An associated set of eight blue and white 'Master of the Rocks' plates

CHENGHUA SIX CHARACTER MARK, EARLY KANGXI

Details

An associated set of eight blue and white 'Master of the Rocks' plates
Chenghua six character mark, early Kangxi
The central double-line roundel delicately painted with similar high cliff riverscapes dotted with pine and willow trees, pavilions, figures and fishing boats, the rim encircled by a narrow band of dew drops scattered among tuffs of pine needles (small chips and frits)
20.2 cm. diam. (8)

Literature

R.S. Kilburn, Transitional Wares and their Forerunners, The Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, 1981, p. 95, pl. 102 for a comparable plate. For a discussion on the 'Master of the Rocks', cf. M. Medley, Arts of Asia, July/August 1986, p. 64.

Lot Essay

'Master of the Rocks' is a term used for this type of drawing on early Kangxi porcelain. It has been suggested it was the work of one master decorator, although numerous known diversions of this style indicate it must have been executed by different hands. The style is characterised by repeated close-knit lines defining the landscape elements. Often the strange rock masses and twisting rhythm running through the design call strongly to mind the painting style of Dong Qichang, a painter of the later Ming period whose influence was widespread.

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