YONGZHENG SIX-CHARACTER MARKS IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN DOUBLE CIRCLES AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735)

This pair of dishes, delicately decorated with a buck and a doe, is extremely rare. The two spotted deer nestle against each other with their muzzles touching and a bat flittering above, express a subtle wish for a long life with abundant happiness and blessings. The blue-green enameled ground on which the deer rest harkens back to Kangxi-period techniques, with stippled black markings beneath the glaze. However, the painting style of the deer is decidedly more refined than famille verte depictions and places the dishes in the early part of the Yongzheng period.