Shallow bowl, one of a pair

The Yongzheng reign (1723-36) was an era of extraordinary technical refinement in overglaze enamel decoration. Both of these shallow bowls bear a six-character imperial Yongzheng mark in underglaze blue on the bottom. The interior of each vessel is decorated with a central medallion containing the character shou wishing longevity, surrounded by evenly spaced clusters of flowers encircled by an interlocking tendril pattern. Similar flowers and tendrils decorate the exterior wall of each dish. Typical of the doucai palette, the motifs are outlined with cobalt blue pigment under a transparent glaze, and then filled with red, yellow, green, and blue enamels over the transparent glaze. The creation of overglaze enamelware was an exacting process requiring at least two firings for each vessel.