FINE CORAL-RED 'PEONY' SAUCER DISHQIANLONG SEAL MARK IN BLUE AND OF THE PERIODthe sides painted with four large peony blooms and scrolling tendrils, all reserved against a rich coral-red ground, the white interior painted with five iron-red bats16cm diam.PROVENANCE: acquired in China by Captain Charles Oswald Liddell (1854-1941), Liddell lived in China between 1877 to 1913, and thence by descent.NOTE: it is likely that this dish belongs a group of porcelains which were made at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen for the Emperor Qianlong during the early years of his reign. These pieces were highly prized at the Qing court and were especially admired by the Emperor himself, who had them displayed in the Palace of Heavenly Purity in the Forbidden City.