Auction Information

Description

Although fish and algae patterns are common decorative patterns on Chinese porcelain, in the late Northern Song Dynasty, court painter Liu Cai was skilled in painting fish, which may have led to the trend of drawing fish and algae patterns since the Song Dynasty. From then on, ink paintings with fish as the theme became popular. It is said that it was written by Liu Cai and is most famous for the painting "Falling Flowers and Swimming Fish" in the collection of the St. Louis Museum of Art. Fish live in water and are not easy to observe, so painting fish is more difficult than sketching other birds and birds. Imagining out of thin air, but being able to capture the essence of it, painting a fish with ease, is commendable. Xuanyao blue and white fish and algae patterned large bowl, with deep walls and exquisite decorations that are pleasing to the eye, soft and warm, exuding a heart wrenching sensation. No matter the pattern, craftsmanship, shape, or size, there is no one in the world who can surpass it. The Xuande Bowl, which has been passed down to have the same fish and algae pattern, can only be compared with two examples in the collection of the Taipei Palace Museum, both of which are smaller in size. Although the fish and algae pattern is a common decoration on Chinese porcelain, it is so ingeniously crafted as a flower shaped bowl, with undulations that reflect each other and shine, like ripples of water, adding vivid depictions of swimming fish and truly cultivating a divine product. This rare collectible in the world has great collectible value.