"Eight Peaches" porcelain dish with blue and yellow enamel, Qing dynasty

A glazed porcelain dish, circular in outline and shallow, with a gently curved rim and a slightly raised ring base. The body is covered with a bright yellow glaze that acts as a background for the underglaze cobalt-blue painted decoration. Inside, the centre is decorated with a circular medallion containing a complex composition of eight peaches intertwined with sinuous branches and finely delineated leaves. This motif is notable for its auspicious symbolism related to longevity and immortality. The decoration continues on the outer flange of the dish, where a frieze of flowering branches and leaves in cobalt blue is repeated on the same yellow background, creating a rich chromatic vibration. In the centre of the base, framed by the undecorated yellow background, is a six-character seal in underglaze blue that reads “大清乾隆年制”. Qing dynasty (1644-1912) or later.

Height: 6 cm; Diameter: 27 cm