A Rare Kangxi Porcelain Peach Shaped Strainer

A Rare Kangxi (1662-1722) Porcelain Peach Shaped Strainer, late Kangxi c.1700-1720. This blue and white Chinese export porcelain strainer has erratically placed holes in the flat center of the dish, these were added from the front when the clay was leather-hard. The exit marks of these small perforations on the unglazed base are slightly jagged where the clay has been pushed through from the front. The peach form was mould-made as was the stalk shaped handle, which was made in a two piece mould. This meant that the veins of the leaf could be displayed in low-relief, front and back. The interior walls of this Kangxi strainer are decorated with three flowering branches and a smaller non-flowering branch. The exterior walls are painted with fruiting vines. In China, the peach is considered a blessed fruit, a symbol of longevity and immortality. In the West strainers such as the present example might have been used for freshly washed fruit, such as grapes or strawberries.

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