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Lot Essay
Dishes of this type made during the Kangxi period are known as 'birthday' dishes, as they are thought to have been made in sets to celebrate the 60th birthday of the emperor Kangxi in 1713. According to Rosemary Scott, For the Imperial Court: Qing Porcelain from the Percival David Foundation, London, 1997, p. 48, it seems unlikely that these dishes were actually used during the imperial birthday celebrations, but were probably presented to guests as a gift.
Two other dishes similar to the present pair from the collection of Dr. and Mrs. William L. Corbin were sold in these rooms, 15 May 2007, lots 1379 and 1380. Another type of 'birthday' dish with similar iron-red bat border on the rim is incised in the center with a hong fu qi tian (happiness as vast as heaven) mark surrounded by dragons. One such dish is illustrated by R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 2, Hong Kong, 1994, pp. 154-5, no. 786. A pair of similar dishes sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 24 March 2011, lot 1730.
Two other dishes similar to the present pair from the collection of Dr. and Mrs. William L. Corbin were sold in these rooms, 15 May 2007, lots 1379 and 1380. Another type of 'birthday' dish with similar iron-red bat border on the rim is incised in the center with a hong fu qi tian (happiness as vast as heaven) mark surrounded by dragons. One such dish is illustrated by R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 2, Hong Kong, 1994, pp. 154-5, no. 786. A pair of similar dishes sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 24 March 2011, lot 1730.