A PAIR OF DOUCAI 'DEER AND MONKEY' DISHES, KANGXI PERIOD China, 1662-1722. The shallow rounded sides rising from a short tapered foot, the interior painted with a central medallion enclosing a deer looking up toward a monkey eating fruit on a gnarled pine tree next to craggy rockwork and magpies in flight below colorful scrolling clouds. Framed by a double line border and encircled by the Three Friends of Winter - pine, bamboo, and plum. Provenance: From an English private collection. Condition: Both dishes: Minor firing flaws, wear, traces of use, shallow surface scratches, and scattered frits to rim with associated touchups. Dish 1: chipping to foot rim, one hairline (ca. 4 cm). Dish 2: Russet scratches to base, nibbling to foot rim, three short hairlines (ca. 2 cm). All inspected under strong blue light. Weight: 336.0 g (dish 1) and 379.6 g (dish 2) Dimensions: Diameter 20.3 cm (dish 1) and 20.2 cm (dish 2) The exterior neatly decorated with bamboo framed by double line borders. The base with an apocryphal underglaze-blue six-character mark da Ming Chenghua nianzhi within a double circle. Puns or rebuses are very popular in Chinese art and often made by using homophones. Here, monkey, bees, magpie, and deer are combined to convey 'giving great wealth and bestowing a noble title' (jue lu feng hou). Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related single Doucai dish, also dated to the Kangxi period, with an apocryphal underglaze-blue six-character Chenghua mark within a double circle, and similarly painted with a deer under a pine tree, at Sotheby's New York in Chinese Works of Art on 19 March 2013, lot 175, sold for USD 22,500 (for a single dish). 康熙朝一對斗彩猴鹿紋盤 中國，1662-1722年。敞口，淺腹，圈足，盤内中心雙圈開光繪製園中小鹿，身側松樹上立著一隻在吃桃子的猴子。内壁“歲寒三友”圖，外壁青花雙勾竹紋。圈足内青花“大明成化年製”六字款。 來源：英國私人收藏 品相：兩個盤子都有輕微的燒製缺陷，磨損，有使用痕跡以及表面淺劃痕，邊緣處琺琅磕損以及相關的修補。 盤一：一道細裂紋（約 4 厘米），足緣有磕損。 盤二：赤褐色劃痕到底部，足緣有磕損，三道細裂紋（約 2 厘米）。經過強藍光下檢查。 重量：336.0克 (盤一)，379.6克 (盤二) 尺寸：直徑20.3 厘米 (盤一) ，20.2 厘米 (盤二) 在中國藝術裏經常使用諧音或同音傳遞吉祥如意的彩頭，比如猴、蜜蜂、喜鵲和鹿的組合，寓意“爵祿封侯”。 拍賣結果比較：一件康熙斗彩盤，同樣有“大明成化年製”六字款，松下鹿紋，見紐約蘇富比Chinese Works of Art 2013年3月19日 lot 175, 售價USD 22,500 (一個盤)。