A FINE AND RARE DOUCAI ‘MYTHICAL HORSE’ DISH YONGZHENG MARK AND PERIOD

the shallow sides rising from a tapered foot to a wide everted rim, the interior painted with a central medallion enclosing a mythical horse carrying a bundle of books and galloping over a stormy sea with craggy rocks, the rim encircled by a band of scrolling clouds, painted to the exterior with swirling and foaming waves breaking against rocky mountains, the base with a six-character reign mark in three vertical columns within a double-circle

This finely painted and enamelled dish is in very good condition with the exception of some minor glaze pin holes and light glaze scratches.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A dish of this vividly painted design, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Kangxi. Yongzheng. Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 206, pl. 35; one from the Edward T. Chow collection was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 19^th May 1981, lot 560; another from the collection of W.W. Winkworth was sold in these rooms, 12^th December 1972, lot 122; and a fourth dish was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29^thMay 2013, lot 2270.

 

According to the Liji (Book of Rites), written from the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han dynasties, Fuxi, the first of the three legendary rulers of ancient China, was observing all under heaven when he saw a creature emerge from the river. This creature had the form of a horse, the head of a dragon and the scales of a fish. The markings on the creature's back inspired Fuxi to invent the eight trigrams, which led to the invention of writing, represented by the book on the creature's back. Later writings described the creature as having the essence of heaven and earth, with the form of a horse and the scales of a dragon, and it was said to appear when a sage ruled the land. Beginning in the Yuan dynasty, this mythical horse became a popular motif on ceramics, where the design was referred to as haima (sea and horse) because it always portrayed the horse galloping through the air over turbulent seas.