A large Canton famille rose 'Investiture of the Gods' tureen tray


19th centuryThe oval dish finely enamelled with a narrative scene from the mid-Ming Dynasty novel 封神演義 fengshen yanyi, the upturned rim with typical fruit, flowers and butterflies on a white ground. 47.5cm (18 3/4in) wide
|封神演义 fengshen yanyi, or 'Investiture of the Gods', is a 16th century popular Chinese novel attributed to Xu Zhonglin. Set during the violent transition between the Shang dynasty and the Western Zhou dynasty in the 10th century BC, it extensively draws from Chinese mythology and religion and includes many popular Daoist and Buddhist deities who join sides in the human war.