A PAIR OF DOUCAI 'SHOU'-CHARACTER DISHES SEAL MARKS AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

well potted, each with shallow rounded sides supported on a low tapered foot, painted in bright enamels on the interior with a central medallion enclosing a fruiting peach tree bearing eleven ripe peaches, its trunk twisted and bent to form a shou character above a sprig of lingzhi and garden rocks in underglaze blue, all within a double-line border repeated at the rim, the exterior with three further peach trees forming a shou character divided by underglaze-blue lingzhi scrolls below a double-line border, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character seal mark within double circles

An American private collection, Pennsylvania.
Christie's New York, 2nd June 1994, lot 344.

There are a few pin-prick air bubbles and minor impurities in the glaze on the base, but apart from this both dishes are in overall good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A closely related dish was included in the exhibition Ch’ing Porcelain from the Wah Kwong Collection, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1973, cat. no. 92; another is illustrated in Lu Kaw, Lee Kong Chian Art Museum, Singapore, 1990, pl. 206; and a pair of dishes was sold in these rooms, 2^nd May 1995, lot 143.

 

For the Ming prototype to this design see a Jiajing dish from the Norton collection, sold in our London rooms, 5^th November 1963, lot 182, and illustrated in Mayuyama, Seventy Years, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1976, pl. 835.