Lot 3689. A pair of blue and white 'Three Friends' dishes, seal marks and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 18 cm, 7 1/8 in. Estimate 200,000 — 300,000 HKD. Lot sold 487,500 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.
each with rounded sides rising from a tapered foot to a flared rim, the exterior painted with a continuous scene depicting two conversing young boys seated below a willow tree, next to a courtyard decorated with plants and rocks, leading to an interior scene with a lady seated in a composed manner on a bench, the interior decorated with a medallion enclosing the 'Three Friends of Winter', depicting a large overhanging pine tree, bamboo shoots and a gnarled tree bearing prunus blossoms and buds, inscribed to the base with a six-character seal mark.
Exhibited: Special Triennial Tobi Art Fair, Tokyo Bijutsu Club, Tokyo, 1985.
Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 03 Oct 2017