CHENGHUA SIX CHARACTER MARK, KANGXI

Details

A set of six blue and white 'Master of the Rocks' plates
Chenghua six character mark, 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, one large chip restuck, very minor chips
20 cm. diam. (6)

Special notice

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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.
For a set of comparable plates, see R.S. Kilburn, Transitional Wares and their Forerunners, The Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong, 1981, p. 95, pl. 102.

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