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Plate with flowering prunus branch
Chinese export
Kangxi period
Early 18th century
Medium/Technique
Hard-paste porcelain, enamel decoration
Dimensions
Diameter: 24 cm (9 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
The G. Ephis Collection—Museum purchase with funds donated anonymously, Charles Bain Hoyt Fund, John H. and Ernestine A. Payne Fund, Mary S. and Edward J. Holmes Fund, William Francis Warden Fund, Tamara Petrosian Davis Sculpture Fund, John Lowell Gardner Fund, Seth K. Sweetser Fund, H. E. Bolles Fund, and funds by exchange from the Kiyi and Edward M. Pflueger Collection-Bequest of Edward M. Pflueger and Gift of Kiyi Powers Pflueger
Accession Number2012.602
DescriptionChinese porcelain plate with Kangxi period 'famille verte' decoration depicting a flowering prunus branch on which sits a female bird infront of two frolicking male birds. This decoration symbolizes successful wishes for Mandarin exams. The border of the plate depicts a frieze of phoenixes painted in red on a green ground.
These plates are part of an export table service by the East India Company at the beginning of the 18th century.
These plates are part of an export table service by the East India Company at the beginning of the 18th century.
Provenance2000, sold by Jorge Welsh (dealer), Lisbon, to the G. Ephis collection (private collector), France; 2012, sold by the G. Ephis collection to the MFA. (Accession Date: October 24, 2012).