Bowl, hard paste porcelain, with scalloped rim, decorated in colours with a scene illustrating the myth of the herdsman and the weaving princess; base, painted red seal mark of the Daoguang emperor and of the period, made in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, China, c1821-1850
the myth illustrated concerns Chih Nu, an accomplished weaver and spinner, daughter of the Sun-King, who falls in love with Chi'en Niu a herdsman; angering the Sun-King by their subsequent laziness, Chi'en Niu is banished to the other side of the milky way, where, nevertheless, Chiu Nu is able to visit him once a year by crossing a bridge of sympathetic magpies
the myth illustrated concerns Chih Nu, an accomplished weaver and spinner, daughter of the Sun-King, who falls in love with Chi'en Niu a herdsman; angering the Sun-King by their subsequent laziness, Chi'en Niu is banished to the other side of the milky way, where, nevertheless, Chiu Nu is able to visit him once a year by crossing a bridge of sympathetic magpies
