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拍品專文
Examples of peach dishes, both large and small, may be found in important collections around the world, all with varying compositions of the same elements: the two tree branches of different tones rise from the foot of the dish and emerge over the edge into the interior, heavily laden with ripe peaches, and a scattering of five bats around the design. The imagery of the design is highly auspicious as peaches are traditionally symbolic of immortality, while the five bats, wufu, are homophonous with the Five Blessings - long life, wealth, peace, love of virtue and a good end to one's life.
This group of enamelled wares with the peaches and bats epitomises the zenith of ceramic art in the Yongzheng period, when advances in technology in enamel production and other further innovations were put into practise with remarkable results. The Yongzheng emperor took great interest in the production of imperial porcelain and under his patronage, the quality of body, glaze and enamels reached a peak. The design is also exquisitely composed around the centre of the dish and over the rim, curling to the underside of the dish. This painting style was probably influenced by textile design and flower painting of the Yongzheng period.
Compare other closely related large dishes with this design: a spectacular example in the Percival David Foundation, London, illustrated by R. Scott, A Guide to the Collection, 1989, no. 111, where the author notes the significance in the subtle blending of white, pink and green enamels to produce a gradation of colours; another illustrated by J. Ayers, Far Eastern Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1980, col. pl. 63; one illustrated in Mayuyama, Seventy Years, vol. 1, 1976, no. 1059; and several sold at auction, including one from the Barbara Hutton Collection, sold in Hong Kong, 29 October 1991, lot 258; one from the Frederick J. and Antoinette H. Van Slyke Collection, sold in New York, 31 May 1989, lot 209; and most recently, one sold in these Rooms, 26 April 1999, lot 541.
There is also a group of smaller, finely potted dishes of this subject, such as the dish from the Robert Chang Collection, exhibited at Christie's London, An Exhibition of Important Chinese Ceramics from the Robert Chang Collection, 1993, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 92.
This group of enamelled wares with the peaches and bats epitomises the zenith of ceramic art in the Yongzheng period, when advances in technology in enamel production and other further innovations were put into practise with remarkable results. The Yongzheng emperor took great interest in the production of imperial porcelain and under his patronage, the quality of body, glaze and enamels reached a peak. The design is also exquisitely composed around the centre of the dish and over the rim, curling to the underside of the dish. This painting style was probably influenced by textile design and flower painting of the Yongzheng period.
Compare other closely related large dishes with this design: a spectacular example in the Percival David Foundation, London, illustrated by R. Scott, A Guide to the Collection, 1989, no. 111, where the author notes the significance in the subtle blending of white, pink and green enamels to produce a gradation of colours; another illustrated by J. Ayers, Far Eastern Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1980, col. pl. 63; one illustrated in Mayuyama, Seventy Years, vol. 1, 1976, no. 1059; and several sold at auction, including one from the Barbara Hutton Collection, sold in Hong Kong, 29 October 1991, lot 258; one from the Frederick J. and Antoinette H. Van Slyke Collection, sold in New York, 31 May 1989, lot 209; and most recently, one sold in these Rooms, 26 April 1999, lot 541.
There is also a group of smaller, finely potted dishes of this subject, such as the dish from the Robert Chang Collection, exhibited at Christie's London, An Exhibition of Important Chinese Ceramics from the Robert Chang Collection, 1993, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 92.