REPUBLIC PERIOD (1912-1949)

A porcelain plaque decorated with a similar scene of boys at play in a garden, which is painted in a similar delicate style and also has a decorative border, is in the collection of the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, and is illustrated by Terese Tse Bartholomew in Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, San Francisco, 2006, p. 63, no. 3.4.1, and front and back cover. The author notes, p. 63, that the theme of boys at play (yingxi tu) is popular in Chinese decorative arts, as it reflects the Chinese desire for many sons, "particularly noble sons who will pass the civil service examination with high honors".