Ask the Scholar

Document scope · 1 page
obj
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory. For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.

Source Description

This saucer shaped plate is decorated in underglaze cobalt blue on white porcelain. In the center, a dragon emerges from the waves with flaming shoulders and flanks as two fish (one a carp) swim in the spiraling waves. What may be depicted in this scene is the metamorphosis of the "Fish Dragon", an allegory for a scholar's success at state competitive examinations. Curled crests of waves dotted with foam encircle the border of the plate while the underside is ornamented with six emblems tied with fillets – they include a couple of books, a round jewel, a diamond, an umbrella, a conch shell, and a palm leaf. The painting style resembles that of paint on paper, using the outline and wash technique with varied shades of cobalt blue adding dynamism and dimensionality to the waves and the scaly bodies of the fish and dragon.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
33111
label
Plate with a Dragon
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
33111
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Plate with a Dragon
description
This saucer shaped plate is decorated in underglaze cobalt blue on white porcelain. In the center, a dragon emerges from the waves with flaming shoulders and flanks as two fish (one a carp) swim in the spiraling waves. What may be depicted in this scene is the metamorphosis of the "Fish Dragon", an allegory for a scholar's success at state competitive examinations. Curled crests of waves dotted with foam encircle the border of the plate while the underside is ornamented with six emblems tied with fillets – they include a couple of books, a round jewel, a diamond, an umbrella, a conch shell, and a palm leaf. The painting style resembles that of paint on paper, using the outline and wash technique with varied shades of cobalt blue adding dynamism and dimensionality to the waves and the scaly bodies of the fish and dragon.
provenance
William T. Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; inherited by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
date
1675-1725
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ceramics
plates
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
W: 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm)
Source extras
cul
Chinese
inscriptions
spurious reign mark of Chenghua (1464-1487)
dynasty
Qing Dynasty
reign
Kangxi (1662-1722)
med
porcelain with underglaze blue
creator_ids
6238
collection_ids
CHN
exhibition_ids
2088
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
50ae397812a34e05