Chinese Blue and White Plate Kangxi(1662-1722) the Centre Painted in a Underglaze Blue

Ref: AA73

Chinese blue and white plate Kangxi(1662-1722) the centre painted in a underglaze blue with two figures conversing on a fenced garden with rockwork and a tree being observed by a figure in a pavilion, the rim with 6 catouches filled with flowers againt a trellis background; the rim on the revers with stylised rockword, the base with a 6 charcter Chenghua mark

Notes:

Two possible sources of inspiration: The Romance of the Western Chamber (Xixiang Ji): The scene represents the secret love affair between the young scholar Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying. The two figures conversing in the garden are typically Zhang Sheng and Yingying (or Yingying and her clever maid, Hongniang). The figure watching from the pavilion is often the strict matriarch, Madame Cui, or Hongniang keeping watch/spying to see if the lovers will be caught.

The Peony Pavilion (Mudan Ting): Another highly popular romantic drama of the period. It depicts a young woman, Du Liniang, who falls in love with a scholar in a dream. The garden setting with stylized rockwork (representing Taihu rocks) and a prominent tree serves as the dreamscape backdrop where characters interact while being observed by a hidden figure or parental authority