Antique Chinese Kangxi Period (1662-1722) ‘Romance of the Western Chamber’ blue and white plate.
A scarce and wonderfully decorative 17th century plate depicting a scene from Xixiang Ji’s Romance of the the Western Chamber.
The Romance of the Western Chamber was adapted from a tale by Yuan Dynasty writer Wang Shifu (1271-1368), and came to be one of the most popular classical Chinese love stories. Depicted on this plate is the scene at the end of the story when the male protagonist Zhang Sheng has passed the civil service examination, proving to be a great scholar and fulfilling the condition upon which his marriage to his lover YingYing depends.
The symbolism of the plate’s decoration is in accord with this theme of scholarly success, and is a celebration of academic pursuit and success in love.
The plate does have some historic damage in the form of cracking and light nibbling to the rim. Please see the pictures for a more detailed view.
Diameter 23cm.
Antique Chinese Kangxi Period (1662-1722) ‘Romance of the Western Chamber’ blue and white plate.
A scarce and wonderfully decorative 17th century plate depicting a scene from Xixiang Ji’s Romance of the the Western Chamber.
The Romance of the Western Chamber was adapted from a tale by Yuan Dynasty writer Wang Shifu (1271-1368), and came to be one of the most popular classical Chinese love stories. Depicted on this plate is the scene at the end of the story when the male protagonist Zhang Sheng has passed the civil service examination, proving to be a great scholar and fulfilling the condition upon which his marriage to his lover YingYing depends.
The symbolism of the plate’s decoration is in accord with this theme of scholarly success, and is a celebration of academic pursuit and success in love.
The plate does have some historic damage in the form of cracking and light nibbling to the rim. Please see the pictures for a more detailed view.
Diameter 23cm.
