A set of four blue and white dishes with leaping carp, Qing dynasty, Kangxi (1662-1722).
For condition report contact specialist
Decorated in underglaze blue with leaping carps, around the rim wave formations. Diameter 21 cm.
Fritting to rim.
Provenance
Property of a private Finnish Collection.
The collection was formed between 1980-2020, the collector has had an interest in China and Chinese Works of Art since childhood, growing up in Beijing. He returned to China in grownup years for work, he came to live in China altogether more than 40 years. His love of China, and Chinese works of art is mirrored in the collection and being an academic collector, he never got tired of learning more about the subject by studying literature, attending lectures, visiting museums, auction houses and befriending curators from Peking, Hong Kong, London, Paris, and Stockholm. The collection consists of both Chinese ceramics and textiles, This being part 1.
Purchased at Bukowskis, 2010, Sale 559, lot no 1681.
More information
In Chinese mythology, Longmen "Dragon Gate" is located at the top of a waterfall cascading from a legendary mountain. The legend states that while many carp swim upstream against the river's strong current, few are capable or brave enough for the final leap over the waterfall. If a carp successfully makes the jump, it is transformed into a powerful dragon. The legend is so famous that throughout China, a common saying is that "a student facing his examinations is like a carp attempting to leap the Dragon Gate."