Description Famille rose fruit plates in various shapes and sizes. Largest stamped and signed plate has butterflies and flowers on a pedestal surrounded by bats and peach illustrations. Leaf shaped stamped plate featuring flowers on a pedestal with butterflies. Signed crane plate has a white ground with yellow, pink, and teal and sits on a pedestal with a wave pattern. Octagonal plate has a teal ground and a missing wax stamp. Small plate has a Yin and Yang symbol in the inner base of the plate and Bagua lines surrounding the symbol. Dimensions are: Largest plate: 3 1/4 inches tall X 11 1/8 inches wide X 8 7/8 inches deep; 8.3 cm tall X 28.3 cm wide X 22.5 cm deep. Crane plate: 1 7/8 inches tall X 8 1/4 inches wide; 4.8 cm tall X 21 cm wide. Smallest plate: 1 1/4 inches tall X 3 5/8 inches wide; 3.2 cm tall X 9.2 cm wide. All measurements are approximate.
Condition Report Large plate has edge chips. Crane plate has hairline crack. Leaf plate has repairs and chips to rim of the plate. Small plate has edge chips.
Provenance From the old collection of Mr. William Wu, San Francisco, USA. William Wu (1939-2007) was born in Shanghai and moved to Hong Kong with his family when he was young. In 1957, he was admitted to the Department of Philosophy at Princeton University. Because of his interest in history, in 1979 he received a doctorate in art history from Princeton University focusing on the Chinese artist Gong Xian. After graduation, he was successively employed as a professor of art history at Dartmouth, Oberlin, and other colleges. He later settled in San Francisco, California, where he presided over the Chinese Cultural Center, held regular cultural exhibitions, and devoted himself to introducing Chinese culture and artists to Western audiences. During the 1980s, he traveled between San Francisco and Shanghai and became an important bridge for cultural and artistic exchanges. Professor William Wu and the famous movie star Jet Li are distant relatives, and he was a great help in the early years of Jet Li's career development. Mr. Wu maintained contact with Jet Li during his life.