Description
A CHINESE FAMILLE VERTE DISH
KANGXI 1662-1722
Depicting a scene from the Romance of the Western Chamber, a paper label for the J F Woodthorpe Collection, 21cm.
Provenance: from the collection of J F Woodthorpe, later the Follander collection, Belgium, and then Christie's Amsterdam, 20th/21st November 2007, lot 189.
John Frederick Woodthorpe (1897-1966) was a client of Bluett's from 1948-1960. Much of his collection was sold at Sotheby's from 1954 through to 1961. His label can still be seen on a selection of high quality Ming and Qing porcelain.
The small disc in iron-red to the left of the pavilion indicates that this scene takes place at night and is thought to be an episode from the 12th century play, the Romance of the Western Chamber. The play tells the story of the love of Cui Ying Ying for a young scholar, Zhang Sheng. On this dish, it is difficult to be certain as to whether the scene represents a meeting between the two principal characters or between her maid, Hong Niang and Zhang Sheng.