A massive and rare turquoise-ground grisaille-painted 'Dayazhai' 'bird and flowers' fishbowl, Qing dynasty, Guangxu period, circa 1876 | 清光緒 約1876年 松石綠地墨彩葵菊花鳥紋大缸 《大雅齋》款

Tiandi Yijiachun was the name of a palace located within the Yuanming yuan gardens, where Cixi resided as Empress during the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor (1850-1861). Dayazhai was the title given to the art studio within this palace. During the Tongzhi period (1861-1875), there were plans to reconstruct the garden complex, which likely prompted the commissioning of porcelain with these marks. The reconstruction was left incomplete due to financial constraints, with only a partial renovation being accomplished, known as Yihe yuan. See a photograph showing a similar fishbowl placed in the Chuxiu Palace, illustrated in Ronald W. Longsdorf, 'Dayazhai Ware. Porcelains of the Empress Dowager', Orientations, March 1992, fig. 6, p. 48.

Compare a closely related example, from the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Yang Ou, Xi Wenjun eds.,Yutang jiaqi. Wanqing gongting dihou yongci [Exquisite treasures of the imperial court. Porcelain for the Emperor and Empress of the late Qing dynasty], Beijing, 2022, pl. 33; another example, with birds and flower design, illustrated in Chen Kelun, 'Huafan jinse yongqing Changchun. Cixi he ta de yuyong ciqi [Flourishing blossoms and splendid colors. Cixi and her imperial porcelain]', Forbidden City, September 2019, p. 121.