SHENDETANG ZHI MARK IN IRON RED, DAOGUANG PERIOD (1821-1850)

Shendetang Zhi is a hall mark associated with a range of fine porcelains made for the Hall for the Cultivation of Virtue, a summer residence of the Emperor Daoguang.

In Designs as Signs: Decoration and Chinese Ceramics, Percival David Foundation, London, 2001, Stacey Pierson explains that pairs of mandarin ducks, yuan yang, represent marital fidelity or harmony as they are said to mate for life. In association with lotus, homophonous with the word for harmony (he), they can represent a wish for sons. A similar pair of ‘ducks’ bowls sold at Christie’s New York, 17-18 March 2016, lot 1640.