The curled up feline with ears pricked and striped tail curled against his haunches, his mouth and nose touched in pink enamel and his coat picked out in finely incised white enamel with large, black, finely incised black patches
8³⁄₄ in. (22.2 cm.) long

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Carleigh QueenthSpecialist, Chinese Export

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Lot Essay

Cat nightlights were made as early as the late Ming period. Two blue and white examples were found in the first Hatcher cargo (sold Christie's, Amsterdam, 14 March 1984, lots 279 and 280.) The French Jesuit Père d'Entrecolles was famously struck by the form on his Kangxi period visit to Jingdezhen, writing, "I have seen a cat painted after life, in the head of which a little lamp was put to illuminate the eyes, and was assured that in the night the rats were terrified by it."