66 - Porcelain bowl with a powder-blue background and gold decoration, China, 18th century

Porcelain bowl with a powder-blue background and gold decoration, China, 18th century Deep-bodied, with a rounded, slightly flared wall, resting on a ring foot; the exterior is covered with a powder-blue ground (salan - 洒蓝), whose surface displays the characteristic shades and speckles of sprayed cobalt. The rim is divided into four large reserved areas—two rectangular and two fruit-shaped—separated by wide compartments entirely adorned in gold with foliage, stylized flowers, latticework motifs, and sinuous dragons. The panels feature floral compositions, notably chrysanthemums and aquatic plants, accompanied by small insects on some sides. Several quadrangular seals in an archaic style are incorporated into the gilded decoration. The inner rim is adorned with a geometric frieze divided into lozenges, in iron red and gold, while the inner background reveals, though somewhat faded, a flower and its leaves. The base is accented by a frieze of gold volutes. Height: 8.5 cm; diameter: 19.3 cm Irregular wear on the gilding, a few isolated losses of the gilded decoration, and small chips along the rim and base revealing an original defect.