Decorated with famille verte enamels on the biscuit, in the form of small white-soled shoe; with a pointy up-turned toe and a single black seam over the front. The shoes have traces of black staining in the unglazed interiors, indicating they were used for rinsing inky brushes.
For a different model of shoe in famille verte enamels on the biscuit, see John Ayers, The Chinese Porcelain collection of Marie Vergottis, 2004, no. 91, 92.
The shoes sometimes symbolize wealth because their shape is close to the sycee, a traditional Chinese silver ingot. – Due to its pronunciation, the word “shoe (xie)” is sometimes used with other objects to mean “in harmony (xie) with.” »
