Page 70 - Christie's Fine Chinese Paintings March 19 2019 Auction

One of the fruit sprays may possibly be identifed as melon. Melons
(Cucumis melo inodorus 瓜 gua) or gourds symbolise unending generations of
descendants because the vines on which they grow are long and bears many
fruit, while each fruit contains many seeds. Small gourds may be called die
瓞 and thus a vine with large and small melons or gourds may suggest the
phrase guadie mianmian 瓜瓞綿綿, a wish for ceaseless generations of sons
and grandsons. This phrase can be traced back to the Books of Odes (Shijing
詩經) and the association of melons or gourds relates to an important ritual in
particular princely New Year’s Eve celebrations.
This magnifcent bowl from a revered period, thus combines the fnest raw
materials, expert potting, skilful painting and an aesthetically pleasing, as well
as highly auspicious, choice of decoration.

Bowls of similar shape, size and decoration to that of the current bowl are in
the Percival David Collection (illustrated by M. Medley, Illustrated Catalogue
of Underglaze Blue and Copper Red Decorated Porcelains, London, 1976, Pl.
XIII, no. B658) (Fig. 1); the Palace Museum, Beijing (illustrated in The Complete
Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with
Underglaze Red, Part I, Hong Kong, 2000, p. 152, no. 144) (Fig. 2); the National
Palace Museum, Taipei (illustrated in the Catalogue of the Special Exhibition
of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 1998, p.
149, no. 47) (Fig. 3); exhibited at the Tokyo National Museum in Chinese Arts
of the Ming and Ch’ing Periods, Tokyo, 1963, no. 288; in the Freer Gallery of
Art (illustrated in Ming Porcelains in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.,
1953, p. 18, no. 10 (Fig. 4); in the collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (illustrated
in An Exhibition of Blue-Decorated Porcelain of the Ming Dynasty, Philadelphia,
1949, p. 54, no. 61 (Fig. 5); sold from the Meiyintang Collection by Sotheby’s
Hong Kong, 5 October 2011, lot 13; in the collection of Edward T. Chow sold by
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 19 May 1981, lot 406; and formerly in the Cunlife and F.
Gordon Morrill collections, sold at Doyle, New York, 16 September 2003, lot 91.

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