427.
A LARGE CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL DISH
Ming dynasty, 16th century
38 cm diam
Provenance: Naples, Villa della Floridiana, Museo Duca di Martina, Placido de Sangro (1829-1891) collection.
inv. n. 5246.
The subject of a boy holding a lotus flower – in this large dish surrounded by four gorgeous phoenixes flying amidst flowers – represents fertility and, according to a rebus of Chinese homophonic words, the wish for “continuation of generation”.
The word lotus is a pun for ‘continuous’ (lian) and the boy symbolises the wish for a son. Together, they represent the blessing of continuously giving birth to distinguished sons (liansheng guizi).
For a large polychrome porcelain dish dated to the Transitional period and decorated with the same motif of boys amidst floral scrolls in this collection; see also the Kangxi period dish with an analogous decoration.
