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Lot Essay
The decorative theme on this pair of vases, the ‘hundred boys’ motif, appeared in China as early as the Southern Song period, when imagery of boys at play in a garden setting became popularized by the court artist Su Hanchen. The theme of 'a hundred boys' became symbolic of progeny and fulfillment of Confucian ideals in education, and the advancement of sons, and became a popular theme on a wide range of decorative arts, including porcelain, jade, textile and lacquerware, in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
On the present pair of vases the theme is animated with boys at play in various pursuits, relaying the wish for abundant offspring, sons and wealth. Blue and white wares decorated with this theme appear more frequently in the Ming dynasty, particularly in the Jiajing and Wanli periods. Kangxi-period examples, such as the present pair, are more rare to find.
On the present pair of vases the theme is animated with boys at play in various pursuits, relaying the wish for abundant offspring, sons and wealth. Blue and white wares decorated with this theme appear more frequently in the Ming dynasty, particularly in the Jiajing and Wanli periods. Kangxi-period examples, such as the present pair, are more rare to find.