A Chinese famille rose “fishing” tea bowl. Yongzheng

The eggshell tea bowl and the saucer are unusually large, they are decorated in the famille rose palette and depict a fishing scene. On a junk in the middle of a river, a man is pulling in a fishing net, accompanied by a woman and a child. On the left bank of the river, a man is fishing with a rod, while cormorants soar above. In the foreground, a man is putting the catch in a basket.

COUNTRY : China
PERIOD : Yongzheng (1723-1735)
MATERIAL : Porcelain
SIZE : 13 cm
REFERENCE : E573
PROVENANCE : From an important private French collection
STATUT : available
Additonal informations :

Fishing is often associated with abundance and prosperity in Chinese culture. Fish symbolise wealth and prosperity, since the word ‘fish’ (鱼, yú) is a homophone for the word ‘abundance’ (余, yú). This scene highlights the harmony between man and nature.