170.
A ‘FAMILLE VERTE’ DISH
Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, early 18th century
36,5 cm diam
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina,Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. n. 3604.
The centre of the interior decorated with an animated scene with three figures of warriors in a setting with a corner of an architecture and a garden with trees, rocks and a fence, this round medallion enclosed by a series of moulded cartouches on the cavetto, each with a floral spray, the ribbed rim with six lobed panels each with a pair of horses against a geometric ground, the decoration painted in the multicoloured ‘Famille Verte’ palette, a lozenge inside two concentric circles to the centre of the base.
The main decoration on this dish is probably inspired by an event told in the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” (Sanguo Yanyi).
The horse (ma) plays an important role in traditional Chinese culture. Since very ancient times, the aristocrats and the emperor himself sought the most valuable specimens, and in particular those coming from the Ferghana valley in Central Asia. In the artistic sphere, the horse is constantly present. In painting the representation of horses has become a specific genre which includes great artists such as Han Gan (706-783), Li Gonglin (1049-1106) and Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322). The horse often appears on Jingdezhen porcelain, captured in different attitudes, standing, grazing or lying down.
