A black-ground green-enamelled 'butterfly and flower' dish, Seal mark and period of Qianlong | 清乾隆 墨地綠彩蝶戀花紋盤 《大清乾隆年製》款

Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Ceramics from the Collection of the Kau Chi Society of Chinese Art, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1981, cat. no. 160.

Zhongguo mingtao riben xunhui zhan.gangtai mingjia shoucang taocijingpin [Exhibition of Famous Chinese Ceramics Touring Japan. Fine Ceramics from Private Hong Kong and Taiwanese Collections], Nihonbashi Takashimaya, Tokyo, 1992, cat. nos 230-231.

《求知雅集珍藏•中國古陶瓷展》，香港中文大學文物館，香港，1981年，編號160

《中國名陶日本巡迴展•港台名家收藏陶瓷精品》，日本橋高島屋，東京，1992年，編號230至231

The pair to this dish was sold at Christie’s New York, 15th September 2011, lot 1592. See also a pair of Qianlong mark and period dishes of this type, but with a lotus scroll on the well and on the exterior, included in the Min Chiu society exhibition An Anthology of Chinese Ceramics, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1980, cat. no. 133, and sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 29th November 1978, lot 363; and a dish of slightly larger size, decorated with birds among flowering trees, and with a diaper pattern on the well, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 28th April 1992, lot 242, and again at Christie’s New York, 29th November 1990, lot 292, from the collection of Mr and Mrs Jack Warner.

The garden scene on this dish is steeped in auspicious symbolism, and each element of its composition was carefully chosen for its auspicious properties. Peonies (fuguihua) were historically cultivated in imperial gardens and symbolise prosperity. They are considered the flowers of spring, and when depicted with butterflies (hudie), they grant the wish for an accumulation of blessings, wealth and high social status. Rocks (shoushi) and lingzhi on the other hand, represent longevity, and with peonies they form the wish for a long and honourable life.