Page 112 - Important Chiense Ceramics and Works of Art, Christie's.pdf

2935 Continued

The present pair of dishes belongs to a group from the It is believed by many scholars that this particular design
Yongzheng period that is similarly decorated with a total was applied to vessels made for the celebration of imperial
of eight peaches growing from flowering branches and birthdays. The composition of eight peaches and five bats is
accompanied by five bats, forming the auspicious wufu. Some very auspicious. The eight peaches symbolise extended long
of these dishes bear the six-character reign mark in a double- life through their association with Shoulao, the Star God of
square as in the case of the present examples, or on others the Longevity, and also through their association with the peaches
marks appear within a double-circle. of longevity grown in the orchard of the Queen Mother of the
West. The five red bats provide rebuses both for good fortune
Peach dishes appear in four differing sizes, the present dishes and for the Five Blessings of longevity, health, love of virtue,
are the smallest in the group (13.4 cm. diam.) and these are and a peaceful death. One of the names for this decorative
the only examples with this measurement. The next size is the scheme is guoqiangzhi which suggests the sound of changzhi,
slightly larger (15.8 cm. diam.) example from the Tianminlou long peace under good government, which would provide a
Foundation, illustrated in Chinese Porcelain, The S.C. Ko compliment to the emperor and a wish for his reign to be a
Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, vols. 1 and 2, no. 104; long one.
and this dish is also unique in its size. The third size measures
approximately 20 cm. in diameter and examples of these ᫉ཌ⏎ᆨ㵲ຉཎ卿㙁௛⛘ⴃ★㪿ǯ᫉଍㙛⊇㙞៨Ɽ⎏Ꮫᯧங⎊஠
include: the dish in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated by P. Lam, ӳᇖ଍ം೅㑌⊺卿⣌㙞ऑᯒ卿ᅠ⦛ߪ଍ݤ೅卿⥾ݨᡥǮՆ〟卿इ
in Qing Imperial Porcelain, Chinese University of Hong Kong,
1995, no. 62 (21 cm. diam.); a dish in the British Museum Ǹᰪ◙䁖഍ǹǮǸ◙೰㫐ݥǹԠዪǯ᫉⊺ᯧ⯞㑌ᙻ㫇᫈ᛞឆ卿Ӭ
collection, illustrated in The World’s Great Collections, Oriental ⏜ᆴ㮮⯍㙣ݏǯ⟾ᆭංࠛᙻᄮᾭ卿ߪԻ㫇᫈ង卿Ὅ㋏ங㙁௛Ǯᙼ
Ceramics, vol. 5, Kodansha series, 1981, no. 226 (20.6 cm. 㞏কᆭ⥾ᙹ㬷卿㛢ᇑߪԻ⚁߿⎏⎉ཿ卿᫉଍᫈ᛓݯԋӬ׾ǯ㫇᫈
diam.); and from the John M. Crawford, Au Bak Ling and ᛞឆӬ⯺⥾ݨᡥ卿Գ㪏ᛞഅ⥾Ԭᡥ卿ᘢᝳǸ㫇ݨԳԬǹԠ㊯ǯ
Robert Chang collections, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27
October 2003, lot 665 (20.9 cm. diam.). For examples of the 㫇᫈ᛞឆ⟾ᆭ⥾ݨᡥǮՆ〟⎏≢⏎սཨ༿׹⏭ज᫔ἃ୨㯸卿ទཌ
largest dishes in the group, see Far Eastern Ceramics in the ཎ⏎ऑᇎगᝳ ݩߎ卿ἃऱ㯸ԋᝬཎ⎏Ӭ♎卿ᛓ⏖߿۔ӽ৅⎏
Victoria and Albert Museum, Kodansha series, 1980, col. pl. ໌৅ǯᬘ᫉଍☸ഌ⎏ᝳ ݩߎ卿ἃ഍ᭆ᧊Ꮢ⻦卿ⶬ㢙ங ჺ
63 (50.5 cm. diam.); in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated
in Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille ߅‸Ƕ഍ᭆ᧊⻦≢c*ࣿ**Ƿ卿எ‸ 卿⏖߿۔ӽ৅Ԯ᮱ᝳ⏟ऱ
Rose Decoration, the Complete Collection of Treasures of the ⎏׾ຽǯӴӬٖཨ༿⡙ ݩߎ卿ἃࢶ՗ࢷ⁒㩴Ꮢ⻦卿ⶬ㢙ங
Palace Museum, Commercial Press, 1999, p. 66, no. 56; and in ࢶ՗ࢷ⁒㩴ক㲞ᳰഌໝᙔ⁒㱦⪩भ߅‸Ƕ᳖≢ⵧⅧc᳖ջᄮ㫇
the Percival David Foundation, illustrated by R.E. Scott, For the Գ໶⚨≢଍Ƿ卿எ‸ 厎ӴӬٖཨ༿⡙ ݩߎ卿ἃഌⲖࢷ⁒㱦
Imperial Court, 1998, p. 124, no. 48 (50.7 cm. diam.). The reign Ꮢ⻦卿ⶬ㢙ங ჺែ՗㌌㋄▘இ㪡ᡏᅴᝯ▘߅‸Ƕ5IF 8PSME’T
marks of the larger dishes are written within a double-circle.
(SFBU $PMMFDUJPOTc0SJFOUBM $FSBNJDTǷd✄ ݺ卿எ‸ 厎औӬ
It is characteristic of Yongzheng porcelains with decoration ։ߎߣἃ+PIO . $SBXGPSE卿ࢥ⎋䁬কᆌ໵፩Ꮢ⻦卿ऑᇎ ݩ
of fruiting and flowering branches that the painter starts the ߎ卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑᐽ㐈卿ᐽ৅ ⽚ǯᝬഌ⎏׾
design at the exterior foot of the dish and then continues it
over the rim and into the interior. This device is known in ຽ卿Ӭ։ऑᇎ ݩߎ卿ἃⲖஇ⣠അߧՌ㩛֬⁞ࢷ⁒㱦Ꮢ⻦卿ⶬ
Chinese as guozhihua, and on dishes with this peach and 㢙ங ჺែ՗㌌㋄▘இ㪡ᡏᅴᝯ▘߅‸Ƕ'BS &BTUFSO $FSBNJDT
bat motif, the exterior and interior decoration must be ‘read’ JO UIF 7JDUPSJB BOE "MCFSU .VTFVNǷ卿எ‸ 厎Ӭ։ऑᇎ ݩ
together in order to gain the complete significance of the ߎ卿ἃ࢈՗ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴Ꮢ⻦卿ⶬ㢙ங ჺਦ࡞ࣇᝧ㱦߅‸卿ᘢ
design. Decoration of this type provides a design challenge in ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦ᙔ⁒Ⅷ৅ݥ㫀Ƕ⇈⇶ᆭc⟾ᆭǷ卿㮰 卿எ‸ 厎औ
order to obtain a harmoniously balanced result. The current
dishes are particularly successful in this regard. The decorator Ӭ։⻦Ⲗஇٳᘹഌヵᇪఫ㞖ᝯ卿ऑᇎ ݩߎ卿ⶬ㢙ங ჺ߅
has made full use of the contrast between the white body and ‸卿⼖⅌⇷Ԗ⤔Ƕ'PS UIF *NQFSJBM $PVSUǷ卿㮰 卿எ‸ ǯഌ
the vibrant enamels. The tip of the pink blossomed branch ⏎അἃ㫐஄㫐リݪໃᥓᝧ᪪ǯ
arches gracefully towards the bats on the interior, while on the
exterior the pink blossomed and white blossomed branches
encircle the vessel and lead the eye to the bats. There is also
great subtlety in the use of the white blossoms on the interior
and in the tonal differences between the two branches.

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