A group of three Chinese famille verte 'flower and poem' dishes

The dish is decorated and gilt with an elegant orchid beside a flowering rose and a butterfly in flight. It is accompanied by an excerpt from a poem about orchids by the Tang poet Ya Tu, and signed Hui'an with an iron red seal and an artemisia leaf in iron red. The reverse is decorated with two iron-red flower sprays. The second dish is decorated with a lily beside small roses, all below an iron-red sun with butterfly and insects in flight. The image is accompanied with a poem, signed Zhu Ju, with a seal and an artemisia leaf in iron red. The third dish is decorated and gilt with a branched prunus and bamboo shoots, accompanied with a poetic inscription and signed Hui An, with an iron-red seal reading 'zhu ju' and an artemisia leaf in iron red. The reverse is decorated with three flower sprays in iron red.

Provenance: The orchid and the lily dish: The Weishaupt Collection, Germany, no. 218/2 and 219/2. Christie's Amsterdam, 20-21 November 2007, lot 206. The prunus dish: With J. Morpungo, Amsterdam. Christie's Amsterdam, 20-21 November 2007, lot 205.

Catalogue note: The poem on the orchid dish may be translated as 'the scent and pure noble character of the orchid is so refined that even the wisdom of a man of honour appreciates its unique temperament and wishes to hold himself against it'.

The poem on the lily dish may be translated as 'the flowers possess the most beautiful and noble unyielding character possessed exclusively by royalty. The flowers blossoming in the yard bring happiness and prosperity to the family.'

The poem on the prunus dish may be translated as: 'bamboo and prunus blossoming from the Eastern wall, bamboo and prunus stand so elegant.'