Printed from Woolley & Wallis

Description

A RARE CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE 'LANDSCAPE' DISH

c.1660

The deep body rising from a short gently tapering foot to a flared rim, painted to the centre with a young scholar writing an inscription on a post as his lover stands by holding his inkstone, with a horse and an attendant carrying their possessions beside them, all in a mountainous river landscape, the underside decorated with a figure seated on a sampan in another vast landscape, with small dwellings dispersed throughout the setting, the base with a six character mark reading Qi shi bao ding zhi zhen, 17.4cm.

The scene depicts the Han dynasty poet Sima Xiangru (179-117 BC). When he was a poor young scholar, Xiangru eloped with his beloved Zhuo Wenjun, the daughter of a wealthy gentleman. Humiliated, her father refused to support the couple, and so they lived in poverty making a living by running a roadside wine shop. Having been encouraged by his wife, Xiangru went to seek his fortune in the capital, Chang'an. Xiangru parted from Wenjun on the bridge leading to the city and vowed that he would not cross the bridge again unless he did so riding in a carriage drawn by four horses, having made his fortune. This scene shows Xiangru writing this vow on a pillar by the bridge as Wenjun holds his inkstone. Xiangru impressed the Emperor in the capital and had a successful career at court. He later returned home in his horse-drawn carriage and was received with great honour. The story is regarded as a tale of inspiration, demonstrating how hard work and ambition can lead to great success.

Cf. Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, pp.64-65, no.43 for a related blue and white dish with the same mark; see also J P Stamen and C Volk, A Culture Revealed: Kangxi-Era Chinese Porcelain from the Jie Rui Tang Collection, pp.84-85, no.25 for a similar Kangxi mark and period dish; see also Sotheby's London, 15th May 2019, lot 138 for a famille verte dish painted with the same scene.