1-234-810 - The Museum of East Asian Art/Heritage Images

Blue and white Shonsui-type saucer with Three Friends of Winter design, Ming dynasty, China, 2nd quarter of 17th century. A blue and white Shonsui-type saucer with pie crust cafe au lait dressed rim. The centre has a design of the Three Friends of Winter (plum, pine and bamboo) in a double lined medallion. The almost straight sides have border decoration split into two halves; one with the Three Friends and a bird, the other half with six ogival panels of alternating horse and rider and various diapers. The exterior has a continuous bird and flower spray. On the base is a Fuku and Jiajing mark. Shonsui refers to a rare group of pieces which came to Japan from China in the 2nd quarter of the 17th century with Shonsui marks. A further rare group are recognised as Shonsui-type because of their similar decoration and in particular these pieces almost all have the decoration of a man on a horse in an ogival medallion somewhere in the design generally in the border as appears here.