A pair of wucai 'Zhang Tianshi' dishes, Marks and period of Wanli | 明萬曆 五彩「張天師斬五毒」圖盤一對 《大明萬曆年製》款

Ehime Bunkakan, Japan.

Christie’s New York, 22nd – 23rd September 2022, lot 907.

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愛媛文華館, 日本

紐約佳士得，2022年9月22-23日，編號907

This rare pair of wucai dishes depicts the Daoist immortal Zhang Tianshi, also known as Zhang Daoling, seated on the back of a tiger with a sword raised in one hand. The scene is set within a landscape featuring a pine tree, flowering branches, rocky elements, and clouds, reflecting traditional Daoist imagery and natural motifs.

The cavetto is decorated with a series of creatures, including a snake, centipede, toad, and yellow-winged wasp, interspersed with floral branches and foliage. These creatures are symbolic of the traditional “Five Poisons” in Daoist iconography, intended to ward off evil. The underside of each dish is decorated with underglaze blue leaves and lizards, with one dish also featuring an additional iron-red scorpion.

The combination of Daoist imagery and auspicious symbols gives these dishes notable artistic and cultural significance. A closely related example is preserved in the collection of the Shanghai Museum and can be found in its online database (object ID: CI00051607).

此對五彩盤描繪了道教仙人張天師（又名張道陵）騎虎持劍的場景。張天師坐於虎背，手持寶劍，背景為松樹、花枝、奇石及雲彩，展現出典型的道教元素與自然景致。

盤壁內圈裝飾有蛇、蜈蚣、蟾蜍與黃翅胡蜂等圖案，這些動物與花枝葉片相間，反映了道教中「五毒」的傳統符號，具有辟邪的寓意。盤底則以青花繪製葉片及蜥蜴，一件盤底另加繪有礬紅蝎子。

此對盤的裝飾，結合了道教圖像和吉祥符號，具有獨特的藝術與文化價值。上海博物館亦藏有一件相似的例品，可在其線上典藏資料庫中查閱（館藏編號：CI00051607）。