Page 207 - Christie's, Important Chinese Works of Art December 2, 2015 HK

3198 It appears that dishes of this pattern continued in production from
the Qianlong to the Guangxu period. Compare to a pair of Tongzhi
A FINE IRON-RED DECORATED BLUE AND examples sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2011, lot 3124.
WHITE ‘BATS’ DISH
㬌栆㳒䤷滲⣑䚌会晵㬋㫦䘬ἳ⫸⋩↮份夳ˤ⎗㭼庫楁㷗Ἓ⢓
YONGZHENG SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE ⼿2005⸜11㚰28㖍㉵岋䘬ᶨẞ⯢⮠庫⣏ᶼ䚌⽫≈梦⛀⢥䲳䘬
WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735) ᶨẞ役Ụἳ炻㉵⑩1354嘇ˤ㬌⺷䚌晵㬋ẍ⼴㬟㛅䘮㚱䅺忈炻
⎗⍫䄏ᶨẞ⎴㱣曺剙䣔䲭⼑㳒䤷滲⣑䚌炻㕤楁㷗Ἓ⢓⼿㉵
The dish is finely enamelled in iron red in the centre of the 岋炻2011⸜11㚰30㖍炻㉵⑩3124嘇ˤ
interior with five encircling bats enclosed by an underglaze-blue
double line, the well decorated with further iron-red bats in
various positions, similarly decorated on the exterior, above a
band of underglaze-blue keyfret around the foot.
6 in. (15.5 cm.) diam., box

HK$600,000-800,000 US$78,000-100,000

As the character for 'bats', fu, is a homonym for 'fortune' and the
character for red, hong, is a homonym for ‘vast’, the depiction of bats
in iron red provides a rebus for vast good fortunes. Yongzheng-marked
dishes of this design are very rare. Compare a larger example with a
Shou character in the centre, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong,
28 November 2005, lot 1354.

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