400-year-old porcelain bowl may see $1,200

FAIRFIELD, ME — A 400-year-old porcelain bowl is one of more than 1,300 pieces of Chinese porcelain featured in the 2,600-lot Fine Art, Asian & Antiques Auction being

presented Aug. 19-22 by James D. Julia, Inc.

The auction will be held at the James D. Julia facility, 203 Skowhegan Rd., Fairfield, Maine. Absentee and phone bids will be accepted, and Internet bidding will be facilitated by Invaluable.com and Proxibid.com.

The porcelain bowl is conservatively estimated at $800 to $1,200. It measures 5 3/4 inches high by 11 1/2 inches in diameter. It features the mark of the Wan Li period, which ran from 1573 through 1619, on the base. The bowl itself is decorated in a very deep blue color which is quite rare for its production time frame. Both the inside and outside are finely painted with happy children playing games in a garden. The motif is quite joyful and endearing; the quality of the illustration resembles fine calligraphy.

This outstanding work was discovered through the Woburn, Massachusetts, office. In reference to the piece, Jim Callahan, Director of Asian Arts at James D. Julia, and a regular on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow since 1996, said:

“This amazing bowl caught my eye from the moment it was presented to me for review. There are so many factors that really put it in a class by itself – including its size, cobalt blue decoration, important mark, and condition, among others. And, of course, its

beautiful and timeless motif of children at play is universally appealing.”

Additional categories represented during the four-day auction include silver, folk art, Asian rugs, weathervanes, clocks, and jade, among others.
The four-day auction begins at 10 a.m. each day Aug. 19-22, with preview days set for Aug. 18 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and on the days of the auction from 8 a.m.-10 a.m.

For more information, call 800-565-9298 or email info@jamesdjulia.com, or visit www.jamesdjulia.com.

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