25.5CM Antique Chinese Porcelain Ca 1700 Kangxi period Period Crab and Fish Dish

Out of stock

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Condition Report: typical rimfritting and 3 lines. (the dish was repainted at the hairline spots, this has been removed, but small parts might remain (easily removed) Size 255x47mm DiameterxHeight

Very thinly potted dish on footrim, with undulating rim. Decorated in underglaze blue with fish amidst water plants around a centrally placed crab. On the reverse ten small flowers are painted.

The Chinese character for fish, yu, is phonetically identical to the character for abundance; thus, fish became the symbol for riches. Puns of this kind appealed to Chinese officials and scholars who had a considerable grounding in literature. So decorative elements and symbols on Chinese artifacts often have a second or third ‘hidden’ significance as well as their familiar meaning; this hidden significance is often reinforced or elaborated by combining various motifs. Dutch people who purchased such dishes in the 17th and 18th centuries were completely unaware of this symbolism. They would have used the dishes for serving fish, believing they had been appropriately decorated for this purpose.

These dishes are well described in the literature. An example is added in the gallery.

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