S52
Further images
the shallow bowls with slightly curved sides rising from a short straight foot to an everted rim, finely enamelled around the exterior with four medallions enclosing a dragon and phoenix encircling a shuangxi (double happiness) character, divided by pairs of butterfly and florets reserved on a rich coral-red ground between gilt key fret bands, the interior with a gilt shou character encircled by lines of shaungxi characters reserved on a coral-red ground, inscribed to the base with an iron-red four-character Chang Chun Tong Qing (celebration of eternal spring) mark.
Literature
It has been suggested that the calligraphy of the mark closely resembles that found on ceramics dated to the very earliest years of Emperor Tongzhi, made at Jingdezhen for Imperial use.
