於雍正元年（公元1723 年），圖見《新視界：郎世寧與清宮西洋風》頁50-51 編號11（台北：2007）。畫中當眼處繪並蒂蓮一枝及蓮蓬一對。另有一幅雍正肖像（圖六），畫中的雍正輕拈一並蒂蓮狀的如意，此乃雍正初年的作品。該幅水墨設色絹本立軸現藏北京故宮，圖見《Forbidden City – Imperial Treasures from the Palace Museum, Beijing》頁70-71 編號47（弗吉尼亞：2014）。

本拍品的蓮紋之間水草掩映，這種葉形修長的植物或是菖蒲。菖蒲本身亦是祥瑞之物，相傳具辟邪延年等奇效。但它也可能是蘆葦，雖則圖中未見蘆穗。蘆葦同樣是吉祥的象徵，其根系可防止水土流失，且蘆諧「路」，若與蓮同時出現，則形同祝願應試者「一路連科」。

如上所述，康熙御製畫琺瑯器物之中，無論是瓷器或金屬胎，以自然寫實的蓮紋為飾者極罕。實際上，紋飾格局與畫風最具參考價值的是一件品相一流的康熙御製銅胎香爐，此器於2004 年11 月9 日經倫敦佳士得售出（拍品編號21）（圖七）。它出自著名的放山居舊藏，莫里森（Alfred Morrison，1821 至1897 年）於十九世紀購入，自此在其家族代代相傳。香爐的蓮花和蘆葦格局均與本拍品雷同。由於爐身以黃色為地，所以畫師用紫花取代了本盌的黃花，餘下的白色、粉紅色及藍色花卉俱同。金屬胎香爐署藍料四字康熙御製款，而瓷器似乎多署胭脂紅彩年款。

From the Fonthill Collection & Alfred Morrison (1821-1897) Collection. A beautiful metal-bodied tripod censer, Kangxi yuzhi mark and period (1662-1722), sold at Christie's London, 9th November 2004, lot 21 . © Christie's Image Ltd

Pastel pink ground porcelain bowl, Kangxi yuzhi mark and period (1662-1722), in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei

Small cup, Kangxi yuzhi mark and period (1662-1722), formerly in the collection of the American heiress and philanthropist Barbara Hutton, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 3rd November 1998, lot 960 . © Christie's Image Ltd

飾通景蓮紋且畫風寫實的近似康熙御製器物，似乎僅有二例見於著錄，兩者均飾黃地：一者為台北故宮珍藏淺盤（圖八），圖見《福壽康寧：吉祥圖案瓷器特展》頁160 編號82（台北：1995）；其二是美國女繼承人及慈善家赫頓（Barbara Hutton）舊藏小盃，於1998 年11 月3 日經香港佳士得拍出（拍品編號960）（圖九）。倫敦蘇富比1937 年5 月 26 日拍賣會的圖錄中，曾提到第三例康熙御製瓷盌（拍品編號100），惜未見圖示。此盌出自中國著名藏家暨古董商吳賚熙舊藏，據稱其地子粉紅，可能像本拍品般呈色偏深。另外，圖錄指盌身飾黃蓮二朵，翠蓮及藍蓮各一朵，伴以蓮蓬荷葉，署粉紅彩康熙御製款。雖然文中未有提及吳氏藏盌繪有其他植物，但上述金屬胎香爐及二例黃地瓷器的蓮紋，皆以修長的蘆葦點綴。赫頓小盃的蓮花和蘆葦中，也襯以小巧藍花。台北故宮尚珍藏一件康熙御製盌（圖十），器身以粉彩胭脂紅為地，其上繪自然寫實的蓮紋，圖見《清宮中琺瑯彩瓷特展》頁42 編號6（台北：1992）。然而，其外壁有四面開光，內繪四季花卉（即牡丹、梅花、茶花和菊花），其中僅有一面開光繪蓮紋。

有趣的是，上述各例皆無本拍品的並蒂蓮紋。可見此器極為特殊，更有可能是為康熙格外重視的場合特為燒製。盌身的寶石紅地嬌艷欲滴，所繪通景蓮池細膩傳神，並綴以並蒂蓮數株，寓意禎祥，洵為康熙御瓷中獨一無二的絕色佳瓷。

A FINE AND EXTRAORDINARY IMPERIAL RUBY RED-GROUND FALANGCAI ‘DOUBLE LOTUS’ BOWL

KANGXI BLUE-ENAMELLED FOUR-CHARACTER MARK WITHIN A DOUBLE SQUARE AND OF THE PERIOD, CIRCA 1722

Price realised

HKD 87,200,000

Estimate on request

Closed:

27 Nov 2019

A FINE AND EXTRAORDINARY IMPERIAL RUBY RED-GROUND FALANGCAI ‘DOUBLE LOTUS’ BOWL

KANGXI BLUE-ENAMELLED FOUR-CHARACTER MARK WITHIN A DOUBLE SQUARE AND OF THE PERIOD, CIRCA 1722

The bowl is superbly potted with thin rounded sides rising from a straight foot to a slightly flared rim, exquisitely painted on the exterior with enamels of rich, vibrant tones depicting a continuous lotus pond, featuring large lotus blooms in yellow, pink, blue and greenish white, including three double-headed blossoms, all supported on slender studded stalks bearing broad lotus leaves brilliantly enamelled in green, some of which decorated with pink and yellow on the furled edges, others with signs of wilting characterised by brown areas surrounding insect-eaten holes. The blooms are interspersed with smaller buds and water reeds in blue, all reserved against a dazzling ruby-red ground. The interior and base are left plain. The base is enamelled in blue with a Kangxi yuzhi mark.

4 3/8 in. (11 cm.) diam., box

PROVENANCE

Alfred Trapnell (1838-1917)

Mrs Mary Jane Trapnell

Sold at Christie’s London, 16 February 1955, lot 88

Sydney L. Moss, London

R.F.A. Riesco (1877-1964) Collection, no. 388e

Bluett & Son, London

Sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 15 November 1983, lot 277

The Robert Chang Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 November 1999, lot 509

The Dr Alice Cheng Collection, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 April, 2013, lot 101

LITERATURE

Sotheby’s Hong Kong, Twenty Years, 1973-1993, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 206

Nanjing Museum ed., Treasures in the Royalty: The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p. 52

Christie’s 20 Years in Hong Kong: Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Highlights, Hong Kong, 2006, pp. 5 and 227

EXHIBITED

Hong Kong Museum of Art, Chinese Porcelain. The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, Cat. no. 90

Christie’s London, An Exhibition of Important Chinese Ceramics from the Robert Chang Collection, London, 1993, Cat. no. 104

IMPERIAL LOVE OF LOTUS

Rosemary Scott

Senior International Academic Consultant

This exquisite imperial Kangxi bowl belongs to a small group of exceptionally fine porcelains which bear the mark ‘Kangxi yuzhi’. Such porcelains were thrown and fired at the Imperial kilns at Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province, but were then sent, in their white, unadorned, state, more than a thousand kilometres north to the court at Beijing. There, the porcelains were assigned to the imperial ateliers, established by the Kangxi Emperor, to be decorated to his exact specifications.

Indeed, the extent of the emperor’s intense personal interest in these porcelains can be seen from some of the imperial documents that have survived to the present day, which make clear that the emperor personally inspected each piece before it was sent to the palace ateliers for enamelling. One such document involves the Cao family, who had very close links to the Kangxi emperor. Cao Yin was a childhood friend of Kangxi, and his mother Lady Sun had been the emperor’s wet nurse, while Cao Yin’s father Cao Xi was appointed by the Kangxi Emperor to be Imperial Textile Commissioner. The post of Imperial Textile Commissioner was passed down through the family for three generations, and in 1720 it was held by Cao Yin’s nephew Cao Fu. It would appear that the Imperial Textile Commissioner in Nanjing was responsible for forwarding the undecorated porcelains from Jingdezhen to the palace in Beijing, and in the 59th year of the Kangxi reign (AD 1720) the emperor wrote a very terse response, in vermillion ink, on a report sent to him by Cao Fu. His Imperial Majesty noted:

“Your family is currently entrusted with many offices, including the provision of porcelain for enamelling. I have previously laid down quotas, which must be met. Only after I have finished inspecting them are the plain white porcelains, which have arrived in Beijing, approved for the application and firing of enamels. At present I do not know of how many porcelains you have cheated me.”

(Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of K’ang-hsi , Yung-cheng and Ch’ienlung Porcelain ware from the Ch’ing Dynasty in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, p. 14)

The Kangxi Emperor’s interest in these imperial porcelains was not, of course, limited to the inspection of the blanks sent from Jingdezhen. It was his personal fascination with painted enamel wares, such as those he received as gifts from Europe, coupled with his interest in technology, that caused him to establish and encourage the palace workshops to create fine enamelling on both porcelain and metal-bodied wares. The official workshops, making a wide range of items for the court, were run by a body known as the Zaobanchu (Office of Manufacture and Procurement), which came under the auspices of the Imperial Household Administration. Some of these workshops were within the Forbidden City itself in the Qixiang gong (Palace of Unfolding Auspiciousness) near to the Yangxin dian (Hall of Mental Cultivation), the emperor’s main residence, although many workshops were moved to the Cining gong (Palace of Benevolence and Tranquillity) in 1691. Other imperial workshops were set up in the Yuanming yuan (Garden of Perfect Brightness) northwest of the Imperial City. They were in the area of the garden called Dongtian shenchu (Deep Vault of Heaven) in a complex bearing the evocative name Ruyi guan (Hall of Wishes Fulfilled). A crucial part of the Kangxi Emperor’s mission to have fine imperial enamelled wares made in China, was his establishment of an imperial glass factory in 1696. The emperor installed a Bavarian missionary, by the name of Kilian Stumpf, as director, and ordered the building of the glassworks near to the residence of the French Jesuits and the church at Canchiko, near the Xi’an Gate in the Forbidden City. In addition to making all types of ornamental glass and lenses, the imperial glassworks were also involved in the development of a palette of enamels for painting on metal and porcelain to augment, and eventually replace, the enamel colours being imported from Europe. According to the Collected Statutes and Precedents of the Qing Dynasty, in the 57th year of the Kangxi reign (AD 1718) the enamel ateliers were moved from the Wuying dian (Hall of Martial Valour) and came under the direct auspices of the Yangxin dian, with additional administrative staff.

The current stunning Kangxi yuzhi bowl employs three of the important colours from the new enamel palette, which were all developed in the imperial ateliers to different recipes than those used in Europe. The most famous of these is the ruby red, which provides the exceptionally rich background colour on this bowl, and was also used to create the pink lotus blossoms, while the other two colours are white and yellow – both of which have significantly contributed to the beauty of the design on the current bowl. Analysis has shown that the rose colour of the Chinese enamel was due to tiny colloidal particles of gold. Two aspects of the Chinese rose enamel differentiate it from the European colour - the so-called ‘Purple of Cassius’, developed by Andreas Cassius of Leyden in about 1650. The Chinese enamel has a significantly lower gold content than the European colour, and it does not appear to have been made in the same way as the European ‘Purple of Cassius’. The Chinese enamel also has a much lower tin content and was made by making a ruby glass and then grinding this up as a pigment to be dispersed in the clear enamel. The advantages of the Chinese method, which was well known among glass makers, was that it was less expensive - in that it used less gold - and it was also easier to achieve an even coloration within the enamel, allowing for a much more fluent painting style.

An opaque pink was achieved by mixing this ground-up ruby glass with lead arsenic white, and the translucent bright purple, seen on some other porcelains from the same group as the current bowl, was created by adding ground-up ruby glass to a clear blue enamel. It is also significant that the new white opaque enamel pigment was lead arsenate, rather than the tin oxide used in Europe, and the new opaque yellow owed its colour to leadstannate, rather than antimony. The white enamel allowed mixing to create pastel shades and also could be used to form a base colour onto which other colours, such as pink or yellow could be applied to suggest shading. All three of these new colours were developed and used on fine imperial wares in the latter part of the Kangxi reign, and it is noteworthy that the decoration on this bowl, and others from the group, also includes a beautifully intense blue enamel. Blue enamel was developed a little earlier in the Kangxi reign, but it was not until later in the reign that this clear bright blue was perfected. It is tempting to see the current bowl, and the small number of other vessels in this group, as an imperial celebration of the success of the Kangxi Emperor’s determination to achieve Chinese painted enamelled wares of the highest standard. These were not porcelains produced in multiples. Each was an individual work of art, and when a pair of vessels was made, their decoration was not identical, but was complementary.

This beautiful imperial Kangxi bowl is extremely rare, not only for having been decorated at the imperial ateliers, and for the choice of enamel colours, but also for the choice of naturalistically painted lotuses as the decorative motif. These elegant lotuses encircle the exterior of the bowl like a handscroll. Indeed, the way in which the stems of both flowers and leaves appear to grow from the base of the bowl is very reminiscent of the way in which lotuses are painted on some important Chinese handscrolls. One such handscroll, in ink and light colour on paper, was excavated in 1970 at Zhouxian in Shandong province from the tomb of a member of the early Ming dynasty royal family (illustrated by Shandong Provincial Museum, ‘Report of the excavation of the tomb of Zhu Tan of the Ming dynasty’, Wenwu, 1972, no. 5, pp. 25-36, pls. 2-4; and J. Fontein and Wu Tung, Unearthing China’s Past, Boston, 1973, pp. 235-7, fig. 133). The handscroll, entitled White Lotus, by Qian Xuan (1235-1305) (fig. 1) was found in the tomb of Zhu Tan, Prince Huang of Lu (1370-1390) the tenth son of the Hongwu Emperor (r. 1368-1398). The painting is likely to have been in the famous collection of the Grand Princess of Lu (Princess Sengge Ragi of Lu c. 1283-1331, great-granddaughter of Khublai Khan), as her seal ‘Library of the Imperial Elder Sister’ appears on two of the four paintings found in Zhu Tan’s tomb. The painting is important in relation to the current bowl, since it is an early example of this natural configuration in lotus painting, and is also an early example of the depiction of the tiny hairs on the surface of the lotus stems, which have similarly been painted in careful detail on the current bowl.

Another related handscroll in ink and colour on paper by the Ming dynasty artist Chen Chun (1483–1544), entitled Flowering Lotus (fig. 2), and dated by the artist’s inscription to the seventh month of the guimao year (AD 1543), is now in the collection of the Art Institute Chicago (illustrated in ‘Oriental Art Recently Acquired by American Museums, 1955’, Chinese Art Society of America Archives, X, 1956, fig. 6). This handscroll also shares the naturalistic arrangement in the depiction of lotus seen on the current bowl, and, like the Qian Xuan scroll, also shares the details of the hairs on the lotus stems.

However, naturalistically painted lotuses are very rare among the flowers included in the decoration of Kangxi enamelled yuzhi porcelains, and peonies are a more frequent choice. Nevertheless, it is entirely in keeping with what we know of the Kangxi Emperor that he should command that lotuses to be applied to such very personal ceramics. Despite being a Manchu, the Kangxi Emperor was fascinated by Chinese culture; he was himself something of a scholar, and in many ways his tastes were influenced by those of the Chinese literati. He was drawn to Neo-Confucianism, and would have been well aware of the auspicious symbolism of lotuses. Four poems on the subject of lotuses, written by the Kangxi Emperor himself, are recorded. However, the best known of all the Chinese literary references to this flower is the work entitled On the Love of the Lotus (Ai lian shou) By Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073):

‘Amongst the plants of water and land, there are many deserving of

admiration.

In the Jin dynasty Tao Yuanming particularly cherished chrysanthemums;

Since the royal house of Li in the Tang dynasty people have been enamoured

of peonies;

But I especially love lotuses, for they emerge unsullied from the mud,

They are bathed by clear water and yet are not voluptuous,

Their stems are hollow [humble] on the inside and straight, without tendrils

or branches.

At a distance their fragrance is all the purer,

Standing erect, they may be admired from afar, but should not be profaned by

touch.

I regard the chrysanthemum as the recluse of flowers.;

The peony as the flower of riches and honours;

But the lotus is the gentleman of flowers.

Alas, few since Tao [Yuanming] have loved the chrysanthemum;

Who else can match my love of the lotus?

As for peonies, they are always popular.’

Zhou Dunyi makes clear his admiration for the modesty and purity of the lotus compared to other flowers and likens it to the Confucian ideal of a ‘gentleman’. However, the lure of lotus is celebrated in even earlier Chinese literature, including a shamanistic chant, the Zhao Hun (Summoning of the Soul), included in the Chu Ci (Songs of Chu), named for works attributed to Qu Yuan and Song Yu of the Warring States period and anthologised by Wang Yi in the 2nd century AD. The shamans’ chant is intended to persuade the soul of the king to return to his body and amongst the earthly delights with which they tempt him are gardens. The description of the gardens includes pavilions and galleries that are cool in summer, overlooking a winding pool in which the lotus blossoms have just opened (David Hawkes trans., ‘The Songs of Ch’u’, in Cyril Birch ed., Anthology of Chinese Literature, New York, 1965, p. 76).

Lotuses have been admired by many Chinese literati over the centuries, and in his poem On the Pond the revered Tang poet Bai Juyi (AD 772–846) described the pool in front of his famous ‘grass hut’. He noted the white lotus and the purple water chestnuts, and expressed the pleasure he felt in the whole scene, while drinking wine or declaiming verse. The enjoyment to be found seated in a cool pavilion, watching the waves on a pond, seeing the aquatic plants gentle waving in the breeze, and breathing in the delicate scent of lotuses became a popular theme amongst Chinese poets. There are also many paintings depicting a scholar in summer, seated in a waterside pavilion, leaning out over the water to enjoy the fragrance of the lotuses. This was not only a representation of the pleasures of summer, but again a reference to the Confucian idea that the lotus represented the ‘gentleman’ or ‘superior man’ – the junzi of Zhou Dunyi’s poem.

In traditional Chinese culture the lotus has many auspicious meanings. It is associated with Buddhism, is symbolic of beauty and purity, and both the lotus flower and the lotus leaf provide a pun for harmony. The various names for the lotus also provide rebuses auguring the imminent and continual arrival of illustrious sons. An unusual feature of the lotus is that the seedpod is already visible when the flower begins to open, and this too is believed to suggest the early birth of sons. When depicted in classical paintings, or indeed on Kangxi enamelled wares, all parts of the lotus are celebrated – the flower buds, the flowers and their seed pods, and the leaves. The fact that the lotus displays buds, flowers and seed pods at the same time is felt to represent the three stages of existence – past, present, and future. Even the delicate bronzing and tracery of the leaf edges as they age is carefully depicted on both the current Kangxi yuzhi bowl, and on the finest Kangxi famille verte ‘birthday’ plates (fig. 3), made for the 60th birthday of the Kangxi Emperor in 1716, such as the example in the collection of Sir Percival David (illustrated by Rosemary Scott in Elegant Form and Harmonious Decoration – Four Dynasties of Jingdezhen Porcelain, London, 1992, p. 115, no. 124). As all parts of the lotus were prized, so all stages of the lotus’s life cycle were revered. Even in the winter, when all that remained above the surface of the pool were the bent and broken stems, these were admired by scholars, who saw in the reflection of the stems in the still water a likeness to the brush strokes of fine calligraphy.

The appreciation of lotuses by the emperors of the Qing dynasty is attested to not only in the art created for their courts, but in their own determination to surround themselves with the living plants. Among the many poems on the subject of lotuses composed by the Kangxi Emperor’s grandson, the Qianlong Emperor (1736-95), several refer to special warm springs or warm ponds (wenquan, tangquan or wenchi) in which lotuses were grown. One of these poems, entitled Tangquan xinhe New Lotus in the Hot Spring (recorded in Qing Gaozong yuzhi shi chuji , juan 40, makes it clear that these warm pools or warm springs enabled lotuses to blossom much earlier in the year than they would naturally have done. Part of the poem may be translated as:

‘In the other pools the new leaves are just beginning to sprout,While the warm pool is already full of glorious lotus blossoms.The temperature difference between the cold and warm [pools] is suchThat the speed [of growth] is altered accordingly.’

As the poem was composed in the fourth month of the dingmao year (equivalent to AD 1747) it would seem that, by employing these specially warmed pools, the court could enjoy the beauty of lotus flowers in late spring, rather than having to wait for the warmer summer months.

The Kangxi Emperor also ensured that he could enjoy lotuses within his palaces. Lotuses were especially associated with relief from the heat of summer and so were also a feature of the Imperial Summer Palace in Jehol (present-day Chengde in Hebei province). The Kangxi Emperor ordered the construction of a summer palace in this mountainous area, and work was begun in 1703. When the main palace complex was completed in 1711, the Kangxi Emperor bestowed upon it the name Bishu Shanzhuang (Mountain Villa for Avoiding the Heat), and also selected thirty-six scenic views, composing a poem for each of them. The emperor commanded the artist Shen Yu to create illustrations for each poem, and the poems with their illustrations were published in 1712 in Thirty-six Imperial Poems on Bishu Shanzhuang, with a preface by the Kangxi Emperor himself and annotations inscribed on the emperor’s instructions. It is remarkable how many of the views chosen by the emperor included areas of lotus, and it is recorded that the emperor required lotus ponds to be incorporated into the design of the palace, and lotus are planted in profusion throughout the Bishu Shanzhuang. Indeed, one entire courtyard was given over to a pool containing golden lotuses. Lotuses were imported from an area in Mongolia that was part of the Aohan Banner and so the lotuses are known as Aohan lotus, and were appreciated not only for their beauty, but also because they were less susceptible to cold weather. There is specific mention in the Qinding Rehe zhi, juan 94 (included in the Siku quanshu Complete Library in Four Branches of Literature, compiled on the orders of the Qianlong Emperor between 1772 and 1781), noting that the lotuses from Aohan are even better than those grown in Rehe, and that as the area beyond the border is very cold, many other plants wither earlier than elsewhere. Only this lotus blooms well into the autumn, and was sometimes even in bloom after the court returned from the autumn Mulan hunt.

Of the four surviving poems written by the Kangxi Emperor on the subject of lotuses, three refer to the ‘thousand-petal lotus’. The following poem captures the tranquil pleasure experienced by the Kangxi Emperor as he sat at dusk in the imperial garden, enjoying the beauty and fragrance of the lotuses and watching the palace ladies in their boats viewing the blossoms, while favoured ministers try to capture the likeness of the lotuses in paintings.

Thousand-Petal Lotus

‘Early autumn in the Forbidden garden, the Jade Palace is cool;

Green lotuses in rushing stream, deliver clear music.

Thousands bloom above water, layered bright colours;

Countless rounds of wind blow, every stem fragrant.

Palace ladies row their boats, shaking the blue-green leaves;

Trusted ministers move their brushes, praising the red beauties.

Calming my mind, I sit quietly opposite the Western mountain;

Not disturbed by the scenery glowing in the setting sun.’

So great was the Kangxi Emperor’s admiration for thousand-petal lotuses that in the 61st year of his reign (AD 1722), which was also the last year of his reign, he commanded the court artist and Grand Secretary to the Imperial Court Jiang Tingxi (1669-1732) to create the painting Lotus of a Thousand Petals (fig. 4) (illustrated Emperor Ch’ien-Lung’s Grand Cultural Enterprise, Taipei, 2002, p. 85, no. II-8). The Kangxi Emperor was so delighted with the painting that he instructed seven of the ministers who were in attendance to compose poems and inscribe them on the painting. Looking at this painting, which is in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, it is possible to see a clear similarity between the lotuses in the painting, which include a pink double lotus, and those on the current bowl. In view of the fact that the bowl was made late in the Kangxi reign, it seems quite possible that the painting served as inspiration for the ceramic artist who painted the bowl – probably at the instigation of the emperor, and thus the bowl should be dated to 1722. This dating would also explain the close similarities with a Castiglione painting of Assembled Auspiciousness, discussed below, since the latter is dated to the first year of the Yongzheng reign, 1723. Interestingly, the 1722 paintings of Lotus of a Thousand Petals was also greatly admired by the Kangxi Emperor’s grandson the Qianlong Emperor, and in the 50th year of the Qianlong reign (AD 1785), 63 years after it was painted, the emperor visited the Summer Palace and had the painting brought out so that he could view it. The Qianlong Emperor was so impressed by the accuracy with which it represented the lotus flowers, that he instructed his son and five of the ministers in attendance to add their own poems to the painting.

It is significant that one of the plants depicted in the painting of Lotus of a Thousand Petals is a double lotus – one which has two blooms on a single stem, and that three of the flower stems depicted on the current Kangxi yuzhi bowl bear double flower heads. Double lotuses – bingdilian or bingtoulian - are highly prized, being regarded as particularly auspicious and in the current context also suggesting the reign of a wise and virtuous ruler, and successful future endeavours. Such flowers are also a literary reference to a loving couple who enjoy eternal harmony. They are sometimes known as qianbanlian (a thousand things accomplished lotus). On a double lotus the original bud divides into two meristem centres and produces twin flower buds, which open into paired blooms. Such double lotuses are especially valued because they cannot be induced artificially nor specially bred. Their appearance is rare and entirely natural, and their two flowers will in turn produce two seed pods. Double lotus stems are amongst the plants depicted in the famous hanging scroll in ink and colours on silk, entitled Assembled Auspiciousness (fig. 5), by the Italian Jesuit court artist Giuseppe Castiglione (Lang Shining 1688-1766), signed and dated by him to the first year of the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor, AD 1723 (now in the collection of the National Palace Museum, the painting is illustrated in New Visons at the Ch’ing Court – Giuseppe Castiglione and Western-Style Trends, Taipei, 2007, pp. 50-51, no. 11). In this painting both a double lotus blossom and a double lotus pod are prominently displayed. There is also a portrait of the Yongzheng Emperor, (fig. 6) apparently from early in his reign, delicately holding a sceptre carved in the form of a double lotus. This hanging scroll in ink and colour on silk is preserved in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing (illustrated in Forbidden City – Imperial Treasures from the Palace Museum, Beijing, Virginia, 2014, pp. 70-71, no. 47).

On the current bowl the lotuses are accompanied by the slender leaves which may be intended to represent another aquatic plant, sweet flag (Acorus calamus, in Chinese changpu). This too is an auspicious plant, which was believed to have magical properties, including the ability to ward off evil and prolong life. However, the second plant may, alternatively, be a type of reed luwei (Phragmites australis), although no seed heads are depicted. These reeds are also regarded as auspicious – on a practical level because their root system prevents soil erosion, but also because one of these reeds provides a pun for ‘all the way’, and they can provide auspicious wishes for imperial examination candidates.

As already noted, naturalistic depictions of lotus are very rare on the yuzhi enamelled wares of the Kangxi reign – either on porcelain or on metal bodies. Indeed, perhaps the closest vessel in terms of decorative arrangement and painting style is a beautiful metal-bodied Kangxi yuzhi mark and period tripod censer, which was sold by Christie’s London on 9th November, 2004, lot 21 (fig. 7). This censer came from the famous Fonthill Collection, and had been in the family since it was acquired in the 19th century by Alfred Morrison (1821-1897). It is decorated with lotus plants and reeds arranged in a similar fashion to those on the current bowl. The censer has a yellow ground, and so in place of the yellow blossoms on the bowl, the censer has some purple flowers, in addition to the white, pink and blue blossoms shared by both vessels. The metal-bodied censer has a blue four-character Kangxi yuzhi mark, while some of the marks on porcelain vessels were written in rose pink enamel.

Only two other Kangxi yuzhi vessels with an encircling decoration of naturalistically painted lotuses appear to have been published. These are both porcelains with yellow grounds. One is a shallow dish (fig. 8) in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Good Fortune, long Life, Health, and Peace: A Special Exhibition of Porcelains with Auspicious Designs, Taipei, 1995, p. 160, no. 82. The other is a small cup, formerly in the collection of the American heiress and philanthropist Barbara Hutton, which was sold by Christie’s Hong Kong on 3rd November 1998, lot 960 (fig. 9).

A third Kangxi yuzhi porcelain is described, but, sadly, not illustrated, in the catalogue of a Sotheby’s London sale, which took place on 26th May, 1937, lot 100. This bowl, from the collection of the famous Chinese collector-dealer Wu Laixi (Wu Lai-hsi), is described in the catalogue as having a pink ground – possibly a dark pink similar to that of the current bowl. It is also described as being decorated with two yellow lotuses, one green lotus and one blue lotus, accompanied by buds and leaves and with a pink Kangxi yuzhi mark. Although no additional plants are mentioned in the description of the Wu Laixi bowl, the metal-bodied censer and the two yellow-ground porcelain vessels all have delicate reeds included amongst the lotuses. The small cup from the Hutton collection also includes small blue flowers amongst the lotuses and reeds. Naturalistic lotuses also appear on a pastel pink ground porcelain Kangxi yuzhi bowl (fig. 10) in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei (illustrated in Special Exhibition of Ch’ing Dynasty enamelled Porcelains of the Imperial Ateliers, Taipei, 1992, p. 42, no. 6). However, on this Taipei bowl the lotuses are restricted to one of the four panels on the sides of the bowl, each of which contains one of the flowers of the four seasons – the other three being peony, plum, camellia, and chrysanthemum.

Interestingly, none of the other vessels include double lotus, like those seen on the current bowl. This suggests that the current bowl was a very special order, probably for an occasion regarded by the Kangxi Emperor as being of exceptional importance. This bowl with its sumptuous red ground and exquisite encircling lotus design, incorporating double lotus blossoms, appears to be a unique, auspicious, imperial treasure of the Kangxi reign.