Enameled porcelain vase in the famille rose style... Lot 44

Enameled porcelain vase in the famille rose style decorated with Yue Fei having his back tattooed, China, 20th century The body decorated with a scene showing General Yue Fei kneeling half-naked getting a tattoo on his back of the phrase: 精忠报国 - "offering his country unfailing loyalty, by his mother". She is assisted by a child holding the necessary utensils. Opposite them, a woman stands by a console where a perfume burner is smoking. In the background, the sun in the waves. An inscription in an oval cartouche identifies each figure. A long calligraphy adorns the other half of the body, whose title 刺字教忠 - cì zì jiào zhōng can be translated as "the teaching of loyalty through tattooed characters". The shoulder is decorated with a frieze of florets and grecques. Lingzhi head leaves and stylized lotus flowers on a yellow background adorn the neck, flanked by two openwork handles in the form of blue-enameled foliage. The bottom of the vase features a lotus flower motif. The base bears an incomplete apocryphal Qianlong mark in zhuanshu. Height : 23,5 cm Pierced. The expression 刺字教忠 - cì zì jiào zhōng is often associated with Yue Fei, a Song dynasty general known for his patriotism and loyalty to his country. According to legend, Yue Fei tattooed these four characters on his back as a constant reminder of the importance of loyalty to his country and duty to the emperor.