A PAIR OF ‘SPOTTED BAMBOO’ FAMILLE ROSE DISHES, EARLY QIANLONG PERIODChina, circa 1740. The dishes with openwork sides in the form of overlapping rings imitating spotted bamboo (xiangfei zhu), enameled in yellow and brown. The center decorated with peonies, chrysanthemums and butterflies superbly painted in crisp enamels, enclosed by a floral diaper band, detailed with radiating lines within cells on a green ground with horizontal lines. (2)Provenance: Sotheby's, London, 6 November 1973, lot 132. Dr. Anton C.R. Dreesmann, acquired from the above. Christie's, London, 10 April 2002, lot 374, sold for GBP 3,525 or approx.EUR7,800 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). S. Marchant and Son, London, 2002. Richard and Maxine Markell, acquired from the above. A copy of the original invoice from S. Marchant and Son, London, dated 14 June 2002, dating the plates to circa 1740, and stating a purchase price of GBP 6,500 or approx.EUR14,500 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), apanies this lot. Each dish with two old inventory labels from the Dreesmann collection to the base, one dish further with a label ‘Marchant London Qianlong 1736-1795’. Dr. Anton C.R. Dreesmann (1923-2000) was a third-generation member of the founding family of the biggest Dutch department store, Vroom & Dreesmann, and a passionate collector, amassing over 1,300 works of art, including the famous ‘Waterloo Bridge’ by Claude Monet.Condition: Very good condition, superbly enameled and with only light wear, manufacturing flaws including minor warping, pitting, dark spots, glaze recesses, and few firing cracks.Weight: 316.6 g and 312.2 gDimensions: Diameter 21.4 cm and 21.2 cmXiangfei zhu, or spotted bamboo, a native plant of Hunan, Henan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang, refers to several types of bamboo with stems that are mottled by dark spots. The stems of the spotted bamboos are generally esteemed for making the handles of Chinese brushes, used for calligraphy and painting. Early examples from brushes made of spotted bamboo date back to the 8th century, Tang dynasty, and were highly valued in China as well as Japan, as can be seen from objects imitating spotted bamboo in the Shosoin (treasure house) in Japan.Literatureparison:Compare a closely related dish with openwork rim, late 17th to early 18th century, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number .乾隆早期一對粉彩湘妃竹紋開光花開富貴盤子中國，約1740年。折沿淺腹盤，圈足。折沿鏤空連環狀，琺瑯彩黃褐相間，如湘妃竹紋理。盤中開光描繪富貴花開圖，牡丹、菊花，四周蝴蝶飛舞。 (2)