A PAIR OF BLUE AND WHITE 'FISH' SALTS AND A PAIR OF 'FLORAL' SALTS Kangxi and Qianlong The first pair in the shape of round-bellied fish, the concave centre with a central lotus motif, raised on a flared foot decorated with petals, waves and radiating ridges picked out in underglaze blue; the second pair similarly raised on a flared foot moulded with petals and foliage, with a chrysanthemum shaped dish surrounded by further leafy foliage interspersed with chrysanthemums. The fish salts 9cm (3 1/2in) wide. (4). Footnotes: 清康熙及乾隆 青花魚形鹽盤一對及花卉紋鹽盤一對 Provenance: Acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, October 2017 (the fish salts) Published and Illustrated: M. White, Eating at the Whites' House: Ceramics from the Mary and Peter White collection, vol.3, n.p., 2022, p.299 (the floral salts) M. White, Beasts at the Whites' House: A selection of ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol.1, n.p., 2020, p.217 (the fish salts) Salts were used as part of the dinner service, designed to hold only a pinch of salt in their dishes. Salt being an expensive commodity, the presence of such a dish was a symbol of status as well as of practical and decorative use. Such dishes were usually produced for the European market, following Dutch and English habits, as Chinese cuisine tended to favour fermented pastes to salt flakes. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing