Page 66 - Nov. 27, 2019 Christie's Important Works of Art HK

3011 Continued

The present pair of dishes belongs to a group that are decorated with a ⏎׻ऑ卿᳍ᆄ೅卿஄㑷ǯ଍㬷ݤം㱈⟾ᆭ㙞៨◙೰⡠卿ݦᡏᡥჾ⯇ം೅
total of eight peaches growing on flowering branches and accompanied ⯦ཿᅠֳ⯍⏎ᇵ卿៨ӳᡥⱤ⣭㧷Ǯݨ៦れᡥ๨⡚ຉ㎔卿औ⥾Ն㪶█⡚〘
by five bats, forming the auspicious wufu, from the Yongzheng period.
〟⩇⩇㰮⯯ǯᄓ㬪Ɽ㫐஄ݤᝧǸഌ᳖㫇᫈ჺㅳǹᥓᝧ᪪ǯ
Examples of similar dishes, with Yongzheng marks within a double
square or a double circle, are in museums and private collections ᫉ཨ༿⎏Ն〟ݨᡥ⏎ᝳ㫐஄᪪ࣿ㫐ᙹ᪪ݦ♎卿߿⩢⏟ཌ㖅ཐ卿ۣ㇦⊐
worldwide, and it appears that those with a double square mark, are
much rarer. ⡙⩎gᰞݐⵙࡘӲӽ㐩Խ⡥⡙Ռᰲ⻱ワ㱦Ӭ׾卿㇦Ƕ5SFBTVSFT PG "TJBO
"SUǷ卿⡥⡙卿 ჺ卿எ‸ ⽚厎㬱㈊ల⯠⻦Ӭ։卿 ჺ ᝲ
For other examples with double-circle marks in this size, see one from ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑᐽ㐈卿ᐽ৅ " ⽚厎ࣿٳᘹ⼖༛ᬘ ჺ ᝲ ᚚ
the John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, now in the collection of Asia
Society Galleries, New York, illustrated in Treasures of Asian Art, New ᐽ㐈Ӭ׾卿ᐽ৅ ⽚ǯ
York, 1994, no. 198; one from the Jingguantang Collection, sold at ཨ༿⏟֎⎏㫐ᙹᡨ᪪Ն〟ݨᡥ⏎׾ຽࡺᑐ厍ࢶ՗ࢷ⁒㩴Ӭ׾ǮഌⲖࢷ⁒
Christie’s Hong Kong, 5 November 1997, lot 878A; and a third one sold
at Sotheby’s London, 20 June 2001, lot 13. 㱦Ӭ׾Ǯ#BSCBSB )VUUPO卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑᐽ㐈卿ᐽ৅
⽚厎ࣿ +PIO . $SBXGPSEǮࢥ⎋䁬ࣿᆌ໵፩ݎᇌ㙬⻦Ӭ׾卿
For examples with double-square marks of comparable size to the
current pair of dishes, refer to one in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑᐽ㐈卿ᐽ৅ ⽚ǯ
by P. Lam in Qing Imperial Porcelain, Chinese University of Hong Kong,
࢈՗ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴ࣿٳᘹ⣠അߧՌক㩛‰֬⁞ࢷ⁒㱦प⻦Ӭ׾⎏Ն〟ݨᡥ
1995, no. 62; a pair from the Barbara Hutton Collection, sold at Christie’s
ഌ⏎卻ऑᇎ ݩߎǮऑᇎ ݩߎ卼卿⎐ᝧ㫐஄᪪ǯ
Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3319; a dish in the British Museum
Collection, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics, The World's Great Collections, 㘺♎ᇖ଍ݤᅠֳ⯍଍ം⎏⊺㬷♑ἃǸ㙞៨Ɽǹ卿᫉⊺ᯧ⯞㑌ᙻ㫇᫈ᛞឆǯ
vol. 5, Kodansha series, 1981, no. 226 (20.6 cm.); and one from the John M.
Crawford, Au Bak Ling and Robert Chang collections, sold at Christie's ᫉⏎⡠㱈ᝳǸ◙೰㫐ݥǹǮǸᰪ◙䁖഍ǹࣿǸՆ◙⯅㧰ǹԠ▼⇧༡ዪ卿
Hong Kong, 27 October 2003, lot 665 (20.9 cm.). ፽ἃ⎑Ⴝⶃ೰❥⩧῟㙁ǯ
Compare also larger dishes with this design which all have marks in
double-circles, such as one illustrated in Far Eastern Ceramics in the
Victoria and Albert Museum, Kodansha series, 1980, col. pl. 63 (50.5
cm.); and another in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in Porcelains
with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, the
Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong,
1999, p. 66, no. 56.
It is believed by many scholars that this particular design was applied to
vessels made for the celebration of imperial birthdays. The composition
of eight peaches and five bats is very auspicious. The eight peaches
symbolise extended long life through their association with Shoulao,
the Star God of the Longevity, and also through association with the
peaches of longevity grown in the orchard of the Queen Mother of
the West. The five red bats provide rebuses both for good fortune and
for the Five Blessings of longevity, health, wealth, love of virtue and a
peaceful death.

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