Saucer

The saucer is complete; two breaks have been repaired with tape. It is circular in shape. The wall is flared at the top, and the rim is straight. The wall curves at the base towards the sock, which is flat. It rests on a wide ring-shaped foot. The underside of the base is recessed and flat. The foot is beveled and free of glaze. The decoration covers the inside of the saucer, i.e. the inner rim and bottom. The decoration is of two superimposed types: a lake scene with a tree, and an oriental scenic type with a flowering basket, treated in pseudo Famille verte. It is hand-painted in underglaze blue polychrome, then traced and painted in iron red, green, black and overglaze gilding. The blue decoration is difficult to see in its entirety. It consists of a blue-painted terrace, supporting a small leafy, flowering stem near the center. Above is a plant with fan-shaped leaves. To the left is a rock with a hole in it, symbolizing the Chinese philosophy of Taoism, behind which rises a tall willow with hanging branches. Near the center, there appears to be a bat, while on the right, there seems to be a seabird seen in profile to the left and another motif, perhaps a boat. The decoration on the cover is quite different. It is bordered by a fillet drawn under the inner rim in red. The main decoration consists of two medallions repeated in alternation, occupying almost the entire surface. One of the medallions features a background of sloping-veined leaves traced in red with gilding, surrounding a small oval medallion traced in red. It is decorated with a lake scene, featuring an island with a tall pagoda and a fisherman in a small boat, all traced and painted in red. The mountains in the background are outlined in black and painted green. The other, larger medallion features a low flower basket with a flared rim and base, resting on feet; it is outlined in red and decorated with vertical red lines. It has an inverted U-shaped vertical handle, trimmed with a ribbon. The flowers are traced and painted red with gilding; the leaves are traced black and painted green. Two insects with black-painted wings, traced in red with gilding, twirl around the flowers. The center of the saucer is adorned with a circular medallion traced in red, surrounding a stem traced in red, with leaves traced in black and painted in green and red with veins, and flowers traced and painted in red with gilding.