Details
A BLUE AND WHITE 'SQUIRREL AND GRAPEVINE' BOWL
KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)
The bowl is decorated on the exterior with a continuous scene of small squirrels clambering amidst leafy, fruit-laden grapevines, and is inscribed with an apocryphal Chenghua mark on the base.
7 3/8 in. (18.8 cm.) diam.

Provenance
The Rende Zhai (House of Benevolent Learning) Collection, 1949-1970s, in the United States before 1990.
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Lot Essay

As squirrels have large litters, the depiction of squirrels with trailing vines may be a visual rebus for a wish for many sons and the continuation of the family line, the winding vines representing the family lineage. It has also been suggested that the squirrel and grape-vine motif conveys a wish for promotion to a higher rank.

Compare with a pair of blue and white bowls of the same motif, but slightly larger in size, sold at Christie's New York, 18 September 2013, lot 1377.

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