CHINA, QING DYNASTY, KANGXI SIX-CHARACTER MARK WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1662-1722)

Bearing a six-character Kangxi reign mark in underglaze blue within a double circle, the calligraphy of which is characteristic of the group traditionally associated with the so-called ‘An kilns’ of the late Kangxi period, this finely potted dish belongs to a distinguished group of Kangxi imperial porcelains inspired by celebrated wares of the early Ming dynasty.
Its decoration of paired phoenixes in flight amidst scrolling baoxianghua flowers closely follows Chenghua-period prototypes. Compare, in particular, a Chenghua-marked blue and white dish of closely related design in the Ataka Collection, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, acc. no. 10856, measuring 18.6 cm in diameter, on which paired phoenixes similarly appear amidst floral scrolls on both the interior and exterior.
Chenghua imperial blue and white porcelain is celebrated for its exceptionally fine body, smooth translucent glaze and delicate painting in soft, restrained tones of cobalt. The present Kangxi dish consciously revives this earlier imperial aesthetic, while the assured and fluid brushwork reflects the sophisticated archaistic production of the late Kangxi imperial kilns. The distinctive reign-mark calligraphy further associates it with the refined wares traditionally attributed to the ‘An kilns’, a group generally placed towards the end of the Kangxi reign and regarded as an important transition between the robust ceramic traditions of Kangxi and the more delicate aesthetic that would characterise the Yongzheng period.