A blue and white 'fish' jardinière, Qing dynasty, 18th / 19th century

The depiction of these four plump fish forms a well-known rebus, qingbai lianjie, which translates as 'pure and incorruptible' signifying a wish for scholarly success. A blue and white fishbowl with the same subject matter in the Palace Museum, Beijing is illustrated in Gugong Bowuyuan Cang Qingdai Ciqi Leixuan Qing Shunzhi Kangxi Chao Qinghuaci [Selected Chinese Ceramics from the Palace Museum: Blue and White Ceramics in Shunzhi and Kangxi Periods], vol. I, Beijing 2004, pl. 251; another from the Jie Rui Tang Collection, sold in our New York rooms, 19th March 2019, lot 327; and a third example, sold in these rooms, 15th May 2019, lot 146.