Red peacock and peony plate

[Red peacock peony plate]

Red peacock peony plate, Ming Yongle, height 6 cm, caliber 44.5 cm
This plate is painted with red paint and carved with peony as the background, with dense branches and thick flowers. A pair of peacocks with outstretched wings are pressed on the peony pattern, which is magnificent and bold. The feathers of the peacocks are as fine as brush silk and as tiny as hair, in sharp contrast with the plump peony flowers and leaves. The peacock’s body and neck edges are slightly higher, the middle part is slightly concave, and its tail feathers float like scales, which are scattered layer by layer, enhancing the three-dimensional sense. The foot is painted with black and brown paint, and one side of the needle is marked with the fine script of “Ming Yongle Year System”
This plate is the most exquisite of Yongle’s carvings, which shows the characteristics of carved lacquer in the Yongle period. The veins of flowers, leaves and feathers of birds are all delicately carved, the composition is complex and simple, the decoration is vivid, the artistic conception is romantic, and the craftsmanship is superb.