A pair of famille rose blue-ground 'medallion' bowls Bearing Daoguang seal marks but later The exterior enamelled with three identical scenes inside medallions of Zhinü the weaver girl and Niulang the cowherd riding a buffalo all amongst magpies and clouds and against a blue-enamelled Sgraffito ground with cloud scrolls, the interiors painted in underglaze blue with a similar roundel of the Weaver Girl and Cowherd to the well surrounded by ruyi-shaped cloud scrolls and four further birds on the sides. each 14.6cm diameter and with wood stands all contained in a silk lined box (5). Footnotes: Footnote: The bowls celebrates the Qixi Festival, also known as Magpie Festival, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the lunar calendar. Chinese tradition tells the story of a young cowherd known as Niulang who falls in love with a beautiful girl called Zhinü, the seventh daughter of the Goddess, whose task was to weave colourful clouds. The Goddess was furious at their attachment and scratched a wide river in the sky with her hairpin to separate the two lovers forever, thus forming the Milky Way. However, once a year all the magpies in the world fly up into heaven to form a bridge so that the lovers may be together for a single night. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com