Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)
Length: 16cm
The carp is carved in the round grasping a lotus sprig in its mouth. The jade is of an overall pale celadon colour occasionally accented with russet patches. The curving tail takes the shape of a ruyi, a motif which appears frequently on the bracketed shoulders of blue and white jars of the same period.
The depiction of the carp is reminiscent of fish designs painted in underglaze blue on Yuan blue and white jars and dishes, such as for example the blue and white jar in the Ataka Collection, published in Masterpieces of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, p. 58, Catalogue No. 33.
Provenance
The Edward T. Chow Collection
Exhibited
Comme un poisson dans I’eau: Symbolism of the fish in China and Japan 18 November 2005 – 23 April 2006, Collections Baur, Geneva
One Man’s Taste: Treasures from the Lakeside Pavilion 14 October 1988 -- 15 January 1989, Collections Baur, Geneva
Literature
One Man’s Taste: Treasures from the Lakeside Pavilion 14 October 1988 -- 15 January 1989, Collections Baur, Geneva, p. 14 Catalogue No. J.10
