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Lot Essay
The story depicted on the present basin is that of an official of the Eastern Han dynasty named Liu Kuan. He was renowned for his calm temperament, and his wife decided to test this by instructing a maidservant to spill his food. However, Liu Kuan lives up to his reputation and not only forgives the maid but inquires whether she has burnt her hand. With its depiction of a historical narrative and exploration of ethical concerns for the scholar-official, this basin is a reflection of the demands on a porcelain market that was dominated by the educated elite after the fall of the Ming.
The characters of the story are exceptionally skillfully depicted, with Liu Kuan raising his hand in a gentle gesture of reassurance and perhaps only mild admonition, while the maid is duly pleading, with even the long sleeves of her robe suggestive of supplication. Meanwhile the wife is shown spying on the results of her scheming, her head peeking around the edge of the screen and her body half-crouching behind. The spilt food and scattered chopsticks add a sense of immediacy and drama to the moment which upsets the order and dignity of the household.
A large famille verte vase decorated with the same scene on the neck, from the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, was sold at Christie’s New York, 21 September 2000, lot 314. A related famille verte basin of similar shape, decorated with ladies admiring goldfish, is illustrated by Wang Qingzheng, Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1998, pp. 154-55, no. 105.
The characters of the story are exceptionally skillfully depicted, with Liu Kuan raising his hand in a gentle gesture of reassurance and perhaps only mild admonition, while the maid is duly pleading, with even the long sleeves of her robe suggestive of supplication. Meanwhile the wife is shown spying on the results of her scheming, her head peeking around the edge of the screen and her body half-crouching behind. The spilt food and scattered chopsticks add a sense of immediacy and drama to the moment which upsets the order and dignity of the household.
A large famille verte vase decorated with the same scene on the neck, from the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, was sold at Christie’s New York, 21 September 2000, lot 314. A related famille verte basin of similar shape, decorated with ladies admiring goldfish, is illustrated by Wang Qingzheng, Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1998, pp. 154-55, no. 105.