YONGZHENG SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735)

Decorated in rich tones of cobalt simulating the 'heaping and piling' effect of earlier Ming prototypes, the design on this dish is typically described as 'lotus bouquet,' as the majority of the flowers, pods and leaves belong to the auspicious lotus plant. However, the bouquet also includes additional auspicious plants, such as the arrow-shaped saggitaria sagittifolia, a symbol of both generosity and of food in a time of shortage, and a stalk of millet, symbolizing an abundance of grain.

A dish with the same motif and also painted in the Ming style, but of slightly smaller size (27.8 cm.), is illustrated in Treasures in the Royalty: The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p. 122. See, also, another Yongzheng-marked dish sold at Christie's New York, 1 June 1990, lot 248.