A Fine Qing Dynasty Blue and White “Longevity and Honeysuckle” Dish，Qianlong Mark

The dish is sturdily potted with a broad, open mouth, gently rounded sides, and a short ring foot, representing one of the traditional forms produced by the Qing imperial kilns. The vessel is decorated throughout in underglaze blue. Double blue lines encircle the mouth rim, interior base, and foot rim. The central medallion is finely painted with a stylized shou (“longevity”) character rendered in geometric form, surrounded by scrolling honeysuckle motifs in delicate outline. The exterior is decorated with six stylized honeysuckle sprays arranged in opposing pairs and separated by scrolling tendrils, creating a balanced and rhythmic decorative scheme. The base bears a six-character seal mark in underglaze blue reading “Da Qing Qianlong Nian Zhi” (“Made during the Qianlong reign of the Great Qing”).

The honeysuckle motif (rendongwen) is among the most enduring decorative patterns in Chinese ceramic art. “Rendong,” literally “enduring winter,” refers to the honeysuckle plant, known for remaining verdant throughout the cold season. As recorded in the Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica), the plant was believed to promote longevity and vitality, and thus became associated with auspicious wishes for long life and enduring prosperity. The motif originally entered China through Buddhist artistic traditions and frequently appeared in Dunhuang murals, halo designs of Buddhist sculptures, and stone cave ornamentation. By the Qing dynasty, it had been fully incorporated into the decorative repertoire of imperial porcelain, where it conveyed blessings of longevity, fortune, and eternal auspiciousness.

Beginning in the Yongzheng period, imperial kilns regularly produced bowls and dishes adorned with honeysuckle designs, with the Qianlong court showing particular favor toward motifs associated with longevity and refined elegance. On the present example, the central longevity medallion and surrounding scrolling honeysuckle patterns together form a classic imperial auspicious design symbolic of “boundless longevity” and “abundant blessings.”

The porcelain body is finely potted and compact, covered with a smooth, lustrous glaze of creamy white tone. The cobalt blue is rich yet refined, with confident and fluid brushwork throughout. The overall composition is spacious and elegant despite the intricacy of the ornamentation, demonstrating the refined taste, technical precision, and dignified beauty characteristic of Qianlong imperial blue and white porcelain.

This work was formerly in the collection of James Frederik Oiesen (1857–1928), a prominent Danish diplomat and senior official of the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs Service. Arriving in China in 1876, Oiesen spent more than four decades serving in major treaty ports and administrative centers including Shanghai, Canton, Foochow, Hankow, and Tientsin, before being appointed Danish ambassador to Peking in 1920. His career coincided with a period of expanding commercial and diplomatic exchange between China and the West, during which Danish enterprises such as the Great Northern Telegraph Company established extensive telegraph networks throughout China (Shanghai & Gulangyu) and East Asia. Deeply engaged with Chinese society and culture, and married to Akwai Yang of a prominent Cantonese merchant family, Oiesen developed a collection that naturally included Chinese works of art, reflecting the cosmopolitan cultural environment of late Qing and early Republican China.

The dish was later acquired in 1974 by a Massachusetts private collector from the distinguished Boston Asian art dealer Alberts-Langdon, Inc., Oriental Art. Founded in 1960 by Russell Alberts and Laura Langdon, the firm is among the oldest and most respected Asian art dealerships in the United States, renowned for its expertise in Asian works of art and advisory services to collectors and institutions.

 {H 1 7/8  x Diameter 8 1/8 inches (5 x 20.5 cm)}.

清乾隆 淡描青花忍冬团寿纹盘

盘敞口，弧腹，圈足，胎体规整端庄，为清代官窑传统器形之一。通体以青花装饰，内外口沿、内底及足胫皆饰双道青花弦纹。盘心以淡描青花绘团寿纹，寿字经几何化处理，外围环绕卷草忍冬纹饰，构图严谨而富装饰意味。外壁绘六组变形忍冬纹，两两对应成三组，其间以卷枝纹相隔，纹样连绵流转，层次清晰。圈足内青花书“大清乾隆年制”六字三行篆书款。

忍冬纹为中国瓷器上极具代表性的传统装饰纹样之一。“忍冬”即金银花，因其凌冬不凋而得名。《本草纲目》载其“久服轻身，长年益寿”，故忍冬纹自古被赋予延年益寿、福寿绵长之吉祥寓意。该纹样原随佛教艺术传入中国，早期多见于敦煌壁画、佛像背光及石窟装饰之中，后逐渐融入宫廷工艺美术体系，并成为清代官窑瓷器的重要装饰元素之一。自雍正朝开始，官窑即持续烧造忍冬纹碗、盘等器物，乾隆一朝尤重其典雅与祥瑞象征，常结合团寿、缠枝等纹样，以彰显“万寿无疆”“多福多寿”之意。

本品盘心所绘团寿纹，与外围忍冬卷草纹相结合，共同构成清代宫廷瓷器中典型之长寿吉祥题材。寿字以淡描青花绘制，线条纤细匀净，兼具几何化与图案化特征，与外壁流动舒展之卷草纹形成对比，使整体装饰既富秩序感，又不失灵动秀雅之气。

全器胎质细腻坚致，釉面莹润洁白，青花发色浓郁而清丽，线条勾绘流畅稳定。整体构图疏朗典雅，纹饰虽繁而不乱，充分展现乾隆官窑青花瓷器秀美端庄、精工细作之艺术风貌，亦体现清代宫廷瓷器对于吉祥寓意与装饰美感的高度结合。

本件作品旧藏于 James Frederik Oiesen（1857–1928）。Oiesen 为丹麦外交官及中国海关高级官员，1876年赴华后，于上海、广州、福州、汉口、天津等通商口岸及重要城市任职四十余年，并于1920年出任丹麦驻北京公使。其任职时期正值晚清至民国初年中西外交与商业交流迅速发展的阶段，由丹麦资本创立之“大北电报公司”（The Great Northern Telegraph Company）亦于此时在中国 （上海&鼓浪屿）及东亚广泛铺设电报网络。Oiesen 长期深入参与中国社会与海关体系，并与出身广州富商家族的中国女性 Akwai Yang 成婚，其收藏中包含中国艺术品，正体现晚清至民国时期中西文化交流背景下形成的国际化收藏视野。后由马萨诸塞州私人藏家于1974年购自波士顿著名亚洲艺术古董商 Alberts-Langdon, Inc., Oriental Art。该公司由 Russell Alberts 与 Laura Langdon 于1960年创立，为美国历史最悠久且最具声誉的亚洲艺术古董商之一，长期专营亚洲艺术品与古董，并以其在亚洲艺术领域的专业鉴定与收藏顾问服务而闻名。

高 1 7/8 英寸，直径 8 1/8 英寸（5 × 20.5 厘米）。

For condition report, please contact the Asian Art Department.