Tianqi, 1621-1627
The dish has rounded sides spreading slightlytowards the rim. The interior is painted in underglaze blue, green and yellow enamels and iron-red with a blossoming prunus tree below a sun or moon, swirling clouds, a hovering insect, a bird in flight and a star-like ornament. To the left of the tree there is a single character, chun. The reverse side is decorated with two pairs of prunus branches in underglaze blue and iron-red. The 23 cm diameter
Provenance: Formerly in a Japanese private collection The prunus tree seen on the present dish, cheerfully highlighted with overglaze enamels, symbolises spring, as it is one of the first to blossom every year. The character on the left side of the composition, chun, which means spring, emphasises the overall theme. The prunus is also one of the ‘Three Friends of Winter’ and is associated with purity and integrity. The rim of this dish is subject to extensive mushikui, a feature often seen on Japanese-market wares from this period. Similar dishes are known without overglaze enamels, like a near-identical example from the Sato Collection. Several closely related blue and white dishes, also with the character chun, bear Tianqi reign marks on the base.
