Lot 26
26
A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'BOYS' DISH
A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'BOYS' DISH
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These lots have been imported from outside the EU … Read more PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF ALBERT AND LEONIE VAN DAALEN, SWITZERLAND
A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'BOYS' DISH

WANLI SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1573-1619)

Details
A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'BOYS' DISH
WANLI SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1573-1619)
The dish is decorated to the centre with three boys bathing in a large tub and three further boys playing in a fenced garden beside a pine tree, one fishing with a large rod, all enclosed by two pairs of confronted five-clawed dragons in pursuit of the flaming pearl to the rim. The exterior is decorated within a border of six leafy branches, including pomegranate, persimmon and peaches.
7 in.(17.8 cm.) diam.
Provenance
With Ben Janssens Oriental Art, London, 20 March 2002.
Special notice
These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

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Lot Essay

The depiction of children at play is a visually pleasing, auspicious subject matter that was popular in Chinese art during the Ming dynasty. The subject has its roots in Buddhist beliefs, influenced by Daoism, but by the Tang dynasty (AD 618-907) had become a secular theme associated with the auspicious wish for sons and grandsons. One boy is depicted holding a lotus stem and this may be a rebus or visual pun. The word for lotus in Chinese is lian which is a homophone for a word meaning continuous or successive, and when combined with a boy suggests the successive birth of sons and grandsons. Another Chinese word for lotus is pronounced he, which sounds like the word for harmony, suggesting that there will be harmony among the sons and grandsons.

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