Lot 507. A pair of blue and white 'bats and shou' dishes, Qianlong seal marks and period (1736-1795). Estimate 30,000 — 50,000 USD. Unsold. Photo: Sotheby's.

each painted in vibrant tones of cobalt-blue to the interior with a central shou roundel, surrounded by five bats each grasping a beribboned wan symbol, bordered by a band of pendent ruyi heads below the rim, the exterior with leafy lotus sprays divided by bats suspending beribboned chimes, the base with a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue (2). Diameter 6 1/2  in., 16.5 cm

Note: The theme of bats, and the wufu motif in particular, gained currency as a subject matter on porcelain the 18th century under emperors Yongzheng and Qianlong. This pair of dishes combine the auspicious wufu theme with the shou character to express the wish 'May you be granted longevity and the Five Blessings.' The formal arrangement of bats, ribbons, and shou character in the central medallion of each dish is replicated on other blue and white dishes of the period, such as the one sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 15th May 1990, lot 150, which substitutes bajixiang for the bats.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art New York, 15 Mar 2017