16C Jiajing/Wanli Ming Antique Chinese Porcelain Dish Fish and Crab Design Marked

Out of stock

---

Condition Report: 1 chip to rim, some minimal fleebites/nibbles also. 1 chip to base rim also and some tension lines in base which are also visible at the front. Size 13.6x2.7CM DiameterxHeight

Sharing with you this lovely and unusual small dish. It’s a Ming blue and white porcelain dish, Jiajing to early Wanli Period c.1550 – 1580. This small dish is decorated a very strong blue, similar to that used during the Jiajing period (1522-1566). The design consists of a crab against a dark blue ground to the center with four fish among aquatic plants. The back has a shop-mark in underglaze blue.

Crab Xie
Xie, Crabs are normally depicted on Chinese porcelain in the context of other marine crustacea together with aquatic plants. On there own the appear only rarely and as single creatures they have a different meaning. They are used to represent achievement as Xie is a homonym for the those who have passed the first examination towards official rank, Xie. In folklore, the crab can repel bad magic and also restore a mans potency.

Fish Yu
The Chinese word for fish `Yu` is pronounced in the same way as the word for abundance. So fish have come to represent prosperity and the carp is often represented as sign of success because of its perseverance, swimming up river.

⁠
——————————————————————————————————————
Important information