Plate (Dinner plate)

Description

An excellent discussion of two closely-related plates is included in William R. Sargent's Chinese Porcelain in the Conde Collection (Ediciones el Viso, Mexico City, 2014), p. 213, no. 73. "The border is divided into two alternating reserves, one of thickly enameled flowers [in purple] detailed by scratching through the dry but unfired [enamel] before the firing, and the other of an orange ground with gilded detailing of flowers and scrolling vines. The ground supporting these has been silvered...The central design is of a woman playing a qin or guqin, literally 'ancient stringed instrument,; favored by scholars. On a chest of drawers behind her is a box of books, a vase on a stand holding coral and peacock feathers, a gilded wine ewer and cup, and behind to her right are jars of wine and ladles. A scholar was supposed to be accomplished in the four scholarly pursuits of music (represented by the qin), strategy (by a chessboard), literature (by books), and art (by paintings)." Based on this assessment, the imagery in the central reserve of this plate refers to the scholarly pursuit of music.