Rare Large Chinese Famille Rose Castellated Porcelain Bowl, C.1880

An exceptional and highly unusual large Chinese famille rose porcelain bowl, dating to the late Qing period, circa 1880. This is a rare and visually striking piece, remarkable not only for its impressive scale but also for its distinctive castellated border with a rust-red painted rim. At 42.5 cm in diameter and weighing 3386 grams, it has real physical presence and was clearly made as a substantial display object rather than an ordinary domestic bowl.

The recessed central well is finely painted with a youthful courtly figure beside a table set with auspicious objects, plants and fruit. The surrounding interior is decorated with butterflies, lotus, flowering plants and delicate foliage, while the exterior carries a continuous frieze of elegant figures in colourful robes. The quality of the painting is notably high: the faces are carefully modelled, the black outline work is fine and controlled, and the plants, garments and small details show the hand of a skilled porcelain painter rather than routine workshop decoration.

The underside bears a blue six-character apocryphal Kangxi mark, 大清康熙年製, reading “Da Qing Kangxi Nian Zhi” — “Made in the Kangxi period of the Great Qing”. This is a traditional later mark and should be understood as an homage to earlier Qing porcelain rather than a Kangxi-period date.

This exact bowl appears to correspond to Lyon & Turnbull, Fine Antiques, 31 March 2004, Lot 72, described as “An unusual Chinese circular bowl”, 42.5 cm diameter, with castellated border, butterflies, lilies, a central figure, exterior figural frieze and blue six-character mark.

Condition is excellent. The bowl has been checked under UV light: no cracks, no restoration and no overpainting were detected. The enamels remain bright and well preserved, with only expected light age-related wear.

Dimensions:

Diameter 42.5 cm

Height 11 cm

Weight 3386 grams

Please study the accompanying photographs carefully as they form an integral part of this description. If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them. The item will be shipped with full tracking and insurance. It is important to note that shipping costs include labour, packaging and postage.