Page 228 - J. P Morgan Collection of Chinese Art and Porcelain

CASE XVl] THE MORGAN COLLECTION

453 to 456. FOUR ROSE-BACKED PLATES, egg-

shell porcelain. The white circular centre shows a

lady in rich apparel all embroidered in black, seated

in a pale-yellow and brown bamboo armchair; her right
arm rests on a white-topped ebony table on which a

gold incense-burner stands to left of a deep blue sprink-

ler with gold scroll dragons, holding two gold- and pur-

ple-eyed green peacock feathers and a branch of coral.

To the right of the lady a child, a rose lotus flower in

his left hand, advances on another in the centre fore-

ground, who shows a yellow "hand of Buddha" in his

right hand. Further to left another child stands hold-

Aing a vase. narrow border of delicate black scroll

on pale sea-green encircles the picture, outside which

is a border of black-flowered diamond on pale yellow-

green interrupted by three oblong white reserves, the

foliated ends defined in gold and rose, each with a scroll

water-dragon tinted in cobalt.

Ch'ien-lung (1736-1795). Diameter 8>^ inches.

CASE XVII

458. PLATE. With decoration in centre and on

rim of flowers and butterflies in brilliant enamel colors

on a frog-spawn ground. Diameter 12^ inches.
K'ang-hsi (1662-1722).

TWO459, 460. LARGE JARS with bell-shaped

covers. The precious objects of the Taoists, some

marked with the character Shou, are arranged on a frog-

spawn ground which supports four large quadrilateral

reserves, outlined in yellow, with scalloped bases and

scalloped and foliated tops, showing interior scenes il-

lustrating historical episodes; the scenes are the same

on each piece, varying little but in the colors of the

costumes. Round the base is a frog-spawn border

with eight quadrilateral yellow-edged reserves with

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