CHINA, Qing dynasty, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735) - Lot 87

CHINA, Qing dynasty, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735) Large pale celadon-glazed porcelain bowl decorated with a frieze of stylized foliage molded in slight relief on the outside, the rim flared and the base flat, the base also celadon-glazed with a Yongzheng mark in six kaishu characters within a double circle in blue underglaze. H. 10.7 cm; D. 23.3 cm Slight surface wear. 清雍正 粉青釉浮雕缠枝纹大碗 青花 "大清雍正年制 "楷书款 Provenance: Acquired by French engineer and diplomat Henri Maux (1901-1950) during his mission to China between 1945 and 1949 (between Shanghai, Nanjing and Hong Kong), and remained in his family ever since. A bowl of exactly the same shape, cover and mark (only the decorative frieze differs) was sold by Sotheby's Hong Kong on October 8, 2014, lot 3603. This sober, elegant porcelain is part of a group of Yongzheng bowls, all featuring the same celadon glaze with delicate molded decoration around the rim: they clearly correspond to this emperor's taste for simple, refined monochromes. These 18th-century imperial celadons are inspired by those created for the Yongle emperor (1402-1424) at the beginning of the Ming dynasty, featuring a glaze in the style of the Song celadons of Longquan (12th/13th century) on a high-quality pure porcelain body. This tradition, which continued during the Qing dynasty, reached new heights under Yongzheng, benefiting from the emperor's interest and the very high technical level of Jingdezhen's production for the Court. The result is a pure form, with clean but fluid lines, highlighting the soft, luminous glaze, and vice versa, as in the finest Chinese monochromes. Henri Maux (Chinese name: Mu He 穆和), a Polytechnicien from the Pont et Chaussées engineering school, worked in China between 1937 and 1939 as a technical advisor (dedicated to roads and railroads in particular) as part of a League of Nations mission to the Chinese government. His rigorous work and dedication earned him the Order of Jade (Caiyu Xunzhang 采玉勋章) in 1941 from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Between 1947 and 1949 he was sent back to China to head economic and diplomatic missions on behalf of France and then the UN. He was posthumously awarded the Légion d'honneur after his untimely death in a plane crash on his return from mission. Lot subject to deposit, please contact the firm: versailles@debaecque.fr Slight surface wear (on the cover).