A Chinese doucai and famille rose 'sanduo' dish

Qing dynasty, 19th century

The interior outlined in underglaze blue and enamelled in the famille rose palette and iron-red with medallions of fruiting peaches, finger citron and pomegranate, with a bat alighting over the central medallion, the exterior with lingzhi sprays and a later-added iron-red six-character Jiaqing seal mark to the base.

26.3cm diameter.

清十九世紀 鬥彩、粉彩繪三多圖紋碟，礬紅篆書「大清嘉慶年製」後加款

Known as a group as ‘the three abundances’ (sanduo三多), the finger citron, or Buddha’s Hand, peach and pomegranate, when represented together bring a blessing for a prosperous, long life, with many generations to follow.

As the fruit taking three thousand years to grow and as much to ripen in the garden of the Queen Mother of the West, the peach is a symbol of longevity. It is also the fruit associated with the God of Long Life Shoulao, who is often depicted holding a ripe fruit. According to legend, whoever eats one of the peaches from the garden of the Queen Mother of the West will acquire immortality.

The finger citron, in Chinese foshou 佛手, or Buddha’s hand, is a homophone and visual pun to the phrase, good fortune/wealth and longevity, fu shou 福壽.

Lastly, with its myriad seeds, the pomegranate is a clear symbol not only for a numerous family, but one populated by male heirs, zi 子.

In addition to the highly auspicious meaning, the group of three also poses technical challenges in their representation, from the richly shaded texture of ripe peaches, to the multitude of seeds of the pomegranate, and the corrugated texture of the finger citron, making it a highly desirable subject matter in carving of wood, lacquer, enamels and porcelain when well-executed.

A symbol of great health and longevity, Lingzhi, or ganoderma sichuanense, is a bracket fungus native of East Asia. Known in Chinese culture from time immemorial, its first mention in the combination of the two characters靈芝 together into a single word is found in the poetry of Bangu in the first century CE, in an ode to Lingzhi.

The fungus is thought to have been used in Daoist settings for several centuries, where the use of a concentrated decoction was thought to give practitioners the ability to see spirits, or to become spirits, or immortals, themselves. 

To this date, lingzhi is used in Chinese traditional medicine to treat a number of ailments. Traditionally, it was seen as a symbol of health and longevity, and a talisman for good luck. Because of these associations, it was often grown in imperial gardens, as well as being a popular subject in painting, porcelain and carving.