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Lot Essay
The motif of a boy astride a hobby horse is frequently included in popular decorative subjects such as ‘boys at play’ and ‘hundred boys’, which appeared in the Song dynasty and remained popular through the Qing dynasty. These themes became symbolic of progeny and fulfillment of the Confucian ideal in education, and were depicted across a range of media, including ceramics and lacquerware. A boy riding a horse (mashang) is a rebus for a wish to have sons soon.
For a painted rendition of this subject, see the Jiajing period (1522-1566) blue and white ‘boys’ jar sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27 May 2009, lot 1809, in which the boy on the hobby horse is play-acting as an ‘official’ in a mock procession. Two boys riding hobby horses can also be seen in the 14th-century petal-lobed red lacquer tray in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc. no. 2015.500.1.31).
For a painted rendition of this subject, see the Jiajing period (1522-1566) blue and white ‘boys’ jar sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27 May 2009, lot 1809, in which the boy on the hobby horse is play-acting as an ‘official’ in a mock procession. Two boys riding hobby horses can also be seen in the 14th-century petal-lobed red lacquer tray in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc. no. 2015.500.1.31).