Dish
ca. 1700 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This dish is one of four with similar decoration. They all feature painted figures from the popular Chinese novel 'Water Margin', a story about brave and well-intentioned bandits who take from the rich to give to the poor.
A distinct feature of the decoration is the absence of any complementary pattern in the background, as if the figures appear on a blank stage without a backdrop. A mark on the base reads 'Studio to examine one's mind'. This indicates that the dishes were specially commissioned by a man of letters.
A distinct feature of the decoration is the absence of any complementary pattern in the background, as if the figures appear on a blank stage without a backdrop. A mark on the base reads 'Studio to examine one's mind'. This indicates that the dishes were specially commissioned by a man of letters.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain painted in enamel colours |
| Brief description | Dish, porcelain painted with coloured enamels, China, Jingdezhen, Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), ca.1700 |
| Physical description | Dish of porcelain, circular, glazed plain white and painted in the centre with 3 men, the man on the left wearing green trousers, in the colours of the famille verte. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Underglaze blue mark 'wen xin zhai' on base |
| Credit line | Salting bequest |
| Object history | Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This dish is one of four with similar decoration. They all feature painted figures from the popular Chinese novel 'Water Margin', a story about brave and well-intentioned bandits who take from the rich to give to the poor. A distinct feature of the decoration is the absence of any complementary pattern in the background, as if the figures appear on a blank stage without a backdrop. A mark on the base reads 'Studio to examine one's mind'. This indicates that the dishes were specially commissioned by a man of letters. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.1198-1910 |
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| Record created | September 16, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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