Provenance
The Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, no. 623.
Sotheby & Co., 15 October 1968, lot 101. Sold by order of the Governing Body of the School of Oriental Art and African Studies acting on behalf of the University of London.
S. Marchant & Son, London, acquired from the above.
The Dr. Carew-Shaw Collection, acquired from the above.
S. Marchant & Son, London.
The Drs. A. M. Sengers Collection, collection no. 162, acquired from the above in June 1983.
S. Marchant & Son, London, with their label to the base.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium. Acquired from the above on 19 October 2001 and accompanied by a copy of their original invoice. (see added scans)
Exhibited & illustrated:
S. Marchant & Son, London, included in their 2001 exhibition of 'Ming Blue and White Porcelain - The Drs. A. M. Sengers Collection', and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue, pp. 16-17, no. 11. Also illustrated in their 2025 publication 'One Hundred Years', Vol. I, p. 48, fig. 36.
Description
Finely potted with deep rounded sides rising from a short tapered foot to a gently flared rim, the interior painted in underglaze blue with a central medallion depicting an elegantly seated lady on a terrace affectionately patting the head of a young child standing before her. The scene is reserved within a circular panel beneath a narrow band of stylised floral scrolls and camellia blossoms encircling the inner rim. The exterior is delicately inscribed in flowing cursive script (caoshu) with a four-line, twenty-eight-character poem rendered in outline and wash technique. The base bears a six-character reign mark of Longqing within a double circle.
The cursive inscription on the exterior consists of a twenty-eight-character excerpt from Canfu Yin (蚕妇吟, Song of the Silkworm Woman) by the Southern Song poet Xie Fangde. The poem reads:
子规啼彻四更时，起视蚕稠怕叶稀。
不信楼头杨柳月，玉人歌舞未曾归。
Translated by Hobson, it reads:
“Not only does the moon shine through the willows before the storeyed house,
But the pretty girls continue to dance and sing.
The nightjar ceases not to sing until the fourth watch of the night;
Take heed lest the silkworms have not leaves enough.”
The companion bowl to this one is currently in The Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, The British Museum, London (museum no. PDF.622, link) and illustrated in 'Illustrated Catalogue Underglaze Blue and Copper Red Decorated Porcelains' by Margaret Medley, pl. 1, no. 622. There are three other comparable bowls known, apparently from the same set. One is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, object no. 2010.59 (link), another in the Riesco collection, and a third sold by Sotheby's Hong Kong, 7 April 2015, lot 3725 (sold HKD 525.000, link)
Lot 122
Longqing mark and of the period
Dia.: 12,1 cm - H.: 9,5 cm
Incl. stand
Dia.: 12,1 cm - H.: 6,3 cm
Excl. stand
Estimation
€ 15.000,00 – € 25.000,00
Provenance
The Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, no. 623.
Sotheby & Co., 15 October 1968, lot 101. Sold by order of the Governing Body of the School of Oriental Art and African Studies acting on behalf of the University of London.
S. Marchant & Son, London, acquired from the above.
The Dr. Carew-Shaw Collection, acquired from the above.
S. Marchant & Son, London.
The Drs. A. M. Sengers Collection, collection no. 162, acquired from the above in June 1983.
S. Marchant & Son, London, with their label to the base.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium. Acquired from the above on 19 October 2001 and accompanied by a copy of their original invoice. (see added scans)
Exhibited & illustrated:
S. Marchant & Son, London, included in their 2001 exhibition of 'Ming Blue and White Porcelain - The Drs. A. M. Sengers Collection', and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue, pp. 16-17, no. 11. Also illustrated in their 2025 publication 'One Hundred Years', Vol. I, p. 48, fig. 36.