YONGZHENG PERIOD (1723-1735)

The exquisite, jewel-like famille rose enamels that decorate the present dish illustrate the quality and precision of the execution that was achieved on the porcelains made during the brief reign of Yongzheng (1723-1735). The porcelain is so thinly potted that it retains a translucent quality and was thus called “egg shell” in English and “bodiless” in Chinese. This type of dish is generally decorated with a central subject enclosed by richly enameled diaper bands. Many scenes, like that on the present dish, are depictions of domestic life showing a young mother looking after a varying number of boys. For similar examples, see Catalogue of the Morgan Collection of Chinese Porcelain, vol. 1, New York, 1911, p. 45, and Catalogue of Antique Chinese Porcelains Owned by George B. Warren of Troy, New York, 1924, pl. LVI.