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Lot Essay
S. Bushell translates in Oriental Ceramic Art, London, 1981, p. 198, that in the List of Porcelains supplied to the Court and compiled in 1729 by Tang Ying, the then future director of the factory, includes 'the five bats, symbols of the five happinesses' as one of the four designs under item 20, 'Copies of the Longquan glaze decorated in ruby red ... a new process, introduced during the reigning dynasty.' The five bats, wufu, are a homophone for the Five Blessings, which are long life, wealth, health, love of virtue and a good end to one's life.
Similar examples of this bowl include one illustrated by J. Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, Vol. 2, Geneva, 1999, pl. 199; another also by Ayers in Far Eastern Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1980, no. 206; one included in the Hong Kong Museum of Art exhibition, The Wonders of the Potter's Palette, 1984, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 53; one included in the Exhibition of Chinese Art, Berlin, 1929, and illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 1005; and another from the Edward T. Chow Collection, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 25 November 1980, lot 117.
Similar examples of this bowl include one illustrated by J. Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, Vol. 2, Geneva, 1999, pl. 199; another also by Ayers in Far Eastern Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1980, no. 206; one included in the Hong Kong Museum of Art exhibition, The Wonders of the Potter's Palette, 1984, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 53; one included in the Exhibition of Chinese Art, Berlin, 1929, and illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 1005; and another from the Edward T. Chow Collection, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 25 November 1980, lot 117.