Blue and White Rare Monkey,Deer, Bee and Magpie Dish

Kangxi Period (1661-1722)
ji jin mark
D:16cm x H:3cm

This rare dish features a delicate lattice border of clouds which cut away to reveal four panels of ripened fruit and flowers. The centre of the dish features a rare and humorous scene of a monkey, deer, bee and magpie.

Visual puns are often deployed in Chinese art. ‘Monkey’ in Chinese is pronounced ‘hou’ which is also the same pronunciation for the word ‘nobleman’. Here, the combination of the monkey with the bee, magpie and deer conveys the phrase ‘jue lu feng hou,’ which means ‘bestowing great wealth and a noble title.’ Thus, not only is this piece humorous in nature, it is also auspicious.

Provenance: J.B. da Silva,1960
Similar Dish: Metropolitian Museum, New York, Accession No.79.2.378