Rare Qing Dynasty enamel bowl set for auction in April

The bowl to be sold features a rarely-seen soft pink ground, on which various floral kinds were painted on four five-lobed, azure panels.

Few bowls with the similar pastel pink and turquoise grounds are found in existence.

Chow says a closely related example decorated with identical colored grounds is now housed at the Palace Museum in Taipei, but it is painted with a different combination of floral sprays.

He says the two bowls would have been painted using the very same batch of subtly shaded colors, and it was nearly impossible to replicate at a later time.

The bowl to be auctioned also shows Emperor Kangxi's keen interest in Western knowledge and techniques so much that he established enameling workshops inside the Forbidden City. He wanted the first-hand observations of artisans experimenting with the technical procedures, even though the undertaking would not only generate noise, smells and dirt but also pose fire risks.