A pair of blue and white ‘Three Friends of Winter’ lidded jars.
China, Kangxi period (1661-1722), c. 1700.
Ovoid body with cylindrical covers, painted in underglaze blue with the Three Friends of Winter motif, pine, plum and bamboo in a continuous garden setting, underglaze blue double-circle mark to base. The jars are almost exactly similar except for one jar painted with a sun or moon in the background and funghi growing from behind a rock.
Pine (song 松), bamboo (Zhu 竹), and plum (Mei 梅) = Three Friends of Winter (suihan sanyou 歲寒三友). The pine and bamboo remain green in the icy weather, while the plum is the first to bloom each year. These three plants are models of fortitude and uprightness in adverse conditions. The Chinese admire this type of resistance in the elements. All three are longevity symbols because the pine and bamboo are evergreens, and the pine and plum live for a long time. This motif is popular also in Korea and Japan.
Lit:
An identical lidded jar is in the Keramiekmuseum Princessehof Leeuwarden collection, inv. no. 05183, and illustrated in Symbols on Chinese Porcelain (Eva Ströber, 2011), pp. 169-170, no. 64.
Dimensions:
Height 20 cm, diameter ca. 17 cm.
Condition:
Both jars in perfect condition, only some fritting to the inside rim of the mouth and one lid with a small flake to the inside rim.
Inv. No: MW140
