SMALL PLATE FROM A SERIES WITH THE SHIJING.
China. Qing Dynasty. 18th/19th c.

Lacque Burgaut?with partly minute inlays from mother-of-pearl; gold and silver. Lip framed with silver. Flat plate with offset; horizontal rim. Inside a scene of two gentlemen meeting in front of a palace. It might be the counselor Shi Wenbo; with a fan of honor held by a servant behind him; continuing his conversation about forecasting through astronomical observations with the the prince of Jin. On the back the poem 'Heaven is Giving Security' from the 'The Book of Odes' (shijing). ?12.5cm. Square seal: Shangshan. Condition B/C. Damaged and restored.

Literature:
-Simon Kwan: Chinese Mother-of-Pearl. Hong Kong 2009. Compare: P. 194; no. 68.

Provenance:
-Private collection Hesse.
Art trade; Van Ham.