A BLUE AND WHITE 'FRUIT AND FLOWER' DISH Kangxi period

A BLUE AND WHITE 'FRUIT AND FLOWER' DISH
Kangxi period
possibly depicting three large persimmon and three finger citrus on dense leafy tendrils below a single line border at the rim, the exterior with three simple fruit sprays, with a wide concave-channeled biscuit foot and glazed base.
13 3/8in (33.8cm) diam
Footnotes:
康熙時期 青花花果紋大盤

The rather loosely painted fruit (and flowers) make specific identification difficult, most likely meant to depict persimmon and finger citrus, the finger-citrus may also be read as opening flowers on this version. An unpublished dish, identified as peach and finger citrus, can be found at the Groninger Museum, Groningen, which bears the Dutch East India company monogram, VOC. These dishes were also copied by the Japanese and such a dish is mentioned in the Batavia order of 1686, where it is stated that it was destined for the Governor-General's residence, see C. Vialle, Tot schenkagie daar het te pas comen sal, in Aziatische Kunst, 23-2, 1993 pp.7-34, and destined to be used on the Governor-General's table to entertain high ranking VOC officers, merchants and ship captains.