A RARE ROUND QIANJIANG PORCELAIN PLAQUE SIGNED BY CHENG NANSHAN, China, dated 1876

Round in shape, it is nicely painted with a mountain landscape in the Qianjiang style; at the top it bears inscriptions bearing the signature of the artist Cheng Nanshan ( 程 南山) and the cyclic date bing zi (丙子) corresponding to the year 1876.

Provenance: Private collection, Italy

Catalogue notes: This plate is rare because it is one of the earliest examples of the Qianjiang style on porcelain. Before 1885 in fact few pieces were produced as the style was not yet widespread, and the few examples were aimed at the literati class. It is even rarer to find an example before 1880, when very few artists were venturing into a style that was still experimental.