KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)

These dishes are very similar to one illustrated by C. J. A. Jorg in Chinese Ceramics in the Collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam: The Ming and Qing Dynasties, Amsterdam, 1997, p. 127, no. 132, and cover detail. The author notes that the figure may represent one of the 'wandering combatants' mentioned in Chinese stories, possibly one of the 'fighting monks' in the novel Shuihu zhuan, and possibly Monk Hua who was adept at singlestick fighting.