Dish
1723-1735 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The decoration on this dish is painted onto lustrous, honey-toned translucent porcelain, and consists of a peach tree growing from the side of a cliff and bats flying out to sea. The bat is synonymous with happiness, while the peach stands for longevity. The Chinese character for longevity is also painted onto the fruits shown on the exterior of the dish. The whole scene illustrates the traditional Chinese birthday greeting 'May your happiness be as the Eastern Sea and may you live to be as old as the Southern Mountain'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain, painted in overglaze enamels |
| Brief description | Dish, porcelain painted with bats and peaches in enamels, China, Yongzheng mark and period, 1723-1735 |
| Physical description | Of saucer shape with rounded, spreading sides and neatly-made foot ring. Painted in the centre inside is a design of a fruiting peach tree growing from a steep cliff-side over a sea of waves, surrounded by five flying bats (symbolising the five happinesses) and round the outside are pairs of bats alternating with sprays of fruit, the fruit inscribed with the 'shou' or long-life emblem. The designs are outlined in underglaze blue and completed in enamels. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 大清雍正年製 (On base in underglaze blue)
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| Credit line | Macnaghten Bequest |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The decoration on this dish is painted onto lustrous, honey-toned translucent porcelain, and consists of a peach tree growing from the side of a cliff and bats flying out to sea. The bat is synonymous with happiness, while the peach stands for longevity. The Chinese character for longevity is also painted onto the fruits shown on the exterior of the dish. The whole scene illustrates the traditional Chinese birthday greeting 'May your happiness be as the Eastern Sea and may you live to be as old as the Southern Mountain'. |
| Bibliographic reference | Kerr, Rose Chinese Ceramics, Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty 1644-1911, London: V&A, 1998, No. 6
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.15-1970 |
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| Record created | February 28, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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