Chinese Kangxi Blue and White Hunting Scene Plate

Large and thinly potted Chinese Kangxi scalloped-rim blue and white porcelain plate decorated with rich underglaze cobalt blue.

• Hand-painted with a central scene of a mounted man and woman out hunting within a landscape.
• Rim bordered with “penciled” stylized lotus.
• The reverse also with stylized lotus around the rim and centered with a Chenghua mark.

Illustrated and discussed in David Howard’s book, The Choice of the Private Trader, page 42, where he notes that the Chenghua mark (1465-1487) was not intended as a forgery, but rather a compliment to the quality of the piece, and was used to replace the Kangxi mark as the emperor had forbidden the use of his name on porcelain for export after 1782. 

Mario Buatta: Prince of Interiors, Sotheby's New York, January 23 and 24, 2020, lot 466