This bowl has a flared rim, the exterior is boldly enamelled with prunus, pine and bamboo, known as the Three Friends of Winter. The interior has three yellow, green and blue dragons, each grasping a lingzhi (fungus) spray. The underside has a Kangxi six-character mark in blue within a double circle.

This particularly beautiful bowl belongs to a comparatively rare group which has the imperial Kangxi mark but was not originally intended for the court. Bowls of this type when marked usually have a Ming six-character mark.

Literature: Anthony du Boulay, The Duberly Collection of Chinese Art at Winchester College (Winchester, 2019), p. 105

Provenance: Bequeathed as part of the Duberly Collection, 1978; purchased by Major Montagu and Lady Eileen Duberly from John Sparks, 21 April 1954 (£79); formerly in the collection of John F. Woodthorpe, sold Sotheby’s, London, 6 April 1954, lot 92

Location: Treasury, Gallery 2