A large Chinese famille rose charger decorated with shrews . Late Yongzheng/early Qianlong period.
Decorated in famille rose enamels, with shrews on peony branches, surrounded by fruiting vine, within a dense and elaborate border.
- Country:
- China
- Period :
- Late Yongzheng (1723-1735), early Qianlong (1736-1795), circa 1730/40
- Material:
- Porcelain
- Dimension:
- 14.56 in. (37 cm)
- Reference :
- B589
- Status:
- sold
Related works
For a set of six plates, see Cohen & Cohen, London, Games of Bowls, 2014, p. 104, no. 74.
Notice
The use of the shrew with the fruit is linked to a rebus connected to the wish for many offspring to continue the family. The rat (or squirrel/shrew) is shu in Chinese and when gathering fruit, symbolises industry, the trailing vine with seeds represents a long family lineage.