SOLD WITHOUT RESERVE | Property from the Collection of Henry H. Arnhold, sold to benefit the Arnhold Foundation
A CHINESE FAMILLE-VERTE OCTAGONAL DISH, QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD
Lot Closed
May 1, 06:15 PM GMT
Estimate
1,500 - 2,500 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property from the Collection of Henry H. Arnhold, sold to benefit the Arnhold Foundation
A CHINESE FAMILLE-VERTE OCTAGONAL DISH, QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD
painted in the center with a pair of magpies soaring among a sweeping willow tree and prunus branches issuing from rockwork, the 'pie-crust' rim with four cartouches decorated with insects reserved on a stippled ground with peony blossoms.
Width: 14½ in. (36.9 cm)
Jorge Welsh Works of Art London, November 2017
Magpies are most often associated with happiness, and the present example shows a pair of fluttering magpies among bamboo and prunus, which is a rebus for 'double happiness to the bride and groom', with the bamboo and prunus representing the groom and bride. For further discussion on this particular combination of motifs, see Terese Tse Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, San Francisco, 2006, p. 52, section 2.17.11.