A TIANBAI ANHUA-DECORATED CONICAL 'DRAGON' BOWL, KANGXI PERIOD China, 1662-1722. Delicately potted, the sides rising from a short straight foot and carved in remarkably fine anhua with two scaly five-clawed dragons in pursuit of flaming pearls, all amid flames and lingzhi shaped clouds. Provenance: The collection of Sir Mark Heath and thence by descent within the same family. An old collector's label 'M. E. Heath Collection' and another old label inscribed by hand in Chinese, 'Yongle guanyao (Imperial kiln of Yongle)' and 'Baotai longwan (Eggshell dragon bowl)', to base. Sir Mark Evelyn Heath KCVO CMG (1927-2005) was a British diplomat who served as the United Kingdom's first Ambassador to the Holy See between 1982 and 1985. His appointment represented the resumption of full diplomatic relations between Britain and the Holy See for the first time since Henry VIII's break with the Catholic Church in 1534. After leaving the Vatican, Sir Mark became Head of Protocol for the Hong Kong Government. During this time he developed a passion for Chinese works of art. Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and minimal firing irregularities, the rim with two near-invisible hairlines (both approx. 4 cm long). Weight: 148.9 g (excl. base) Dimensions: Diameter 16.5 cm The recessed base carved in anhua with an apocryphal four-character mark Yongle nianzhi. With an elaborately carved Chinese hardwood stand dating to the earlier 20th century. (2) Expert's note: The incredibly well-carved Anhua decor, the superb pottery work and the even, unctuous glaze altogether leave no doubt that the present bowl is a work from the early Qing period at least. Auction result comparison: Compare a related Tianbai anhua-decorated dragon bowl, with a near-identical four-character Yongle nianzhi mark and dated to the Kangxi period, but of smaller size (12.5 cm diameter) and different form, at Sotheby's Hong Kong in Important Chinese Art on 9 October 2020, lot 3641, sold for HKD 302,400. 康熙時期甜白釉暗花龍紋斗笠盞 中國，1662-1722年。敞口斜壁，形如斗笠，形制周正簡約。胎體盈薄，質地細膩，壁可透光，通體罩施純淨白釉。外壁光素，內壁暗刻雲龍紋，五爪神龍穿梭于如意祥雲之間，追逐火珠。釉色溫柔恬靜肖似永樂甜白。 來源：Mark Heath爵士 私人收藏，在同一家族收藏至今。底部可見老收藏家標籤'M. E. Heath Collection”和手寫的“永樂官窯”和“薄胎龍碗”字樣。Mark Evelyn Heath KCVO CMG爵士 (1927-2005) 曾是英國外交官，1982 年至 1985 年期間擔任英國首任駐羅馬教廷大使。他的任命標誌著英國與羅馬教廷自亨利八世於 1534 年與天主教會決裂以后首次全面恢復外交關係。離開梵蒂岡後，Mark Heath爵士成為香港政府禮賓司司長。在任期間，他對中國藝術產生了濃厚的興趣。 品相：狀況極好，輕微磨損，燒製稍微不規則，邊緣有兩條幾乎看不見的細小裂縫(分別長約 4 厘米)。 重量：148.9 克 (不含底座) 尺寸：直徑 16.5 厘米 底足可見“永樂年製”寄托款。 配置一個二十世紀初精心雕刻的中國硬木底座。 (2) 專家注釋：雕工精美的暗花紋飾，精湛的陶藝，以及均勻光滑的釉面，毫無疑問，這碗至少是清初的作品。 拍賣結果比較：一件相近甜白釉暗花龍紋碗，幾乎一模一樣的四字“永樂年製”款，康熙朝，但尺寸稍小 (直徑12.5 厘米) ，且形狀不同，見香港蘇富比Important Chinese Art 2020年10月 9日lot 3641, 售價HKD 302,400。