Description Ten famille rose plates in various sizes dating from the Qing dynasty. Large plate with wax seal and signed on base with subject manner of butterfly, gourds, and flowers. Plate has gilt rim with bats on the exterior. Large, deep, stamp-sealed famille plate with floral designs. Gilt rim plate with calligraphy and bird on interior with iron-red seal on base. One plate with bok choy, calligraphy, and bat illustrated on interior. Plate also has seal in interior of plate. Seal-stamped plate with Chinese calligraphy on interior with figurative bats on exterior. Stamp-signed plate with butterflies and flowers with bats on exterior. Four seal-signed small plates with floral and calligraphy. Dimensions are: Small plates: 7/8 inch tall X 5 1/4 inches diameter; 2.2 cm tall X 13.2 cm diameter. 1 1/8 inches tall X 6 3/4 inches diameter; 3 cm tall X 17.2 cm diameter. Large plate: 1 5/8 inches tall X 8 7/8 inches diameter; 4.2 cm tall X 22.5 cm diameter. All measurements are approximate.
Condition Report Bok Choy plate has edge chips and one small plate has a hairline break.
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.