YONGZHENG SIX-CHARACTER MARKS IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN DOUBLE CIRCLES AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735)

The motif of cranes flying amidst ruyi-form clouds is rife with symbols of longevity and strong Daoist associations. This motif is rarely found on Yongzheng-period ceramics, but could be representative of the emperor’s antiquarianism and interest in ceramics and motifs from earlier dynasties. The design was particularly favored in the mid-Ming period during the Jiajing period, as the Jiajing Emperor had a keen interest in Daoism, which regarded the crane as a symbol of longevity, immortality, and wisdom. The motif of a crane flying towards the sun may also represent the wish for a recipient to rise to a high office (See J. Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics, London, 2001, p. 255). An example of a Jiajing-marked dish decorated with cranes and clouds is illustrated in Mayuyama: Seventy Years, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1976, p. 284, no. 851. Another Jiajing-period bowl decorated on the interior in blue and white with a crane amidst ruyi-form clouds is illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall, Catalogue of Late Yuan and Early Ming Porcelains in the British Museum, London, 2001, p. 245, no. 9:65. A related pair of Yongzheng-marked bowls in blue and white decorated with cranes in flight sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 3 April 2019, lot 3634.