185.
A ‘FAMILLE VERTE’ BOWL
Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, early 18th century
9,2 x 18,5 cm
Mark …..
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. n. 3290.
The scenes painted on this bowl are inspired by the “Romance of the Western Chamber” (Xixiang ji), a very popular novel written by Wang Shifu during the Yuan dynasty. It is the the story of a young couple – Zhang Gong and Yingying – which try to live their love also without the approval of their parents.
Scenes from this novel were used as decoration for porcelain already from the sixteenth century, reaching a peak during the reign of Shunzi emperor who had a strong personal interest in that play, stimulating the publication in 1656 of a commentary edition by the critic Jin Shengtan which would remain the most authoritative for the whole Qing dynasty.
Scenes from the Xixiang ji are rather common on Kangxi ‘Famille Verte’ porcelain.
Apart from the narratives scene on the exterior of the bowl, each separated from the other by a panel with a glimpse of landscape and a ruyi head on the lower side, Zhang is also depicted to the centre of the interior, seated near a qin zhiter.
