Provenance:
- Private Collection, Paris 2022
Condition Report Available
€ 22,500
This object can be viewed in our gallery.
A pair of large circular enamel on biscuit plaques, painted in an unusual loose style using thick coloured enamels on a bright blue ground. The animals depicted are rendered in detail, whereas the trees and plants are more loosely represented. One plaque portrays a caparisoned white elephant amongst bamboo, it has a long yellow saddle blanket decorated with plum blossom branches. The bridle, reins and breeching behind its haunches are blue; on its chest is a large red tassel. The other plaque is of two horses in the grass by a willow tree - possibly two of the eight horses of Mu Wang. The grazing horse under the tree, is brown with white patches. The white horse in the foreground is frolicking on the ground, hooves in the air. The horses as well as the elephant have yellow eyes.
The portrayal of elephants (xiang 象) in and on Chinese ceramics, was never very realistic - sometimes even comical. Potters would probably never have seen the real animal, therefore relying on woodblock prints for inspiration. In China elephants were considered powerful animals, believed to be a symbol of prudence, wisdom and strength. Particularly the white elephant was seen as a very auspicious animal. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, domesticated elephants became part of important imperial court ceremonies, as a result their depiction became more widespread in all art forms. Often portrayed beautifully caparisoned with an elaborate saddle cloth, they are also depicted with a boy or a vase on their backs. The pronunciation of the word xiang is a homonym for the word for good fortune. The cloth on the elephant’s back often has more symbols for good fortune - in this case plum blossom branches, which stand for longevity. The word for saddle cloth (jian 韉) can also mean strong - together they could be read as a wish for great fortune and longevity.
For the Chinese, the horse (ma 馬) is an animal with exceptional qualities, such as purity, honour and intelligence. They are a popular subject of many ancient Chinese myths. According to one, King Mu Wang (1001-947 BC), longed to visit the Paradise of the Queen Mother of the West, where the immortality peaches grew. He was driven there in a chariot drawn by eight remarkable horses, with supernatural powers. Each steed was purported to have a unique colour and distinctive qualities. In the 6th century treatise by Sima Qian (Shiji) - the eight horses are individually named for its colour and their special abilities - their depiction is a recurring motif in Chinese art. The two horses on the plaque could be two of Mu Wang’s horses: Bai Xi (白羲), a pure white horse who represents longevity and love and Yu Lun (逾轮), a piebald horse capable of running a thousand Chinese li (miles) without stopping.
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