Jingdezhen, China
Ming Dynasty, Tianqi Period (1620-1627)
Moulded in the form of a butterfly, with relief details of the wings and body to the underside, raised on four feet, decorated with details of the butterfly’s wings and body to the interior. 3.75cm high, 17cm wide. Cat. 529
For similar examples see Kosometsuke: Monochrome Section, Masahiko Kawahara, Kyoto Shoin Co., Ltd., 1977, p. 188 / pl. 721
Note: Butterflies symbolise femininity, the soul of the dead, the transience of life, and personal transformation. They also reference Zhuangzi’s dream of being a butterfly raising the philosophical question “is he a man dreaming of being a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming of being a man?”
Condition report (carefully viewed under UV, strong light and magnification): minor fritting to the rim, and a small area of firing cracks at the lower left-hand side of the dish (production/firing flaw) - the firing cracks with silver-coloured infill.
Jingdezhen, China
Ming Dynasty, Tianqi Period (1620-1627)
Moulded in the form of a butterfly, with relief details of the wings and body to the underside, raised on four feet, decorated with details of the butterfly’s wings and body to the interior. 3.75cm high, 17cm wide. Cat. 529
For similar examples see Kosometsuke: Monochrome Section, Masahiko Kawahara, Kyoto Shoin Co., Ltd., 1977, p. 188 / pl. 721
Note: Butterflies symbolise femininity, the soul of the dead, the transience of life, and personal transformation. They also reference Zhuangzi’s dream of being a butterfly raising the philosophical question “is he a man dreaming of being a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming of being a man?”
Condition report (carefully viewed under UV, strong light and magnification): minor fritting to the rim, and a small area of firing cracks at the lower left-hand side of the dish (production/firing flaw) - the firing cracks with silver-coloured infill.
