Decorated with the Eighteen Scholars of the Tang dynasty engaged in the Four Gentlemanly Attributes: calligraphy, painting, music, and the strategy game of weiqi. All finely painted in varying tones of underglaze blue.
Diameter: 8 inches (20 cm.)
The Eighteen Scholars of the Tang dynasty were the most noted cultural figures of their time. A Tang dynasty prince who was deemed unworthy to rule engaged with them and proved his worth. This motif was used in the early Kangxi reign as well to show the Kangxi emperor’s education in classic Chinese culture and his right to rule over the Chinese empire that the Qing (of Manchurian origin) had recently conquered.
