A Chinese Famille Rose Ceramic Tray, Late Qing Dynasty, circa 1880–1910

Perfect for a coffee table, dressing table, or entry way, this ceramic tray is a striking and attractive addition to any home. Of lobed octagonal form with a dramatically waisted profile, the dish is finely enamelled in the famille rose palette with a figural scene of Immortals and attendants before a lakeside landscape of pines and distant mountains. At the centre stands a robed dignitary holding a ritual vessel, flanked by an elegant female courtier and youthful attendants; to one side an elderly immortal rests beside a crane – emblem of longevity – while a kneeling warrior blows a conch horn in homage. The vivid greens, pinks, aubergines and cloud-blue outlines are typical of late Qing polychrome enamelling, here heightened by the deliberate craquelure of the glaze.

The raised rim is boldly decorated with a continuous key-fret (meander) border in alternating sky-blue and white, the geometric form framing the narrative scene with architectural strength. The underside is unglazed/partially glazed (depending on underside), consistent with utilitarian basins and decorative trays produced for domestic and temple use in the closing decades of the 19th century.

Pieces of this type were popular presentation or altar vessels, often celebrating longevity, good fortune and prosperity — iconography reinforced by the crane, peaches, and attending immortals.