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Lot Essay
The lingzhi fungus is a popular motif in Chinese art, signifying longevity. Considered the food of the immortals, it is also a wish-granting symbol whose form is related to the ruyi scepter. The combination of lingzhi and bamboo, as on the present dish, most likely represents a birthday greeting, since bamboo (zhu) is a pun for "congratulations" (zhu), and the lingzhi implies long life.
A similar dish is illustrated by Peter Y. K. Lam in Shimmering Colours - Monochromes of the Yuan to Qing Periods: The Zhuyuetang Collection, Hong Kong, 2005, p. 157, no. 86; and another, from the collection of Mr. Peter W. Hyui, is illustrated by Laurence C. S. Tam in Monochrome Ceramics of Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, Min Chiu Society and The Urban Council, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1977, p. 70, no. 74. See, also, a similar dish which was sold at Christie's New York, 18-19 September 2014, lot 798, and another sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 June 2011, lot 3518.
A similar dish is illustrated by Peter Y. K. Lam in Shimmering Colours - Monochromes of the Yuan to Qing Periods: The Zhuyuetang Collection, Hong Kong, 2005, p. 157, no. 86; and another, from the collection of Mr. Peter W. Hyui, is illustrated by Laurence C. S. Tam in Monochrome Ceramics of Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, Min Chiu Society and The Urban Council, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1977, p. 70, no. 74. See, also, a similar dish which was sold at Christie's New York, 18-19 September 2014, lot 798, and another sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 June 2011, lot 3518.