The plate enameled in the famille rose-verte palette, in beautiful pastel tones. It is elaborately and finely decorated with the bearded Dong Zhuo on Fengyi pavilion terrace gesturing towards the soldier Lü Bu, with a spear and feathery headdress, together with the elegant lady Diaochan. All taking place within a garden setting with gnarled rock, trees, a garden seat and a horse. On the rim are painted four cartouches with landscapes.
The story on the present plate is taken from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (San guo yanyi). The lady Diaochan was one of the four beauties of ancient China and was involved in a plot to bring down the tyrannical warlord Dong Zhuo by driving him apart from his foster son, the warrior Lü Bu. Diaochan used her beauty to incite jealousy between Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu.
When Dong Zhuo was away for the day, Lü Bu clandestinely entered Dong Zhuo’s bedroom, hoping to catch a glimpse of Diaochan. Upon discovering Lü Bu’s presence, Diaochan feigns distress and, in a dramatic gesture, pretends to contemplate suicide by throwing herself into a nearby pond. She claims shame, alleging violation by Dong Zhuo, leaving Lü Bu devastated. In a fervent promise, Lü Bu vows to shield her from further suffering inflicted by Dong Zhuo. However, their emotional moment is interrupted as Dong Zhuo returns, catching sight of them embracing. In a swift escape, Lü Bu flees, prompting Dong Zhuo to pursue him, launching a spear in his direction but narrowly missing his target. Eventually, Lü Bu kills his foster father.
The enameling on this plate corresponds to a specific and brief moment in the history of porcelain-making techniques, marking the transition from the famille verte palette to the famille rose palette. It occurred between the Kangxi period (1662-1722) and the Yongzheng period (1723-1735).
Following the suppression of the Ming rebellions in 1683, porcelain decorations that contained hidden political messages and allusions to the “good old Ming times” were unwelcome, hence the need for new sources of decorations. The “innocent” Romance of the Three Kingdoms”, as the “Romance of the Western Chamber” emerged as an ideal source of motifs and became one of the most popular theatrical and literary themes.
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