A fine famille verte 'dragon' incised bowl, Kangxi six-character mark within a double circle and of the period (1662-1722)

Lot 2114. A fine famille verte 'dragon' incised bowl, Kangxi six-character mark within a double circle and of the period (1662-1722); 5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm) diam. Estimate HKD 1,000,000 - HKD 1,500,000. Price realised HKD 4,230,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2013 

The rounded sides of the bowl rise to a strongly flared rim. The exterior is incised with a pair of dragons, each in pursuit of a 'flaming pearl' over which a cream glaze has been applied. The exterior is further decorated over the incised decoration with a camellia and a rose spray, each with numerous blooms and leafy branches painted in brown outlines over the glaze, separated by butterflies and highlighted in tones of yellow, green aubergine and pale blue. The interior is covered with a cream glaze and left undecorated, box.  

Property of the Yiqingge Collection. 

Provenance: R.F.A. Riesco Collection, Heathfield, Croydon
Sold at Sotheby's London, 11 December 1984, lot 358
A European private collection formed in the 1980s and 1990s

Note: This unusual double decoration is found only on bowls of this design and corresponding dishes with pomegranates such as the dish in the present sale, lot 2115. Several examples have been published. A bowl of this pattern, also from the Riesco Collection was illustrated by Edgar E. Bluett, The Riesco Collection of Old Chinese Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1951, fig, 31a; another example is illustrated by R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. II, London, 1994, pl. 889; one is illustrated in Chinese Porcelain, The S. C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 81; and a pair from the Chang Foundation is illustrated in Selected Chinese Ceramics from Han to Qing Dynasties, Taipei, 1990, pl. 121.  

Christie's. IMPERIAL SALE: IMPORTANT CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART. 29 May 2013. Convention Hall.