A famille verte dish, Qing dynasty, Kangxi (1662-1722)
For condition report contact specialist
The dish has a channel foot ring with curved sides and is decorated in famille verte enamels. The central decoration is of a phoenix amongst rocks, around which are entwined the branches of a peony tree. The octagonal border consists of six bands painted in enamels of red, green, aubergine and yellow – the latter of which is interspersed with small flower sprays in aubergine and green enamels – a stylistic element that dates back to the mid-seventeenth century. There is a diaper border above the bands and a leaf and branch border above that. On the outside there is a key-fret border below the rim and a fully developed foot with an unmarked glazed base.
The phoenix and the peony together is an auspicious design, fengchuan mudan. When the king of birds is paired with the king of flowers they imply great blessings and prosperity. Diameter 32,5 cm.
Wear, fritting to rim. Firingdefects by footrim.
Provenance
Chauvire & Courant – Encheres Pays de Loire, France.
The Avalon Collection.
This collection, which in the main focuses on the Interregnum and Kangxi periods has been both carefully and sensitively formed over the last twenty-five years. The collector, a member of the English Oriental Ceramic Society, has assembled the collection with an eye for provenance whilst purchasing from old European collections, well-established antique dealers and at auction.
Academically, the pieces have been well researched both in terms of their symbolism and narrative themes. In many instances the imagery on the pieces has been referenced to episodes in the romantic and historic novels of Chinese mythology, which were used extensively in the decoration of seventeenth century Chinese porcelain.
Exhibitions
For a dish in which a similar octagonal border is incorporated see “ Seventeenth Century Chinese Porcelain from the Butler Family Collection”, Item No 83, Page 133.