Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Finely Painted Bowl, Kangxi Period (1662-1722),

Ref: AA22

Chinese blue and white porcelain finely painted bowl, Kangxi period (1662-1722), the exterior painted in a good underglaze blue with a continuous scene of scholars in various pursuits as playing go, the zither and admiring scroll paintings, the interior with a pine tree in a jardinière and the base with an apocryphal Chenghua mark

Dimensions:

Diameter 20.8 cm (8 1//4in.)

Condition:

(two long hairline cracks and two small rim chips)

Notes:

The scene represents scholars playing weiqi (go) outdoors. Go was one of the "Four Arts" of the Chinese scholar-gentleman, alongside calligraphy, painting, and playing the guqin musical instrument. While there isn't a specific mythology about scholars playing weiqi, the theme of immortals or scholars playing weiqi in a timeless setting is common, sometimes resulting in mortals who witness the game returning to find many years have passed. It also refers to a time when the political situation was turbulent and scholars were happy to escape from every day life.

Provenance:

From the private collection of a Dutch noble family