Object Description
Chinese early 18th century blue and white bowl made during the reign of Kangxi at the kilns at Jingdezhen. Excellent potting to produce a thin body with a slightly everted rim, and superb painting to show four pairs of Phoenix in flight.
The phoenix is synonomous with the Empress but that is a later meaning, but it has also many other meanings.
Like the dragon it is an amalgam of other animals and represents the human qualities of virtue, duty, correct beahaviour, humanity and reliability. It represents beauty, peace and and is seen as the messenger of the Taoist Gods.
To th ewinside at the bottom there is a single phoenix and around the inside of the slightly everted rim a stylised band of flowers is painted.
To the underside and the base there is a double circle around the ‘Ding’ or incense burner