39 - Two small green-glazed porcelain screens decorated with children and flowers, China, Kangxi period (1662–1722)

Two small green-glazed porcelain screens decorated with children and flowers, China, Kangxi period (1662–1722) - One depicts two children grabbing a third child as they try to catch a helmet he is holding in his raised hand. Surrounding them is a large, hollow rock in front of a tree, a garden balustrade, and the sun. On the reverse side is a rock from which rooster combs rise, with butterflies and insects flying above them. Each side is framed by a geometric frieze. The word for a rooster’s crest, guān (冠), is a strict homophone of the word meaning “official’s hat”—guān (官). Giving or depicting a rooster’s crest is equivalent to wishing for “to attain a high official rank”—Guan shang jia guan—冠上加冠—or a rapid promotion within the mandarin hierarchy. - The other features three smiling children sitting on the ground, playing on the grass in a garden surrounded by a balustrade, in front of a banana tree and a rock with a hole in it. Above them are the sun and clouds. On the reverse, a rock from which flowering plum branches rise, with butterflies and insects fluttering above them. Each side is framed by a geometric frieze. 19.7 x 11.2 cm Wooden bases. Worn, broken, and re-glued; minor chips.