Plate
CultureChinese
DateKangxi period (1662-1722)
MediumPorcelain with underglaze decoration
DimensionsOverall: 2 5/8 × 14 3/8 inches (6.68 × 36.47 cm)
Credit LineGift of the family in memory of Gayle Zander in honor of the 75th anniversary of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Object number2008.56.1
Inscribedbottom of plate: Da Qing Kangxi nian zhi (Chinese characters)
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionThe large porcelain plate has a footring, shallow dish, and curved rim. It is decorated with figures, landscape, animals and flower in underglaze blue. The main image on the front shows six figures in a garden setting. The front rim is consisted of eight bats on a background of cloud scrolls. On the reverse side, bamboo branches are decorated on the outer rim. The making period is marked in the center of the bottom.Gallery LabelThis blue-and-white porcelain plate is adorned with three folk gods that greet visitors of a household. These folk gods and their attendants represent fortune, career and longevity. The fortune god wears a hook and holds a boy on his back. Behind him, an attendant holds a gold ingot, ancient Chinese currency. The career god wears an official’s cap with two wings and holds a ruyi scepter. The longevity god is an old man holding a cane. Other images that represent wishes for longevity include a pine tree, a crane and a deer. The bats along the rim of the plate create a Chinese pun for good fortune.
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