Yellow-Ground Famille Rose Bowl with Prunus Branches Crossing the Rim, Pheasants and Peonies

A yellow-ground famille rose bowl, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi period. A golden pheasant perches on a gnarled flowering branch among pink peonies, and the branches continue over the rim onto the inside of the bowl, a technique known as "guozhi" (过枝, "branches crossing the rim").

The golden pheasant (锦鸡) stands for splendour and official rank; the peony is the "king of flowers," the symbol of wealth and honour (富贵). Together on imperial yellow, the emperor's own colour, they wish the owner "glory and prosperity" (锦上添花, 富贵吉祥).

The bowl is of open form with gently rounded sides and a circular foot. Its entire surface is covered in a brilliant yellow ground, a colour traditionally associated in China with imperial authority, nobility, and auspiciousness, and one particularly characteristic of courtly porcelain.

The exterior is decorated in famille rose enamels using the guozhi (“branches crossing the rim”) technique, with golden pheasants, peonies, and blossoming peach branches forming a continuous composition. A golden pheasant perches upon a sturdy branch, its long tail flowing elegantly behind it, while luxuriant peonies bloom in full splendour and peach blossoms appear in various stages of flowering. The branches extend naturally across the rim and continue onto the interior, creating the distinctive guozhi effect.

The birds and flowers are rendered in a rich and delicately graduated palette, with finely articulated details and lively spatial layering. The auspicious imagery conveys wishes for wealth and prosperity, flourishing family fortunes, and the eternal renewal of spring. The vessel exemplifies the refined decorative style of Qing courtly famille rose presentation bowls.

This detail of the bowl’s interior depicts peach branches extending across the rim in the guozhi (“branches crossing the rim”) technique. Against the brilliant yellow ground, a plump peach is rendered in famille rose enamels with a delicate graduation from white at the highlight to rich rouge red at the deeper tones, accompanied by peach blossoms and luxuriant green leaves. The sturdy, naturally articulated branch extends from the exterior over the rim and continues onto the interior, creating the characteristic guozhi effect.

The principal decoration on the exterior comprises birds and flowers, featuring a long-tailed golden pheasant or paradise flycatcher perched among luxuriant peonies. The graceful bird, with its elongated flowing tail, conveys auspicious wishes for “adding splendour to prosperity” (jinshang tianhua) and great fortune and good luck. The fully blossomed peonies symbolise wealth, honour, prosperity, and flourishing abundance, creating an auspicious and richly decorative composition characteristic of Qing courtly porcelain.

The exterior also bears a poetic inscription in black regular script against the yellow ground: “花开春常在，富贵长寿来” — “When flowers bloom, spring remains ever present; wealth, honour, and longevity follow.” The elegant, finely controlled calligraphy is accompanied by small vermilion seal marks, creating the classic integration of poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving on porcelain.

The verse conveys wishes for perpetual spring, enduring prosperity, and lasting longevity, harmoniously complementing the golden pheasant, peony, and peach motifs, including the guozhi peach branches extending onto the interior. The seamless union of poetic inscription and auspicious imagery creates a complete and refined programme of courtly symbolism.

The base bears the four-character mark “康熙御製” (Kangxi yuzhi), rendered in underglaze blue seal script within a square cartouche. The central underside is covered in a smooth white glaze, while the circular foot is neatly rounded and finely finished. The form of the reign mark is characteristic of Qing imperial porcelain, identifying the bowl as a refined courtly presentation ware intended for imperial use.