Lot 127 A Chinese blue and white silver-mounted 'Monkeys and Deer' bowl

A Chinese blue and white silver-mounted 'Monkeys and Deer' bowl

未知

€ 12.000 – € 18.000

WH: H. 7,1 cm, W. 15,5 cm, Diam. 16,4 cm (Incl. mounts)

未知

Finely painted in underglaze cobalt blue with a continuous landscape with two deer, a monkey reaching across a rocky outcrop, flowering plants and stylised rocks. The interior is decorated with a central roundel enclosing a recumbent horse beneath a full moon.
The bowl is fitted with European silver mounts comprising a foot ring and a pair of scrolling branch-form handles, most likely added during the seventeenth or eighteenth century for the European market. Such mounts reflect the high esteem in which Chinese export porcelain was held, transforming functional wares into luxurious display objects.
The deer is one of the most auspicious animals in Chinese art, symbolising longevity, prosperity and official emolument. Monkeys are frequently employed in auspicious rebuses connected with rank and promotion, while the horse is traditionally associated with strength, speed and success.
The recessed base is enclosed within an unglazed foot rim and bears a neatly written six-character underglaze cobalt-blue Da Ming Wanli nianzhi (大明萬曆年製, Made during the Wanli reign of the Great Ming) mark.
通體以青花繪山水通景，兩隻鹿徜徉於花木山石之間，一隻猿猴攀附嶙峋岩石，探身伸臂。碗心圓形開光內繪滿月下的臥馬。
此碗後加歐洲銀質鑲嵌，包括銀質足圈及一對卷曲枝形耳，應為十七或十八世紀因應歐洲市場而加裝。此類鑲銀反映出當時歐洲對中國外銷瓷的珍視，將原本的日用器皿轉化為華貴的陳設珍玩。
鹿是中國藝術中常見的吉祥動物，象徵長壽、富足與仕途俸祿。猿猴常用於與官爵晉升相關的吉祥諧音圖案，馬則寓意力量、迅捷與功業有成。
底部內凹，足圈露胎，青花書「大明萬曆年製」六字款，字體端正。
Provenance:
Luis Alegria, Porto, with their label to the base.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium, acquired from the above on 29 March 2016, accompanied by a copy of their original invoice. (see added scan)