A wide, low porcelain bowl dressed up with a pierced bronze crown. The outside is painted all the way around with tiny gold leaves, pink and blue blossoms, grape clusters, and trailing vines, anchored on two sides by a big feathery bouquet in rose, slate, and rust. A fine crackle glaze runs over everything like an old map, giving the white ground a soft, aged look. Around the top sits an open bronze gallery of curling acanthus scrolls and little rosettes, dark with patina and catching light at the high points.
The inside is plain ivory crackle, so the bowl works as a quiet centerpiece on a dining table, coffee table, or console. Fill it with moss and bulbs, use it for ornaments at the holidays, or let it stand alone. Marked Wong Lee 1895 on the base. For decorative use only.
Dimensions: 5 1/2" H x 12 1/2" W
Medium: Crackle-glazed porcelain with hand-painted decoration; pierced cast bronze gallery mount
Age: Late 20th century
Origin: China
Signature/mark: Red printed Wong Lee mark on the base: crowned shield with fleur-de-lis, "WL" monogram and "1895," framed by a laurel wreath, with "NOT FOR FOOD PURPOSE / FOR DECORATIVE USE ONLY"; small red Chinese characters near the foot ring read "仿古" ("in the antique style")
Disclosures: Sold as-is in good vintage condition; no chips or cracks noted; the crackle in the glaze is an intended decorative finish, not damage; not for food use; wood stand and coral shown in photos are display props only and are not included.
