Of shallow flaring form above a short foot, painted to the centre with a scene of a sage standing in front of a cave pointing to show a fisherman the way to the mythical village of Peach Blossom Spring. Two adult figures stand beside the sage, bending slightly forward, and a little boy points with his toy windmill in the same direction as the sage, indicating the way to the fisherman, beneath swirling clouds, the underside with a continuous watery landscape with a figure in a boat and a solitary figure seated on the shore, the base with a six character inscription within a double circle. The inscription reads: qi shi bao ding zhi zhen [Precious and treasured vessel of rare stone].
Literature
See Rosemary E. Scott, in which the subject depicted on this dish is discussed. Compare with no.2 in the same catalogue, a dated jar with the same subject.
Publications
Rosemary Scott, 'Blue-and-White Porcelains of the Late Ming-Early Qing', in: A Catalogue of Oriental Ceramics and Works of Art, ed. Anita Gray, London, n.d., pp. 23-24, no. 24.
