Lot 2927. A fine and very rare turquoise enamelled chrysanthemum dish, Yongzheng six-character mark within double-circles and of the period (1723-1735);  6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 3,000,000 - HKD 4,000,000 (USD 390,000 - USD 520,000). Price Realised HKD 5,420,000 (USD 699,050). © Christie's Images Ltd 2011.

The rounded sides moulded to the interior and exterior as petals rising to a scalloped rim, supported on a similarly shaped short foot, covered overall in an opaque turquoise enamel except for the medallion with the reign mark on the base and foot rim.  

Provenance: The T.Y. Chao Private and Family Trust Collections, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 18 November 1986, lot 106  

Exhibited: Included in the Exhibition of Ming and Ch'ing Porcelain from the Collection of the T.Y. Chao Family Foundation, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1978, Catalogue, no. 57 

Notes: Chrysanthemums have proved an inspiration to Chinese craftsmen working in many media - providing both shapes and decoration. The admiration for this flower in China has a very long history, and they are even mentioned in early classical Chinese literature, such as the Zhou Dynasty (1027-476 BC) Book of Odes. Chrysanthemums are one of the 'flowers of the four seasons' in China, representing autumn, while along with lotus, orchid and bamboo, they are regarded as one of the 'four gentlemen of flowers', and are symbols of longevity and wealth. The reason they are associated with longevity is because in Chinese the word for chrysanthemum sounds similar to a word meaning 'long enduring', and also because infusions made from their petals have medicinal properties.

Chrysanthemum-shaped dishes with slender petals, like those on this dish, were made in both the Yongzheng and the Qianlong reigns, but those made for the Yongzheng Emperor have petals with slightly more pointed ends, adding to the delicacy of the form. Palace records for the 27th day of the 12th month of the 11th year of Yongzheng's reign (1733) note an order from the emperor to the director at the imperial kilns requesting twelve chrysanthemum-shaped dishes in different colours. A good deal of research was undertaken at the imperial kilns, at the behest of the emperor, during the Yongzheng reign, including the development of a significant range of new monochrome glazes and enamels. However, surviving examples of chrysanthemum dishes in this beautiful turquoise are very rare.