Antique Chinese Porcelain 15th/16th Century Hongzhi or Zhengde Dish FISH HARMONY

Out of stock

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Condition Report: Overall Condition 1 line, 1 small chip and some fritting. Size: 19.7x3.3CM DiameterxHeight

A very nicely decorated and highly unusual dish from the 15th/16th century. The dish is beautifully designed with a beautiful fish in the centre.

In the well of the dish a single fish swims amid aquatic plants and shell- or wave-like forms; a loose blue inner band frames the roundel, and the exterior carries scrolling floral sprays.

Symbolism:

• Fish (yú 鱼) is a rebus for “surplus/abundance” (yú 余), so a fish promises prosperity and plenty. If read specifically as a carp (lǐyú 鲤鱼), it can also allude to examination success and upward mobility (the “carp leaping the Dragon Gate” legend).

• Lotus/aquatic plants (hé 荷 / lián 莲) commonly signify harmony (hé 和), purity, and continuity; together with fish they can imply “abundance year after year” (liánnián yǒu yú 连年有余).

• Shells/waves and scattered dots evoke the water world—fertility and natural bounty—a fitting setting for wishes of wealth and well-being.

Taken together, the scene reads as a compact good-luck message: continuous harmony and surplus

For a closely related dish with comparable underglaze-blue fish decoration, see The Kyushu Ceramic Museum (ed.), China as the Inspiration for Japanese Porcelain, 2016, catalogue no. 138.

9-1-23-1-1

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