Terms and conditions of use
Octagonal dish
(1752-1755)
- Medium
- porcelain (soft-paste)
- Measurements
- 3.9 × 23.6 cm diameter
- Accession Number
- 2024.295
- Department
- International Decorative Arts
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Patricia Begg OAM Bequest, 2024
© Public Domain - Gallery location
- Not on display
- About this work
-
The central decoration on this dish comprises the auspicious Chinese symbols of plum blossom, pine and bamboo, traditionally referred to as the ‘three friends of winter’. The plants were symbolic of perseverance and resilience with their ability to survive harsh winters. The motif occurred often on Japanese Kakiemon porcelains and was widely imitated by European factories. Below the three friends of winter is the so-called ‘banded hedge’, another standard motif on Japanese kakiemon porcelain. Made from bundles of millet, the banded hedge was a type of fence in Japanese garden design that also served to guide the visitor’s view of the garden. It was sometimes copied faithfully on European porcelains but was at times interpreted as a wheat sheaf, a form more familiar to European artists.