Page 250 - Decorative Arts, Part II: Far Eastern Ceramics and Paintings, Persian and Indian Rugs and Carpets

1942-9-553-554 (€-406-407), 1942-9-557 (C-4io)
"Ruby-back" Dishes

Qing dynasty, second quarter of the eighteenth century
Porcelain with overglaze famille rose enamels,
3
1942.9.553: 3.5 x 20.9 (i /s x 8V4)
3
1942.9.554: 3.7 X 20.8 (l%5 X 8 /i6)
1942.9.557: 3.5 x 15.8 (1% x 6V4)
Widener Collection
INSCRIPTIONS
1942.9.557: Inscribed on the interior in black overglaze enamel large vases and pieces of furniture.
in a single column of clerical script characters: Lingnan huizhi The design on the interior is painted in the full range of
[a painter of Lingnan], followed by a seal in pink overglaze the famille rose palette and includes blue, green, lavender,
enamel: Bai shi [white stone] blue-green, white, pink, maroon, orange, yellow, black,
turquoise, and metallic gold enamels. The central panel is
TECHNICAL NOTES enclosed within six concentric rings of complex trellis and
1942.9.553: The dish is very finely potted and has a narrow, round-
ed foot-ring. There is a small chip on the exterior of the rim. The diaper patterns. These are painted in green, gold, lavender,
foot-ring is unglazed, and the base is covered with a colorless and orange. The lavender rings contain panels with floral
glaze. 1942.9.554: A chip in the exterior rim has been repaired and scrolls and stylized dragons.
overpainted. The foot-ring is unglazed, and the base is covered The figures of the central panel are dressed in elaborate
with a colorless glaze. 1942.9.557: The plate is thinly potted, with a clothes decorated in geometric, floral, and dragon designs.
narrow, rounded foot-ring. The exterior is covered with a laven- One woman holds a feather fan. The faces of the two
der ("ruby") monochrome glaze. The base has a colorless glaze. women and the three boys are depicted in pale orange, with
black used for the hair. Among the objects on the tables and
PROVENANCE benches are archaistic vases, a ruyi scepter, an incense burn-
1942.9.553-554: James A. Garland [d. 1901/1902], New York. J. er, a scroll, and several bound books, all symbols of the
Pierpont Morgan [1837-1913], New York. (Duveen Brothers, New
York and London), sold to Peter A. B. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, abundance and future scholastic success of male progeny.
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; inheritance from Estate of Peter A. B. 1942.9.557: This dish is an excellent example of poly-
Widener by gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. chrome decoration in the "ruby-back" family. The interi-
Widener, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. 1942.9.557: Sir Robert or is decorated with a central panel enclosed by four
Meade, England. J. Pierpont Morgan [1837-1913], New York. concentric diaper bands, with pale blue, pale orange,
(Duveen Brothers, New York and London); sold 1915 to Peter A. lavender, and pale green grounds. In the central panel a
B. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; inheri- bamboo stand with peonies and magnolias is depicted. A
tance from Estate of Peter A. B. Widener by gift through power of low blue dish is also pictured, containing two "Buddha's
appointment of Joseph E. Widener, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. hand" (xiangyuan or citrus medico) citrons and peaches.
The inscription "Lingnan huizhi," painted in black
1942.9-553: enamel on the interior, is significant because Lingnan is
HE INTERIOR PANEL is leaf-shaped instead of circular another name for Guangzhou (Canton). This indicates
Tand depicts a young woman and two boys. One of the that the decoration was executed in Guangzhou and not
boys holds a lotus flower, the other a gold ruyi scepter. at Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province, even though the dish
Behind the figures is a bamboo table with a marble top, itself may have been made at Jingdezhen.
on which are two books, a vase containing scrolls and a SL
lantern, an incense burner, a cup, and a vase with feathers
—as Bushell wrote, "the accessories of a cultured Chinese
1
interior." There are two large vases on the ground, one of NOTES
which is decorated with stylized dragons. 1. Bushell 1980,378.
There are similar dishes in the Walters Art Gallery, 2. Respectively published in Bushell 1980, color pi. 10; and
Baltimore, and the Percival David Foundation, London. 2 Medley 1976, fig. 195.
1942.9.554: This dish is similar to 1942.9.553, and has
the same lavender or "ruby"-colored back. The decora-
REFERENCES
tion has slight differences in the order of the concentric 1904-1911 Morgan: i: 13, no. 21, pi. 21; 2: llxii, 5, no. 13.
diaper bands around the rim. The interior is decorated in
overglaze famille rose enamels with concentric diaper 1947 Christensen: 22, 23, repro.
bands around the rim and cavetto. A circular panel at the 1955-1958 Koyama et al: figs. 38 and 39.
center depicts two young women and three boys among 1980 Bushell: pi. 2.

234 D E C O R A T I V E A R T S