Page 77 - Jie Rui Tang Kangxi porcelain mar 2018

342 A BLUE AND WHITE ⌲Ꮴ⛆ 䱿㟞䡓僶ࡃ咺ృښ᫦㤞ऐ⯹
HEXAGONAL BOWL

Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period ҳ⎽
䋷㕜匌倰谁遯秣秉1998䎃
the six # ared sides rising from a conforming
base set atop a circular foot, the foliated rim
subtly everted, the well with a carp leaping
from the turbulent sea, the interior rim
wrapped by a band of prunus blossoms over
a ‘cracked ice’ ground, the exterior panels
with alternating images of carp and four-
clawed scaly dragons springing forth from
crashing waves, the base with a lingzhi sprig
in underglaze blue within a double circle, coll.
no. 66.
Diameter 8 in., 20.2 cm
PROVENANCE
Imperial Oriental Art, New York, 1998.
The decoration of the present bowl is an
analogy for academic success. The trope of
a carp striving to surmount the falls, passing
through the Dragon Gate, and transforming
into a dragon, has long been a staple of
Chinese mythology. The phrase Liyu Tiao Long
Men describes the imagery and was popularly
understood as a metaphor for successfully
passing the notoriously challenging imperial
examinations that were essential for entry into
imperial civil service.
$ 8,000-12,000

KANGXI: THE JIE RUI TANG COLLECTION 75