A RARE TIANBAI ANHUA-DECORATED 'DRAGON' BOWL, KANGXI PERIOD China, 1662-1722. Delicately potted, the deep conical sides supported on a short straight foot and rising to a gently everted rim. Finely carved in anhua with two scaly sinuous dragons in pursuit of flaming pearls amid clouds and flames, encircling a central anhua-carved four-character apocryphal mark Yongle nianzhi.

Provenance: Cecilia Lindqvist (1932-2021), and thence by descent within the family. Cecilia Lindqvist (Chinese name: Lin Xili) was a Swedish sinologist, university professor and author of several books on China, including Kingdom of Characters in 1989 and Qin, about the seven-stringed zither, in 2006. She first visited China in 1960 with a letter of recommendation by the King of Sweden and went on to study the country extensively. Lindqvist is one of the very few authors to receive the August Prize, a notable Swedish literary award, twice.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear and minimal firing irregularities.

Weight: 78.8 g
Dimensions: Diameter 13.3 cm

Literature comparison:
Dishes of this decoration and quality in the Kangxi Period are rare and based upon early 15th-century prototypes. A Yongle prototype of the current bowl is in National Palace Museum, Taipei, accession no. Gu ci 017642, and was exhibited in The International Exhibition of Chinese Art, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935‑36, cat. no. 213.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 9 October 2020, lot 3641
Price: HKD 302,400 or approx. EUR 38,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A fine and rare tianbai anhua-decorated 'dragon' bowl, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related anhua-carved dragon and the apocryphal Yongle mark, which on this piece is carved to the underside, and not the interior as on the present lot. Note the different form and similar size (12.5 cm).



康熙甜白釉暗花龍紋碗
中國，1662-1722年。敞口斜壁，形如斗笠，形制周正簡約。胎體盈薄，質地細膩，壁可透光，通體罩施純淨白釉。外壁光素，碗暗刻雲龍紋，強光下才能看見，一對神龍穿梭于如意祥雲之間，追逐火珠。釉色溫柔恬靜肖似永樂甜白。碗内偽款“永樂年製”。

來源：Cecilia Lindqvist (1932-2021年)，保存在同一家族。Cecilia Lindqvist (中文名: 林西莉) 曾是一位瑞典漢學家、大學教授和關於中國的多本書籍的作者，其中包括1989年的《漢字王國》與2006年《林西莉古琴的故事》。1960年，她帶著瑞典國王的推薦信首次訪華，之後一直持續研究中國及其文化。林西莉是為數不多的兩次獲得奧古斯特獎的作家。
品相：狀況極佳，輕微磨損，少量燒製不規則。

重量：78.8 克
尺寸：直徑 13.3 厘米

文獻比較：
康熙時期這種以十五世紀初原型為基礎的裝飾和品質的盤子很罕見。此碗的永樂原型收藏於臺北故宮博物院，藏品號Gu ci 017642；並曾於1935‑36年在倫敦皇家藝術學院《The International Exhibition of Chinese Art》展出，圖錄編號213。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2020年10月9日，lot 3641
價格：HKD 302,400（相當於今日EUR 38,500）
描述：清康熙甜白釉暗刻雲龍戲珠紋盌 《永樂年製》仿款
專家評論：比較非常相近的永樂款暗花龍紋，但此碗款識刻於圈足，而非碗內。請注意不同的外型和相似的尺寸(12.5厘米)。