AG77
Further images
Of oval form, brightly decorated in Famille Rose enamels and highlighted in gold with sprays of peony and branches issuing from stylised rockwork, the domed cover well-painted with leafy flowers, sprays and colourful burst pomegranates and surmounted by a burst pomegranate finial, the chamfered edge with a gilded border of fleurs-de-lys and a brown wash. The stand of chamfered rectangular form, decorated to the centre in many-hued Famille Rose with a grassy scene of peonies and leaves issuing from stylised rockwork amidst gnarled budded branches within an iron-red and gilt border; the rim brightly painted with four groups of trailing vines from which issue peonies, lotus and pomegranates, the barbed edge with an opaque brown wash and the base unglazed.
Footnote: The many-seeded pomegranate is an emblem of fertility and a burst pomegranate particularly so. The Buddhists believed a favourable influence to reside in the pomegranate tree.
