A pair of Chinese porcelain oval bowls, Jiaqing period, each painted to the exterior with 'tribute bearers' in a mountainous landscape, interior and base covered with a turquoise glaze, 25.5cm wide, on carved hardwood stands (2) Note: The foreign...

A pair of Chinese porcelain oval bowls, Jiaqing period, each painted to the exterior with 'tribute bearers' in a mountainous landscape, interior and base covered with a turquoise glaze, 25.5cm wide, on carved hardwood stands (2) Note: The foreign tribute bearers depicted on the present bowls can be recognized by their curly hair, tall noses and exotic clothing, and are accompanied by extraordinary beasts such as a Buddhist lion, bixie, piebald horse, white elephant, qilin and other mythical animals. This subject was especially popular at the Qing court in the 18th and early 19th century and can also be found in a number of Qing court paintings, such as Envoys from Vassal States and Foreign Countries Presenting Tribute to the Emperor, today in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Qing Court Paintings, Vol. 14, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 64.