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

Details

A FINE PAIR OF SMALL DOUCAI DISHES
YONGZHENG SIX-CHARACTER MARKS IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735)
The shallow rounded sides decorated on the exterior with iron-red bats in flight against a ground of pale turquoise waves interrupted by two blue rocks, all below trailing iron-red clouds and pale blue 'sky', the center of the interior painted in iron red with the wufu encircling a flowerhead, within double blue-line borders
4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm.) diam., wood box (2)

Special notice

No sales tax is due on the purchase price of this lot if it is picked up or delivered in the State of New York.

Lot Essay

The decoration on these dishes is very auspicious. The five bats (wufu) in the center represent the Five Blessings - long life, health, wealth, love of virtue and a peaceful death. The iron-red bats on the exterior above the waves and rocks represent the wish, 'May your blessings be as deep as the Eastern Sea (furu donghai).

A similar pair of dishes, also of Yongzheng date, is illustrated in The Tsui Museum of Art - Chinese Ceramics IV, Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 136. Another dish in the collection of the National Palace Museum is illustrated in Good Fortune, Long Life, Health, and Peace: A Special Exhibition of Porcelains with Auspicious Designs, Taipei, 1995, pl. 101, no. 27. See, also, the pair of similar pattern sold in these rooms 30 March 2005, lot 413.

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