FAMILLE VERTE PORCELAIN FIGURE OF A BOY
KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)
16.4 cm high
The figure is depicted seated with his feet together, his arms slightly raised and his head turned to the right. His well-defined face shows a warm and joyful smile. He is wearing only a jacket which is finely painted in bright famille verte enamels with floral motifs against a light aubergine ground.
Originally, this boy probably had separately made hands which would have been inserted in the opening of each sleeve. For two highly similar figures, each without hands, see Anthony Du Boulay, Christie's Pictorial History of Chinese Ceramics, Glasgow, 1984, p.289, no.11.
Boys were a highly popular subject in Chinese decorative art. Often depicted at play, they symbolise the wish for children and grandchildren.