Provenance:
- With Ralph M. Chait Galleries, New York 1989 (Label)
- Alan Oliner Collection, USA 2024
Condition Report Available
€ 19,500
This object can be viewed in our gallery.
A sancai-glazed biscuit porcelain brush washer, in the shape of a lotus leaf with a brown crab resting on its surface. The round leaf is curled up and has an undulating edge, with realistic veining incised into the porcelain. On the edge of the dish is a furled leaf, its spotted stalk folded around the outside of the rim. The underside of the brush washer is decorated and incised in the same way. This distinctive splashed tri-colour enamelling in yellow, green and aubergine-brown, is known as Egg & Spinach decoration. In China this décor is known as the ‘hupiban’ (tiger-skin) and the French refer to it as ‘harlequin’. The aquatic theme of this brush washer, fits its function very well. This dish would have originally been used as a water reservoir, for wetting and cleaning calligraphy brushes.
This is a typical functional, but also charming and symbolic, object for on a Chinese scholar’s desk. The combination of a lotus leaf with a crab, is a recurring auspicious motif in Chinese art. The lotus leaf (he 荷) is associated with the word for harmony or peace (he 和), but is also a symbol of purity and resilience. As its flowers emerge unstained from muddy waters, it is an apt metaphor for the poor scholar who could attain success by passing the imperial examinations. The crab (xie 蟹), sounds similar to the word for harmony (xie 諧). But the crab shell (jia 甲), specifically represents “first” or “best”, specifically referring to achieving the highest score in imperial examinations (yijia) and assurance of a career as a government official. These allusions to harmony as well as success in exams, is why this is a very fitting theme for scholarly objects.
The Bauer Collection, Geneva has a similar large water dish, but with turquoise enamels (A466). The Staatliche Kunstsammlung, Kassel, also has a shallow lotus dish (inv.nr. KP OP294d). The Anthony de Rothschild Collection (UK), has a box and cover with a large crab sitting on a green lotus leaf. The Laura Collection, Italy has a smaller brush washer, with the same watery theme. The Royal Collection Trust has a lotus and crab combination in blanc-de-chine porcelain (nr. RCIN 58878).
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