A fine Chinese blue and white 'Herons by a Lotus Pond' bowl,...

Hammer

€2,600

A fine Chinese blue and white 'Herons by a Lotus Pond' bowl, Fu mark, Kangxi

Dia.: 19,9 cm - H.: 9,9 cm

Provenance:
- Rob Michiels Auctions, Bruges, 15 February 2020, lot 685. (sold EUR 2,860,00)
- The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium. Acquired from the above. (see added scan)

The deep bowl has a broad everted rim and is raised on a foot rim. Painted in underglaze cobalt blue, the exterior is decorated with a continuous lotus-pond scene depicting lotus blossoms, leaves, seed pods and aquatic plants, enlivened by herons and other waterbirds. The interior is centred with a smaller lotus-pond scene echoing the exterior, while the inner rim is decorated with flowering hydrangea sprays. The base is painted with a stylised fu symbol.
The lotus symbolises purity and integrity and, through its association with the word for 'incorruptibility', conveys the virtues of an upright official. Together with the heron, it forms the auspicious rebus 'Yi Lu Lian Ke', expressing wishes for successive success in the civil-service examinations and an illustrious official career. The fu symbol derives from the ancient Twelve Symbols of Imperial Regalia, representing cultured rule, ritual order and noble status.

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