Lot 143
  • 143

A PAIR OF COPPER-RED 'FISH' DISHES YONGZHENG MARKS AND PERIOD |

Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Diameter 6 in., 15.2 cm
each with low, rounded sides set over a slightly tapered foot, the exterior painted in underglaze copper red with three fish swimming gracefully against the white ground, their tails sweeping gently up and fins extended, the varying blush tones of the copper red enhancing the naturalism, the interior unadorned, the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle (2)

Provenance

Acquired in Hong Kong, 1990. 

Condition

One dish is in good condition. The other has a slightly warped rim and shallow chips around the footring.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

This sophisticated pair of dishes encapsulates the Yongzheng emperor’s (r. 1723-35) fervent interest in antiquities. The design of three red fish against an undecorated white ground has its roots in the Xuande period (r. 1424-25), when a select group of imperial cups, stem cups and stem bowls embellished with such distinct silhouettes were produced. This iconic style of decoration was rarely used until it was revived in the early Qing dynasty. According to Taocheng jishi bei [Commemorative Stele on Ceramic Production] compiled in 1735 by the great Tang Ying (1682-1756), the most accomplished superintendent of the imperial kiln at Jingdezhen in the 18th century, the three fish decoration, along with three fruits, three lingzhi fungus and five bats, were the four copper-red designs from the Xuande reign that were specifically replicated at the imperial kilns during the Yongzheng period. Compare a closely related pair of dishes included in the Hong Kong Oriental Ceramic Society Exhibition of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain and Related Underglaze Red, City Museum and Art Gallery, Hong Kong, 1975, cat. no. 129; a pair sold in these rooms, 23rd March 2011, lot 724; and another sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th November 2011, lot 2949. See also a closely related dish sold in our London rooms, 15th May 2013, lot 232; and another sold at Christie’s New York, 24th March 2004, lot 228.

For the Ming precedent, see a Xuande mark and period stem bowl in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Mingdai Xuande guanyao jinghua tezhan tulu/Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1998, cat. no. 99, together with two similar stem cups of smaller size, cat. nos 81 and 87.