Lot 60 A fine Chinese blue and white 'Herons by a Lotus Pond' bowl

A fine Chinese blue and white 'Herons by a Lotus Pond' bowl

Kangxi

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€ 1.200 – € 1.800

OH: H. 9,9 cm, Diam. 19,9 cm

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The deep bowl has a broad everted rim and is raised on a foot rim. Painted in underglaze cobalt blue, the exterior is decorated with a continuous lotus-pond scene depicting lotus blossoms, leaves, seed pods and aquatic plants, enlivened by herons and other waterbirds. The interior is centred with a smaller lotus-pond scene echoing the exterior, while the inner rim is decorated with flowering hydrangea sprays. The base is painted with a stylised fu symbol.
The lotus symbolises purity and integrity and, through its association with the word for 'incorruptibility', conveys the virtues of an upright official. Together with the heron, it forms the auspicious rebus 'Yi Lu Lian Ke 一路連科', expressing wishes for successive success in the civil-service examinations and an illustrious official career. The fu symbol derives from the ancient Twelve Symbols of Imperial Regalia, representing cultured rule, ritual order and noble status.
此碗深腹，折沿外撇，下承圈足。通體以青花繪飾，外壁通景繪荷塘景致，荷花、蓮葉、蓮蓬及水草間點綴白鷺與水鳥。碗心繪荷塘小景，內外呼應；口沿內壁飾折枝繡球花。底心繪青花黼紋。
荷花象徵清淨高潔，又因「蓮」與「廉」諧音，寓意清廉守正，白鷺與蓮花相配，構成「一路連科」之吉祥寓意，寄託科舉連捷、仕途順遂。底心所繪黼紋源自古代十二章紋，象徵文治、禮制與尊貴，為整器增添吉祥雅正之意。
Provenance:
Rob Michiels Auctions, Bruges, 15 February 2020, lot 685. (sold EUR 2,860,00) (link)
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium.