A CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE SAUCER DISH 19TH CENTURY Painted to the centre with two figures engaged...

A CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE SAUCER DISH

19TH CENTURY

Painted to the centre with two figures engaged in light conversation by a riverbank, they sit watching a sampan pass by through the shallow waters, all below a poem describing the scene, with a metal band to the rim, the base with a mark reading nei fu, 14.7cm.

The characters nei fu, meaning 'inner palace', denote imperial use.

Provenance: Sotheby's Amsterdam, 5th November 2003, lot 9. A copy of the original invoice is available.