Page 18 - Fine Imperial Porcelain at Sothebys Hong Kong April 3 2019

This dish encapsulates not only the great developments
in porcelain production during the Yongzheng period but
also the Emperor’s keen patronage, as well as his interest
in Daoism. The Yongzheng Emperor was a firm believer in
portents of good fortune and this can perhaps be attributed
to the fact that he ascended the throne under rather
nebulous circumstances with the legitimacy of his throne
disputed.
For the Yongzheng Emperor’s affiliation with Daoism, see
two paintings in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing,
the first The Yongzheng Emperor Dressed as a Daoist,
illustrated in Harmony and Integrity. The Yongzheng Emperor
and His Times, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2009,
cat. no. I-75; the second A Life Portrait of the Yongzheng
Emperor, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures
of the Palace Museum: Paintings by the Court Artists of the
Qing Court, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 18.
The design on the current dish is unusual and only a few
examples appear to be recorded, including one in the
collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London,
museum no. 695-1907; another illustrated in Porcelains from
the Tianjin Municipal Museum, Hong Kong, 1993, pls 159 and
160; a third example illustrated in Sekai tōji zenshū/Ceramic
Art of the World, vol. 15: Qing, Tokyo, 1983, p. 174, no. 191; a
pair sold at Christie’s New York, 23rd March 2012, lot 234;
and one sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29th November 2017,
lot 2810, from the Dr James D. Thornton collection.

16 SOTHEBY ’S FINE IMPERIAL PORCELAIN