Top quality early 19th century Chinese porcelain bowl.…
click the photo to enlarge
Top quality early 19th century Chinese porcelain bowl. Decorated in bright famille rose enamels with a scene of figures in a courtyard. The inside and underside undecorated. Some expected wear to gilding and minor firing spots. Diameter 11.7 cm

You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.

Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item

When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

This item has been sold, and the description, image and price are for reference purposes only.
  • Gilding - Gilding is a method of ornamentation whereby a thin sheet of gold metal is applied to items made of wood, leather, ceramics, glass and silver for decorative purposes.

    For furniture including mirrors, the sheet of gold is usually applied over a coating of gesso. Gesso is a mixture of plaster of Paris and gypsum mixed with water and then applied to the carved wooden frames of mirrors and picture frames as a base for applying the gold leaf. After numerous coats of gesso have been applied, allowed to dry and then sanded a coat of "bole", a usually red coloured mixture of clay and glue is brushed on and allowed to dry, after which the gold leaf is applied. Over time parts of the gilding will rub off so the base colour can be seen. In water gilding, this was generally a blue colour, while in oil gilding, the under layer was often yellow. In Victorian times, gilders frequently used red as a pigment beneath the gold leaf.

    Metal was often gilded by a process known as fire gilding. Gold mixed with mercury was applied and heated, causing the mercury to evaporate, the long-term effect of which was to kill or disable the craftsman or woman from mercury poisoning. The pursuit of beauty has claimed many victims, not the least of which were the artists who made those pieces so highly sought after today.

This item has been included into following indexes:

Visually similar items

Early Chinese porcelain rice bowl, decorated with green and iron red floral sprays, the underside unglazed, considerable wear to enamels and firing spots. Diameter 11 cm

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Rare Wan Li (1573-1620) underglaze blue bowl decorated internally with resting horses and externally with monkey, deer, and birds in a tree. Frits. A/f. Height 6 cm. Diameter 12 cm.

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Early Chinese famille rose porcelain bowl. Fish & blossom decoration. Character mark to base. C.1890, height 7 cm depth 19 cm

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Fine quality Chinese porcelain Doucai bowl, decorated with two dragons, one green and one orange. The underside bearing a six character Kangxi mark. Originally sold by Hong Kong Auctioneers and Estate Agency Ltd, Lot 471 in October 1998. Comes in later fit

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.