A DOCUMENTARY LONGQUAN CELADON CARVED 'DRAGON AND CARP' TABLE SCREEN Ming Dynasty Of rectangular form, one side carved with a carp finely detailed with scales and fins beneath a four-clawed dragon with long whiskers, all amidst clouds, and incised seal mark, the other side with a large fu ('good fortune') character, supported on bracketed sides and feet with scrolling spandrels and skirt incised with a coin on one side and a taiji symbol on the other side, the base incised into the biscuit body with signature of Jiang Yixing zao, ('made by Jiang Yixing') hongmu stand. 17cm (6 5/8in) high. (2). Footnotes: Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價 明 龍泉窯青釉魚化龍紋福字桌屏 「江義興造」楷書刻款 Provenance: acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, in June 2006 (label and collector's notes) Published and Illustrated: M.White, Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol.4, n.p, 2023, p.170 來源：獲得于倫敦古董商 R & G McPherson Antiques，2006年6月（標簽和藏家筆記） 著錄： M.White，《Living at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection》，第4冊，無出版地，2023年，第170頁 The present lot is apparently unique in being inscribed: 江義興造 which may be translated as 'made by Jiang Yixing'. The motif of the carp swimming upstream and transforming into a dragon (li yu hua long 鯉魚化龍) is one of the most enduring allegories in Chinese art. Drawn from classical literature and folklore, it recounts the carp's arduous ascent of the Dragon Gate on the Yellow River, where only the strongest succeed and are rewarded with metamorphosis into a dragon. The image came to symbolise perseverance, moral fortitude, and success through effort, and was closely associated with scholarly ambition and success in the Civil Service examinations. See a related Longquan celadon 'Buddhist lion' table screen, Ming dynasty, in the collection of the Qingyuan County Cultural Relics Management Committee, illustrated by Zhu Boqian, Celadons from Longquan Kilns (龍泉窯青瓷), Taipei, 1998, p.292, pl.280. See a related Longquan celadon-glazed inscribed table screen, Ming dynasty, which was sold at Bonhams London, 7 November 2022, lot 71. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: Y Y Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the UK, see clause 13. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing