QP6 A “Walled town” Imari plate, Kangxi, Qing Dynasty

Description

Description:   Chinese porcelain plate decorated with a lake in the foreground, and a big walled town at its margin. Distant mountains on the background. A Kangxi lingzhi mark at the base.

Dating:  18^th century, Kangxi period, Qing dynasty.

Size:  31.8 cm diameter

Provenance:  Antiquarian market

References:

Notes:  The last two pictures above are respectively showing: a map of Canton (now Guangzhou) dated 1740, that is in the collection of the Kina Slott castle in Stockholm, and a further 18^th century eye-bird view map of the town. Both maps are more or less contemporary with our dish. An interesting article about Canton and its historical importance as seaport for trading with the rest of the World is the following one, which too is related to a porcelain dish portraying the town:

https://www.gotheborg.com/objectofthemonth/index.shtml

There, it is written that “The decoration of the dish is set against a background of a mountainous area which is not really there in reality. It is the White Cloud Mountain area located 7.5 km northeast of Guangzhou and an offshoot of the Dayu Ling, the main mountain range of Guangdong province. The White Cloud Mountain consists of some 30 peaks covering a large area. The highest peak, Moxing Ridge, or The Ridge that Reaches the Stars is with its 382 meters regarded as “the First Peak under the Southern Sky……. the name of the mountain area is derived from the white clouds that often fly over it”.

It is then likely probable that, because of the walled town, the waters, and the background mountains surrounded by clouds, the decoration on our dish is representing the old Canton.