The lustrous quality of the opalescent glaze is noteworthy as oftentimes on large examples, the glaze tends to be larger bubbled and grainier in texture.

It is very rare to find junyao narcissus bowls inscribed with the numeral '1'. Cf. two in the National Palace Museum, Taibei, illustrated in Chun Ware of the Sung Dynasty, one with purple glaze to the exterior and blue to the interior, pls. 23 and 23a; and one covered overall in a pale blue glaze, pl. 22a. It is interesting to note that the present lot is larger than the purple-glazed bowl cited above (23.8cm.) but the same size as the blue bowl.

This bowl can also be compared to smaller drumnail narcissus bowls glazed in similar combinations of purple and blue tones, all numbered '4'. One in the National Palace Museum, op. cit., pls. 25 and 25a; one in the Tokyo National Museum illustrated by Tregear, Song Ceramics, pl. 171; another was included in the Exhibition of Important Chinese Ceramics from the Robert Chang Collection, Christie's London, 1993, Catalogue, no. 6. Cf. also the bowl which sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 25 October 1993, lot 704