Lot 58. A famille verte 'ladies and arrow vase' basin, Kangxi period (1662-1722); 38.4cm (15 1/8in) diam. Sold for HK$ 51,000/€ 5,781 (Est: 20 000 HKD - 30 000 HKD). © Bonhams 2001-2021

With deep rounded sides rising to a broad everted rim, the well brightly enamelled with two elegant court ladies dressed in long flowing robes seated at a table with books and a fan, each holding arrows to throw at a touhu, all within a terraced garden setting with bamboo and taihu rocks, the rim decorated with meandering floral scroll, the exterior with a trellis border of foliage and flowers. 

Provenance: W. Waddingham, 1971.

Note: It is very rare to find the scene of two ladies playing touhu on porcelains, as the game was predominantly played by men in ancient China. The 'two ladies' theme in many cases refers to the story of two beauties during the Three Kingdoms period, Daqiao and Xiaoqiao, who are usually depicted as reading together in later Chinese decorative art.

Compare with one of the two famille verte dishes decorated with two related ladies, Kangxi, sold in Christie's London, 12 May 2017, lot 440.

Bonhams. Elegant Gatherings The Social Art of Chinese Scholars, Hong Kong, 2 December 2021