Object Description
Chinese early 18th century blue and white porcelain bowl made in the reign of the Emperor Kangxi at Jingdezhen for export to Europe. Square bowls are very difficult to pot especially with the canted corners and a slight foliate rim.
The canted corners are painted with a geometric hatched pattern so typical of Kangxi but these also have a ruyi head motif design to the bottom of the corners. each side is painted with a different scene with a lady at leisure. On one side she is seated under a willow tree, another she is carrying a fan by a banana or Plantain tree, the third side shows the lady sat by scholars rocks with a pine tree and the final one leaning on a cliff by a flowering prunus tree.
The inside of the bowl to the base it is painted with the traditional pattern of three jumping boys
The underside to the base is painted with a six character Cheng Hua mark within a double circle. The mark is from an earlier Ming Emperors reign and is an apocryphal mark to honour and not to deceive.
is across the sides and not from corner to corner