Dish

Physical description

Dish decorated in doucai colours of red, green, yellow and aubergine overglaze enamels and underglaze blue. In the centre is a flowerhead, around which are five leaf-like patterns linked by a chain. Tibetan characters are placed between the leaf-like patterns and round the rim. The same decoration is repeated on the back of the dish. On the base is the mark Caihua Tang zhi (made for the Hall of Many-Coloured Flowers) written in overglaze red within a double circle.

This very distinctive design is related to Tibetan Buddhism, probably inspired by a headdress known as a 'five-leaf crown', the five leaves representing the five Buddhas Vairocana (centre), Aksobhya (east), Ratnasambhava (south), Amitabha (west) and Amogha (north). The Tibetan characters are probably invocations. Qing emperors were not monotheists. Besides performing the official sacrifices to Heaven, Earth and ancestors they also erected temples within the Forbidden City where Buddhist and Daoist deities were worshipped. It has been suggested that the Qing rulers sanctioned Tibetan Buddhism as a means of winning the goodwill of the Mongolian and Tibetan nobilities.

Place of Origin

Jingdezhen, China (made)

Date

ca. 1765-1795 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Porcelain, painted in coloured enamels

Marks and inscriptions

On the base is the mark Caihua Tang zhi (made for the Hall of Many-Coloured Flowers) written in overglaze red within a double circle.

Dimensions

Height: 3.5 cm, Diameter: 16.6 cm

Exhibition History

Rare Marks on Chinese Ceramics (19/11/1998-28/05/1999)

Categories

Ceramics; Buddhism

Collection code

EAS