Lot 111. A blue and white 'Romance of the Western Chamber' dish, Kangxi six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period (1662-1722); 13 1/8 in. (33.3 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 6,000 - GBP 10,000 (USD 7,770 - USD 12,950). Unsold. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

The deeply potted dish is decorated to the interior with a scene from Xi Xiang Ji, Romance of the Western Chamber. The exterior is decorated with two large bamboo sprays enclosing the channelled foot. The base has a Kangxi mark in underglaze blue.

Provenance: Acquired in the late 19th-early 20th century, and then by descent to the present owner.

Property from the Collection of Dr. Friedrich Hirth ((1845-1927).

Dr. Friedrich Hirth studied Philosophy and Sinology in Germany and worked for the Custom Service in Canton, Amoy and Shanghai between 1870-1897. In 1902, he was appointed the first Professor of Chinese Studies at the newly-founded Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University, New York.

Note: During the Kangxi period, scenes from popular novels were often taken from illustrated woodblock books and transferred onto porcelain. The Romance of the Western Chamber, a novel written by the Yuan dynasty author Wang Shifu is one the the most popular motifs. The present dish appears to depict the scholar Zhang Sheng meeting his young lover Cui Yingying with the help of the maid Hongniang.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, London, 5 November 2019