Lot 67 踏雪尋梅 | A pair of Chinese blue and white 'Ta Xue Xun Mei 踏雪尋梅' plates

踏雪尋梅 | A pair of Chinese blue and white 'Ta Xue Xun Mei 踏雪尋梅' plates

Kangxi mark and of the period

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€ 3.000 – € 6.000

O: H. 3,8 cm, Diam. 15,5 cm

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The centre of each plate is painted in underglaze cobalt blue with Meng Haoran riding a donkey, accompanied by an attendant, amidst rockwork and blossoming plum trees. The scene is rendered in varying shades of cobalt blue, creating a composition of pleasing depth and balance. The exterior is decorated with bamboo and rockwork, and the base bears a six-character Kangxi mark within a double circle.
The subject of Meng Haoran Searching for Plum Blossoms in the Snow (Ta Xue Xun Mei) was a popular literary theme during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It depicts the Tang poet Meng Haoran travelling in search of flowering plum trees, a subject that came to embody the cultivated ideals of the Chinese scholar. The plum blossom, blooming in the depths of winter, has long been admired as a symbol of purity and steadfastness.
盤心以青花繪孟浩然騎驢緩行，童子隨侍，山石與梅樹環繞其間，畫面層次分明。人物、樹石以濃淡不一的青花描繪，筆意自然流暢。外壁飾竹石紋，底書青花"大清康熙年製"六字雙圈楷書款。
踏雪尋梅為明清時期常見的文人題材，描繪唐代詩人孟浩然於寒冬時節騎驢出遊、尋訪梅花的雅事。梅花凌寒而開，象徵高潔堅貞的品格，而孟浩然則代表中國傳統文人寄情山水、追求高雅情趣的理想形象。
Provenance:
Rob Michiels Auctions, Bruges, 28 October 2017, lot 1059. (sold EUR 5.720,00) (link)
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium. Acquired from the above. (see added scan)